WLAM

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title: "WLAM" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1947-establishments-in-maine", "adult-standards-radio-stations-in-the-united-states", "oldies-radio-stations-in-the-united-states", "radio-stations-established-in-1947", "radio-stations-in-lewiston,-maine"] topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WLAM" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

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

FieldValue
nameWLAM
cityLewiston, Maine
countryUS
areaLewiston–Auburn
branding1470 & 97.3 The Memories Stations
frequency1470 kHz
translator
airdate
formatAdult standards; oldies
power(unlimited)
classB
facility_id64434
licensing_authorityFCC
coordinates
callsign_meaningLewiston–Auburn, Maine
former_callsigns
ownerRobert Bittner
licenseeBlue Jey Broadcasting Co.
sister_stations
::

| name = WLAM | logo = | city = Lewiston, Maine | country = US | area = Lewiston–Auburn | branding = 1470 & 97.3 The Memories Stations | frequency = 1470 kHz | translator = | airdate = | format = Adult standards; oldies | power = (unlimited) | class = B | facility_id = 64434 | licensing_authority = FCC | coordinates = | callsign_meaning = Lewiston–Auburn, Maine | former_callsigns = | affiliations = | owner = Robert Bittner | licensee = Blue Jey Broadcasting Co. | sister_stations = | webcast = | website =

WLAM (1470 AM) is a radio station broadcasting an adult standards and oldies format. Licensed to Lewiston, Maine, United States, the station serves the Lewiston–Auburn area. Established in 1947, the station is owned by the estate of Robert Bittner through licensee Blue Jey Broadcasting Co. Its 5,000-watt signal can be heard at day throughout most of Southern Maine and portions of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and at night throughout most of New England and portions of New York and Canada.

History

WLAM first went on the air September 4, 1947. The station initially aired various programs, including ABC Radio programming, music, and local sports coverage. An FM sister station on 100.1, WWAV (now WTHT on 99.9) was launched in 1977. The station became WKZN on December 26, 1990, swapping call letters with its sister station in Gorham on 870; the two stations eventually began simulcasting a standards format. A third station, WJTO in Bath, was part of the simulcast under a local marketing agreement from April 2, 1993, to August 1995. On July 19, 1993, WKZN changed its call sign to WZOU.

Wireless Talking Machine Company sold WZOU, WLAM, and WLAM-FM (106.7 FM, which had launched in 1996 as an FM simulcast of the stations; it is now WXTP), along with 99.9 (by then WMWX) and WTHT (107.5 FM; now WFNK) to Harron Communications, then-owner of WMTW-TV, in 1999. On May 21, 2001, Harron restored the WLAM call letters to the station; two weeks prior to this, 870 and 106.7 were converted to news/talk as WMTW. While WLAM initially retained the standards format, on November 26, the station was switched to a simulcast of WMTW; shortly afterwards, talk programming was removed from the stations in favor of an all-news format, mainly from the Associated Press's All-News Radio service.

After Harron sold its Maine radio stations to Nassau Broadcasting Partners in 2004, Newsradio WMTW was discontinued that April. Nassau also introduced three separate formats to the stations, with WLAM reverting to standards. This incarnation of the format would prove short-lived; in late 2005, the station switched to ESPN Radio.

One of WLAM's personalities during its standards incarnations was Bud Sawyer, a longtime staple of Portland-area radio stations such as WPOR, who was the station's morning host from 1998 until the 2001 switch to news/talk, and again during the mid-2000s restoration of the standards format.

WLAM had planned to drop ESPN Radio in favor of programming from Boston's WEEI in January 2008, but the deal between Nassau and Entercom ended up collapsing. The ESPN Radio format would remain until February 2, 2009, when WLAM and WLVP switched to an oldies format. In conjunction with the change, the stations began simulcasting WCSH's morning and early evening newscasts, a move made to continue the newscasts' availability via radio even after WCSH's own 87.7 MHz audio was discontinued following the shutdown of analog television signals.

Initially locally programmed, in early 2010 WLAM and WLVP became affiliates of The True Oldies Channel. Additionally, on August 2, the station added The Jeff Santos Show from WWZN in Boston. The stations' format was modified once more on August 6, 2011, when sports talk was re-added to the schedule via locally produced shows and high school football and basketball from the Maine Sports Network (which previously provided some weekend programming to WJJB-FM).

WLAM, along with 16 other Nassau stations in northern New England, was purchased at bankruptcy auction by WBIN Media Company, a company controlled by Bill Binnie, on May 22, 2012. Binnie already owned WBIN-TV in Derry, New Hampshire. The deal was completed on November 30, 2012. In June 2014, WLAM and WLVP switched to Cumulus Media's Good Time Oldies service after Cumulus ended distribution of The True Oldies Channel.

