WKAL

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title: "WKAL" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["radio-stations-in-new-york-(state)", "radio-stations-established-in-1946", "1946-establishments-in-new-york-(state)", "tropical-music-radio-stations", "spanish-language-radio-stations-in-new-york-(state)"] topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WKAL" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox radio station"]

FieldValue
nameWKAL
logo_size200px
cityRome, New York
area
brandingEl Zorro 98.3 y 103.3 FM
airdate
frequency1450 kHz
translator
formatTropical music
power1,000 watts
classC
facility_id72067
coordinates
callsign_meaningKallet family (original owners)
former_callsigns
ownerTune In Broadcasting, LLC
webcast
website
licensing_authorityFCC
::

| name = WKAL | logo = | logo_size = 200px | city = Rome, New York | country = US | area = | branding = El Zorro 98.3 y 103.3 FM | airdate = | frequency = 1450 kHz | translator = | format = Tropical music | power = 1,000 watts | erp = | haat = | class = C | facility_id = 72067 | coordinates = | callsign_meaning = Kallet family (original owners) | former_callsigns = | owner = Tune In Broadcasting, LLC | licensee = | sister_stations = | webcast = | website = | affiliations = | licensing_authority= FCC

WKAL (1450 AM) is a radio station licensed to Rome, New York, United States, and serving the Utica–Rome and Syracuse radio markets. The station is owned by Tune In Broadcasting, LLC, a company based in Santa Clarita, California. It broadcasts a Spanish language tropical music format in simulcast with Arjuna Broadcasting Corporation's WNRS in Herkimer. It had previously broadcast a talk radio format, with an emphasis toward Rome-area sports.

History

WKAL signed on November 25, 1946, as a Mutual affiliate owned by the Copper City Broadcasting Corporation. Copper City Broadcasting was itself owned by Myron Kallet, who also controlled a chain of theaters that included the Capitol Theatre in Rome, where WKAL placed its studios. The station was the second station in Utica–Rome, after WIBX (which had already been on the air for two decades). Kallet would also expand into television on December 1, 1949, when WKTV (then on channel 13; later on channel 2) went on the air from Utica.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/WKAL-1974.jpg" caption="2018}}, only the concrete pad remains to mark the location where the building once stood." alt="The combined WKAL studio and transmitter facility, South Jay Street, Rome, New York; Spring of 1974. During the previous year, FM Stereo service had been initiated, simulcasting AM programming. The station's building markings were updated to advertise the change. To the left the station's VW Bus can be seen which was utilized during this period for promotional events."] ::

In 1958, Kallet sold WKAL and WKTV to a group led by Paul Harron and Gordon Gray, who had previously owned WIBG AM-FM in Philadelphia and WPFH in Wilmington, Delaware. The group, Mid-New York Broadcasting, changed the station's affiliation to ABC Radio by 1959; it then sold WKAL to Jackson Maurer, former owner of WHKK in Akron, Ohio, in 1961. The sale separated the station from WKTV, which remained under Harron ownership until 1992. In 1962, WKAL reaffiliated with Mutual; by 1964, the ABC affiliation had ceased, and by 1967, the station's studios had left the Capitol Theatre for its transmitter location on South Jay Street. An FM sister station, WKAL-FM, was started in August 1968 on 95.9 MHz as a simulcast of the AM station. During this time, WKAL's music programming included blocks devoted to middle of the road music, country music, and top 40. In 1977, WKAL-FM dropped the AM simulcast in favor of beautiful music.

Maurer Broadcasting Corporation sold WKAL AM-FM to Wooster Republican Publishing Company of Wooster, Ohio in 1980. By 1983, WKAL had an adult contemporary format; two years later, the station, along with what had become WTCO, were acquired by Howard Green and Donald Simmons, owner of WENY AM-TV and WLEZ in Elmira and WOND and WMGM FM-TV in Atlantic City, New Jersey. By then, WKAL had an oldies format.

Target Communications bought WKAL and its FM sister station (which had reverted to WKAL-FM) from Green and Simmons in 1987; soon after taking over, on February 1, 1988, the station's call sign was changed to WFRG, and it began simulcasting the "96 Frog" country music format of the FM station, which had become WFRG-FM at 96.1. The AM’s callsign was changed to WZLB on November 29, 1991, as the station began simulcasting an adult standards format with WTLB in Utica; in February 1992, WZLB and WTLB switched to the Satellite Music Network's Kool Gold oldies programming. WZLB's local marketing agreement with WTLB ended on April 1, 1993, and the station returned to simulcasting WFRG-FM; on May 15, 1993, WZLB reverted to the WFRG call sign. in November 1993, WFRG AM-FM was purchased by Forever Broadcasting, The AM’s callsign changed again on November 25, 1996, this time to WFRY; and the callsign reverted to WODZ on February 14, 1997.

