WTAW (AM)

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Radio station in College Station, Texas

title: "WTAW (AM)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2000-establishments-in-texas", "news-and-talk-radio-stations-in-the-united-states", "radio-stations-established-in-2000", "radio-stations-in-bryan–college-station"] description: "Radio station in College Station, Texas" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WTAW_(AM)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Radio station in College Station, Texas ::

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

Field	Value
name	WTAW
logo	WTAW logo.png
logo_upright	.9
city	College Station, Texas
country	US
area	Brazos Valley
frequency
branding	News Talk 1620 94.5 WTAW
format	Talk radio
affiliations
owner	Bryan Broadcasting Company
licensee	Bryan Broadcasting License Corporation
sister_stations	KNDE, KZNE, KWBC, KAGC, WTAW-FM, KPWJ, KKEE, KJCS
airdate
former_callsigns
callsign_meaning	"Watch The Aggies Win" (slogan adopted for the original randomly assigned call letters of 1150 AM facility, now KZNE; swapped to this facility in 2000)
licensing_authority	FCC
facility_id	87145
class	B
power
coordinates
translator
webcast
website
::

By day, WTAW is powered at 10,000 watts, dropping down to 1,000 watts at night. Its transmitter site is on Golden Trail, off Texas State Highway 30. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WTAW broadcasts in HD Radio, using the in-band on-channel digital standard. The programming is also heard on 250-watt FM translator K233DU at 94.5 MHz in College Station.

Programming

Weekdays on WTAW begin with Scott DeLucia hosting the morning drive time program, The Infomaniacs along with Chelsea Reber on news and Zach Taylor on sports. The show is known for quick wit and Zach being made fun of by the other hosts. The rest of the weekday schedule is nationally syndicated talk shows: The Glenn Beck Radio Program, The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, The Sean Hannity Show, The Joe Pags Show, America at Night with McGraw Milhaven, Coast to Coast AM with George Noory and This Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal.

History

KAZW / KZNE

WTAW originated as the expanded band "twin" of an existing station on the standard AM band. On March 17, 1997, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that eighty-eight stations had been given permission to move to newly available "Expanded Band" transmitting frequencies, ranging from 1610 to 1700 kHz. What was then-WTAW on 1150 kHz was authorized to move to 1620 kHz. An application for the expanded band station was filed on June 16, 1997, which was assigned the call letters KAZW on January 9, 1998. That was changed to KZNE on March 1, 2000.

The FCC's initial policy was that both the original station and its expanded band counterpart could operate simultaneously for up to five years, after which owners would have to turn in one of the two licenses, depending on whether they preferred the new assignment or elected to remain on the original frequency. However, this deadline has been extended multiple times, and the stations on both 1150 and 1620 kHz have remained authorized. One restriction is that the FCC has generally required paired original and expanded band stations to remain under common ownership.

WTAW

On May 3, 2000, the stations on 1150 and 1620 kHz swapped identities, with 1150 becoming sports radio KZNE (while maintaining its longtime role as the flagship of Texas A&M Aggies athletics), and 1620 inheriting the historic WTAW call letters and its talk radio format. Although for the average listener this meant that WTAW had moved from 1150 to 1620 kHz, and KNZE had done the reverse, according to FCC regulatory practices the same station on 1620 kHz continued to be licensed (Facility ID 87145 in FCC nomenclature), with just call letter changes taking place. While most radio stations in Texas have call letters beginning with a "K", the WTAW call sign dates back to 1922, when Texas was still in "W" territory. The WTAW call sign is one of the oldest in the United States, originally standing for "Watch The Aggies Win".

On December 4, 2003, WTAW and KZNE were sold to Bryan Broadcasting. In 2021, WTAW was awarded an NAB Marconi Radio Award for "Small Market Station of the Year."

References

"WTAW Facility Record". United States [[Federal Communications Commission]], audio division.
[https://fccdata.org/?lang=en&facid=87145 FCCdata.org/WTAW]
[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uva.x004848309&view=1up&seq=276 "FCC Public Notice: Mass Media Bureau Announces Revised AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan and Filing Window for Eligible Stations"] (FCC DA 97-537), March 17, 1997.
[https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityDetails.html?facilityId==87145 Call Sign History for 1620 kHz] (Facility ID: 87145)
[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32437121992750;view=1up;seq=264 "In re: WHLY(AM), South Bend, Indiana"] (FCC DA 13-600, released April 3, 2013)
[https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=21066 "Re: WDDD (AM) Application for Consent to Assignment of AM Broadcast Station License"] (August 23, 2010, correspondence from Peter H. Doyle, Chief, FCC Audio Division, Media Bureau. Reference Number 1800B3-TSN)
"5XB Football Broadcast - Texas A&M University".
[https://www.insideradio.com/free/marconis-bryan-broadcasting-wins-big-wtop-nabs-sixth-n-t-station-award/article_40d0f1a0-4272-11ec-b5ed-bfd97bb8e97d.html InsideRadio.com "Marconis: Bryan Broadcasting Wins Big" Nov. 11, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2025.]

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