On December 9, 2015, Binnie agreed to sell WLAM and WLVP to Blue Jey Broadcasting Company, controlled by Bob Bittner, for $135,000. The sale to Blue Jey Broadcasting was consummated on February 17, 2016. Bittner evolved the stations' format to a playlist similar to (but separate from) his existing Maine property, WJTO in Bath; by 2021, WLAM and WLVP had become separately programmed and automated from their transmitter sites, though continuing to feature a similar playlist of soft adult contemporary and standards to Bittner's flagship network of WJTO, WJIB in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and WBAS on Cape Cod.

Bittner died on May 26, 2023, and the station has been operated by Bob Perry on behalf of his estate since then. On March 31, 2025, Perry announced that WLAM and WJTO would cease broadcasting on April 13, 2025, because donations were not keeping pace with the cost of operating and maintaining the stations; WLVP had already left the air in October 2024. Days before the scheduled shutdown, Perry announced that WLAM and WJTO would continue operating after April 13 during negotiations with potential buyers for the stations, saying that "it is better for us to keep them on the air for the immediate future".

Translator

| callsign = WLAM | width =

| call1 = W247DK | freq1 = 97.3 | fid1 = 202492 | watts1 = 250 | class1 = D | city1 = Lewiston, Maine | coord1 = | notes1 =

References

References

  1. (1989). "Broadcasting/Cable Yearbook 1989".
  2. Sargent, Dave. (March 25, 2008). "L-A's radio days recalled". [[Lewiston Sun Journal]].
  3. "WLAM Call Sign History". United States [[Federal Communications Commission]], audio division.
  4. Fybush, Scott. (1996). "Maine Radio History, 1971–1996". The Archives @ BostonRadio.org.
  5. Fybush, Scott. (June 18, 1996). "Portland Consolidates". New England RadioWatch.
  6. (May 5, 1993). "Format Changes". The M Street Journal.
  7. (April 10, 1993). "WLAM adds third location on the dial". [[Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine).
  8. (August 30, 1995). "Format Changes & Updates". The M Street Journal.
  9. Fybush, Scott. (November 19, 1999). "TV Duopoly Arrives in N.Y.". North East RadioWatch.
  10. Fybush, Scott. (May 7, 2001). "Farewell, Old CHUM". North East RadioWatch.
  11. Fybush, Scott. (November 11, 2001). "Cumulus Buys Aurora". North East RadioWatch.
  12. Fybush, Scott. (December 31, 2001). "2001: The Year in Review". NorthEast Radio Watch.
  13. Fybush, Scott. (April 12, 2004). "Nassau Shakeup in Maine". NorthEast Radio Watch.
  14. Fybush, Scott. (2004). "2004: The Year in Review". NorthEast Radio Watch.
  15. (November 14, 2005). "Newton Poised to Approve New Towers". NorthEast Radio Watch.
  16. Fybush, Scott. (June 4, 1998). "Tornado Topples WIVT". North East RadioWatch.
  17. Whitehouse, Randy. (October 23, 2007). "Boston's WEEI coming to Maine". Lewiston Sun Journal.
  18. (January 4, 2008). "Entercom-Nassau Deal Falls Through". Radio Ink.
  19. Routhier, Ray. (January 27, 2009). "Portland to get new oldies station". [[Portland Press Herald]].
  20. O'Brien, Maureen. (January 26, 2009). "WCSH Strikes Deal To Simulcast Newscasts On Radio". [[WCSH]]6.com.
  21. Fybush, Scott. (March 8, 2010). "It's Go Time for "Rush Radio 1200"". NorthEast Radio Watch.
  22. "Jeff Santos Show expands again!". [[WMEX (AM).
  23. Whitehouse, Randy. (August 6, 2011). "Local duo making sports talk splash". Sun Journal.
  24. (May 22, 2012). "Carlisle Capital Corp. Wins Bidding For Rest Of Nassau Stations". All Access.
  25. (May 23, 2012). "WBIN Media acquires 17 N.E. radio stations". [[New Hampshire Union Leader]].
  26. Kitch, Michael. (December 1, 2012). "Binnie closes on purchase of WLNH". [[Laconia Daily Sun]].
  27. (June 30, 2014). "NERW 6/30/2014: Cox, Fox Reshape Boston TV". Fybush.com.
  28. "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  29. (February 22, 2016). "NERW 2/22/2016: Behind TV’s Return to 1WTC". Fybush.com.
  30. (August 12, 2022). "Site of the Week 8/12/2022: Bob Bittner’s WJTO, Bath".
  31. [https://bobsmemorystation.com/Annual-Fundraising-Campaign/ Special Announcment – We Have Some Good News] Bob Perry, Bob's Memory Station, March 31, 2025
  32. (April 11, 2025). "Bob’s Memories Station To Remain In Operation". RadioInsight.

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