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WFEA

Manchester, New Hampshire United States
Broadcast area	Merrimack Valley
Frequency	1370 kHz
Branding	99.9 FM and 1370 WFEA
Programming
Format	Talk
Network	CBS News Radio
Affiliations	Compass Media Networks Salem Radio Network Westwood One
Ownership
Owner	Saga Communications (Saga Communications of New England, LLC)
Sister stations	WZID, WMLL
History
First air date	March 1, 1932; 92 years ago (1932-03-01)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	58543
Class	B
Power	5,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates	42°54′26.31″N 71°27′43.24″W / 42.9073083°N 71.4620111°W / 42.9073083; -71.4620111
Translator(s)	99.9 W260CF (Manchester)
Repeater(s)	96.5 WMLL-HD2 (Bedford)
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live
Website	1370wfea.com

WFEA (1370 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Manchester, New Hampshire, airing a talk radio format. It is owned and operated by Saga Communications of New England LLC, which also owns 95.7 WZID and 96.5 WMLL. WFEA's studios and offices are on North Commercial Street in Manchester.

WFEA is powered at 5,000 watts, using a directional antenna with a two-tower array. Its AM transmitter is on Danial Webster Highway (U.S. Route 3) in Merrimack, at its original studio building. One of the towers in the Merrimack array is a diamond-shaped "Blaw-Knox", a smaller version of the famous Blaw Knox tower of WLW in Cincinnati. Programming is also heard on FM translator station W260CF at 99.9 MHz. The FM transmitter is on Mount Uncanoonuc in Goffstown. WFEA is simulcast on the HD2 digital subchannel of WMLL. Until February 1, 2017, it was on the HD3 subchannel of WZID.

Programming

Weekdays begin with the WFEA Morning Update, a news and interview show hosted by Drew Cline. The rest of the weekday schedule is nationally syndicated programs hosted by Boston-based Howie Carr and Grace Curley, The Hugh Hewitt Show, The Mark Levin Show, Eye on the World with John Batchelor and Red Eye Radio.

On weekends, shows on money, health, home repair, law, travel, cars and technology are heard, some of which are paid brokered programming. Weekend syndicated hosts include Kim Komando, Lars Larson, Larry Kudlow, Rudy Maxa, Major Garrett and Bill Handel. Most hours begin with an update from CBS News Radio.

History

Early years

WFEA has been broadcasting continuously since 9:00 a.m. on March 1, 1932. It is New Hampshire's oldest radio station and has always had the same call sign. Over the years, WFEA has had 10 owners. From its first day on the air, WFEA was an affiliate of the Yankee Network and the CBS Radio Network.

Before the enactment of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) in 1941, WFEA broadcast on 1340 kHz. It transmitted with 1,000 watts by day and 500 watts at night. It was owned by the New Hampshire Broadcasting Company.

Move to AM 1370

After NARBA, WFEA shifted to AM 1370, with 5,000 watts around the clock. WFEA switched its affiliation to the NBC Red Network and the Mutual Broadcasting System. During the "Golden Age of Radio", WFEA carried NBC and Mutual's schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports, variety shows, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts.

As network programming shifted from radio to TV, in the 1950s and 1960s, WFEA evolved into a Top 40 sound. As contemporary music listeners switched to FM, WFEA began airing a full service hot AC format in the mid-1980s. By the late 1980s, it switched to mainstream adult contemporary music.

Adult standards, talk, and sports

In 1990, WFEA switched to a satellite-delivered adult standards format, known as "America's Best Music", from Westwood One. It featured artists such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, The Carpenters, Dionne Warwick, Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, and Nat "King" Cole. In November 1990, WFEA was acquired by Saga Communications.

The music format was discontinued in February 2015 and WFEA switched to talk programming, with hourly updates from CBS Radio News. WFEA had broadcast Manchester Wolves Arena Football League games before the team folded at the end of the 2009 season, and the University of New Hampshire college football and basketball games.

Translator

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for WFEA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. Radio-Locator.com/WFEA
3. Radio-Locator.com/W260CF
4. 1370WFEA.com/schedule
5. "WFEA Joins Net" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 15, 1932. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
6. Broadcasting Yearbook 1935 page 42
7. Broadcasting Yearbook 1943 page 112
8. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1992 page A-220

External links

• Official website
• Facility details for Facility ID 58543 (WFEA) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WFEA in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• Facility details for Facility ID 154234 (W260CF) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• W260CF at FCCdata.org

• Radio stations in New Hampshire
• News and talk radio stations in the United States
• Manchester, New Hampshire
• Radio stations established in 1932
• 1932 establishments in New Hampshire