Wikipedia

WRAT

For the psychological achievement test, seeWide Range Achievement Test.

WRAT(95.9FM,"95.9 The Rat" ) is acommercialradio stationlicensedto servePoint Pleasant, New Jersey.The station is owned byBeasley Broadcast Groupthrough licensee Beasley Media Group Licenses, LLC. It airs amainstream rockradio format.The station's studios, offices and transmitter are located on Main Street at 18th Avenue in the Borough ofLake Como, New Jersey.[2]

WRAT
Broadcast areaOcean County–Monmouth County, New Jersey
Frequency95.9MHz(HD Radio)
Branding95.9 The Rat
Programming
FormatMainstream rock
Subchannels
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
October 4, 1968;56 years ago(1968-10-04)
Former call signs
WADB (1968–1996)
Call signmeaning
Rat (station uses a rat as its mascot.)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID59530
ClassA
ERP
  • 4,000 watts (analog)
  • 400 watts (digital)
HAAT73 meters (240 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
40°10′15.4″N74°01′40.5″W/ 40.170944°N 74.027917°W/40.170944; -74.027917(WRAT)
Translator(s)107.9W300AO (Manahawkin,relaysWJRZ-HD2)
Repeater(s)100.1-2WJRZ-HD2 (Manahawkin)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewrat

WRAT has aneffective radiated power(ERP) of 4,000 watts analog and 400 watts digital.[3]It broadcasts usingHD Radio.The station's programming issimulcaston the HD2 subchannel ofsister stationWJRZ-FM,which feedsFM translatorW300AO inManahawkin, New Jersey,on 107.9 MHz.

History

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WADB

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On October 4, 1968, the station firstsigned onthe air as WADB.[4]It was abeautiful musicstation, owned by Pleasant Broadcasters, named after thecity of license,Point Pleasant, New Jersey.The station played quarter-hour sweeps of instrumentalcover versionsof popular songs andBroadway showtunes.The studios were on F Street inSouth Belmar.(The neighborhood is now known asLake Como.) The station'scall signused the initials of its founder, Adamant Brown and his wife Dorothy.

WADB made use of earlyautomation equipmentfor radio stations. Large carousels loaded with broadcast-spec tape cartridges were used for the majority of advertising messages. Large reels of taped music with cues to play the commercials allowed the station to run with minimal involvement from the staff. An SMC digital programmer controlled the operation. The station'seasy listeningformat was broadcast in SouthernMonmouthand NorthernOcean Counties.

WRAT

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A group of investors, known as the New Jersey Broadcast Partners, acquired the station in 1996.[5]After a Labor Day Weekendstuntduring which the song "Rat in Mi Kitchen"byUB40was aired continuously, WADB flipped to anactive rockformat on Labor Day Monday, 1996. The call sign switched to WRAT. The first song wasAC/DC's "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)".[6]

Greater Media ownership

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In 2001, the station was acquired byGreater Media,a large national owner with its headquarters in Massachusetts.[7]

WRAT was among the first radio stations in the market to carry its radio broadcasts over its internet website. The station started streaming to allow listeners in fringe areas to get the station online.

On March 9, 2014, WRAT extended its coverage to include southern and centralOcean Countyby adding a 250-wattFM translatorat 107.9 FM.[8]W300AO transmits from a 300-foot tower on Beach Avenue inManahawkin, New Jersey.The 107.9 signal coversLong Beach Island,Tuckerton,Beach Haven,Barnegatand Manahawkin. Its coverage is limited to the west by co-channel 107.9WPPZinPennsauken, New Jersey.

Beasley ownership

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On July 19, 2016,Beasley Media Groupannounced it would acquire Greater Media and its 21 stations (including WRAT) for $240 million. It was also at this time WRAT joined theiHeartRadiostreaming service.[9]

TheFederal Communications Commissionapproved the sale on October 6, and the sale closed on November 1.[10]

References

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  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for WRAT".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^"FM Query Results for WRAT".fcc.gov.Federal Communications Commission.RetrievedJanuary 26,2020.
  3. ^"Hybrid IBOC Digital Operation [WRAT]".fcc.gov.Federal Communications Commission.July 27, 2010.RetrievedMarch 19,2019.
  4. ^Broadcasting Yearbook 1970 page B-130
  5. ^Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1997 page B-288
  6. ^"What's New On New York Radio Frequencies?".Billboard.September 14, 1996.
  7. ^Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2010 page D-363
  8. ^Radio-Locator /W300AO
  9. ^Beasley Acquires Greater Media
  10. ^Beasley Closes on Greater Media Purchase; Makes Multiple Staff Moves
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