Forever sold the station to the Bible Broadcasting Network (BBN) in 1999; after the sale was completed that May, the station became WYFY, and replaced the simulcast of WODZ-FM with a 24-hour broadcast of BBN's satellite-fed religious programming. BBN sold the station to Tune In Broadcasting in 2011; Tune In chose to return the station to commercial operation, forcing WYFY to leave the air following the completion of the sale on May 6, 2011, as only noncommercial stations can maintain main studios outside of their broadcast area (the former studios at the transmitter site in Rome were demolished). In addition, BBN retained the callsign WYFY; WRUY tested its signal with public service announcements and station identification (which claimed service to the nearby Syracuse market) in late February 2012, but on April 1 the call letters were changed back to WKAL. but went silent three days later due to technical difficulties. WKAL again resumed broadcasting on April 24, 2013, with nostalgia programming from the 1920s Radio Network, as well as a station identification announcing that the station was conducting an "engineering test broadcast" and that "a brand new WKAL" would launch soon. However, on May 8, 2013, satellite problems, an interference complaint, and the theft of copper strapping from the station's tower led WKAL to again leave the air.

Following further test broadcasts, WKAL finally resumed regular broadcasts March 11, 2014, providing a mix of lifestyle and regular talk radio (primarily syndicated, along with some drive time local programming), as well as coverage of Rome Free Academy athletics. In 2018, WKAL became affiliated with the Salem Radio Network; it was previously affiliated with ABC News Radio, CBS News Radio, and Cable Radio Networks.

On April 1, 2025, WKAL dropped its talk format and began simulcasting WNRS in Herkimer by arrangement with Arjuna Broadcasting, to allow full-market coverage of WNRS' Spanish language tropical music format.

References

References

  1. "POTW: Vintage WKAL Sign Discovered (2011)". CNYRadio.com.
  2. "WKAL is back on the air and ready to bring local sports, news | NBC-WKTV News Channel 2 - Utica News, Weather, Sports - | Local News".
  3. (November 23, 1946). "WKAL Will Go On Air Monday: Mutual Affiliate Assigned 1450 Kc.". Rome Daily Sentinel.
  4. "Joseph Trela". Utica AM Radio.
  5. (1948). "Broadcasting Yearbook 1948".
  6. (November 10, 1958). "Closed Circuit". [[Broadcasting & Cable.
  7. (1960). "Broadcasting Yearbook 1960".
  8. (May 22, 1961). "Changing hands". Broadcasting.
  9. (1963). "Broadcasting Yearbook 1963".
  10. (1965). "Broadcasting Yearbook 1965".
  11. (1968). "Broadcasting Yearbook 1968".
  12. (1999). "Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999".
  13. (1969). "Broadcasting Yearbook 1969".
  14. (1977). "Broadcasting Yearbook 1977".
  15. (August 4, 1980). "Changing Hands". Broadcasting.
  16. (1984). "Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1984".
  17. (December 10, 1984). "Changing Hands". Broadcasting.
  18. (1987). "Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1987".
  19. (September 21, 1987). "Changing Hands". Broadcasting.
  20. (February 8, 1988). "Call Letters". Broadcasting.
  21. (1989). "Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1989".
  22. "Call Sign History". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  23. (November 18, 1991). "Format Changes". The M Street Journal.
  24. (February 24, 1992). "Format Changes". The M Street Journal.
  25. (1993). "Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1993".
  26. (May 19, 1993). "Format Changes". The M Street Journal.
  27. "Application Search Details". Federal Communications Commission.
  28. (1994). "Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1994".
  29. Fybush, Scott. (January 8, 1999). "Snowbound!". North East RadioWatch.
  30. Seyler, Dave. (February 16, 2011). "Tune In Broadcasting reclaims one from the noncoms". Radio Business Report.
  31. (October 10, 2011). "Q&A: Why Has Rome's WRUY Been Silent Since May?". CNYRadio.com.
  32. (February 15, 2012). "FCC Approves More Silence for Rome's WRUY". CNYRadio.com.
  33. (May 17, 2011). "WYFY's New Call Letters: WRUY". CNYRadio.com.
  34. (February 27, 2012). "Brief Signs of Progress for Rome's WRUY". CNYRadio.com.
  35. Frisch, Ron. (May 16, 2012). "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA (1)". Federal Communications Commission.
  36. Frisch, Ron. (May 6, 2013). "Resumption of Operations (2)". Federal Communications Commission.
  37. (May 5, 2013). "Rome's WKAL 1450 back on-the-air days before FCC deadline [AUDIO]". CNYRadio.com.
  38. Frisch, Ron. (June 10, 2013). "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA (2)". Federal Communications Commission.
  39. "WKAL back on the air in Rome".
  40. (March 12, 2014). "WKAL-AM radio station returns to Rome airwaves". Oneida Daily Dispatch.
  41. (April 2, 2025). "Rome's WKAL station now El Zorro Radio Latino". Daily Sentinel.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

radio-stations-in-new-york-(state)radio-stations-established-in-19461946-establishments-in-new-york-(state)tropical-music-radio-stationsspanish-language-radio-stations-in-new-york-(state)