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WRNL

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WRNL
Broadcast areaMetroRichmond
Frequency910kHz
Branding910 AM 105.1 FM The Fan
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatSports radio
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
December 13, 1926(1926-12-13)
Former call signs
  • WLBG (1926–32)
  • WPHR (1932–37)
  • WRNL (1937–93)
  • WRVH (1993–96)
Former frequencies
  • 332.5 meters (1926–27)[1]
  • 1360 kHz (1927)
  • 1400 kHz (1927–28)
  • 1200 kHz (1928–35)
  • 880 kHz (1935–41)[2]
Call signmeaning
Richmond News Leader(former owner)
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID11960
ClassB
Power
  • 5,000wattsday
  • 1,500 wattsnight
Transmitter coordinates
37°36′50.0″N77°30′53.0″W/ 37.613889°N 77.514722°W/37.613889; -77.514722
Translator(s)105.1W286DJ (Richmond)
Repeater(s)94.5WRVQ-HD2(Richmond)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live(viaAudacy)
Websitewww.audacy.com/thefanrichmond

WRNL(910AM,"910 AM 105.1 FM The Fan" ) is acommercialradio stationlicensedtoRichmond, Virginia.WRNL features asports radioformatand is owned and operated byAudacy, Inc.[4]The studios, offices andtransmitterare all co-located just north of the Richmond city line on Basie Road inDumbarton, Virginia.[5]

By day, WRNL has a power of 5,000wattsnon-directional.To avoid interfering with other stations on910 AM,at night it reduces power to 1,000 watts and uses adirectional antenna.WRNL is licensed by theFCCto broadcast in theHD Radio(hybrid) format.[6]The station also broadcasts on 250 wattFM translatorW286DJat 105.1MHz.[7]It is also heard on the HD2 signal ofsister station94.5WRVQ.

Programming

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Weekday mornings begin with "TheSports Junkies,"syndicatedfrom co-ownedWJFK-FMinWashington, D.C.[8]Adam Epstein does a local midday show, WJFK's "Grant and Danny" air in afternoon drive, and the BetQL Audio Network andInfinity Sports Networkis heard during the rest of the schedule. WRNL is theflagship stationforVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRamsmen's basketball,Virginia TechHokiesfootballand men's basketball, andRichmond Flying Squirrelsminor league baseball.WRNL is an affiliate for theWashington Commanders Radio Network,although conflicts often shift Commanders games to sister stationsWRVAorWRXL.

History

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WLBG and WPHR

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WRNL is among the oldest stations in Richmond. Station WLBG, broadcasting on 332.5 meters (902 kHz) with 100wattsfromPetersburg,was granted a license on December 13, 1926. The owner was Robert Allen Gamble.[1][2]In 1931, WLBG, Inc. was created to hold the license, and Gamble sold it to local tobacco businessmen the following year.[9]

On August 27, 1935, WLBG, Inc. was sold to a group of three –Richmond News LeaderpublisherJohn Stewart Bryan,his son D. Tennant Bryan, and the paper's editorDouglas Southall Freeman.[2]

As WPHR, adaytimerrequired tosign offat sunset, the station joined the Virginia Broadcasting Network, a five-station group headed byWCHVCharlottesville,on February 1, 1936. Although a planned 16-hour day of common programming failed in three months due to high costs, the network remained to carryVirginia Cavaliersfootball. The station's FCC record contains several dozen special authorizations to operate after sunset for football games.[2][10][11]

WRNL

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On November 14, 1937, the station began broadcasting from Richmond as WRNL, with thecall signreferring toThe Richmond News Leader.It broadcast on a frequency of 880 kHz at 500watts,still daytime-only.

WRNL was granted round-the-clock operation in September 1940.[2][11][12]Its studios were at 323 East Grace Street in Richmond, and the transmitter was inHenrico County, Virginia.[2][13][14]

Newspaper ownership merger

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On September 1, 1940,The Richmond News Leadermerged withTheRichmond Times-Dispatch,owner of station WRTD, a 100-watt station on 1500 kHz in Richmond. (The newspapers remained separate entities, but they were owned by the same company, Richmond Newspapers, Incorporated.) As part of the merger, WRTD voluntarily surrendered its license to theFederal Communications Commissioneffective midnight August 31, 1940. At the same time, WRNL became theNBC Blue Networkaffiliatein Richmond. WRNL simultaneously went to 100 watts of power (full-time).[15]

With theNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreement(NARBA) enacted in 1941, WRNL moved toAM 910,broadcasting at 5,000 watts.[16]In addition to the Blue Network, WRNL was a secondary affiliate for theMutual Broadcasting System.

In the late 1940s, the 111 Building (at 111 North Fourth Street) was built for WRNL.[17]In 1949, it added an FM station, WRNL-FM at 102.1MHz.For the first couple of decades, WRNL-FMsimulcastits AM counterpart. By 1970, it had switched to aprogressive rockformat, later changing its call letters to WRXL.

MOR, oldies, sports

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As network programming moved from radio to television around 1960, WRNL became afull servicemiddle of the roadstation, featuring pop music, news, talk and sports.[18]It switched toCBS Radio Newsas its network news service. In the 1980s, it shifted tooldiesmusic.

In 1993, WRNL and WRXL were bought byClear Channel Communications(now known asiHeartMediaas of 2014) for $9.75 million.[19]

On November 1, 2017, iHeartMedia announced that WRNL, along with its sister stations in Richmond andChattanooga,would be swapped toEntercomin exchange for selected stations in Boston and Seattle, as part of that company's merger withCBS Radio.[20]The sale was completed on December 19, 2017.[21]In March 2021, Entercom changed its name to Audacy, Inc.

On February 4, 2019, WRNL rebranded as "910 The Fan", matching the branding and logo as co-ownedWJFK-FM106.7 The Fan inWashington, D.C.[22]In May 2019, the station added FM translator W286DJ and is branded as "Sportsradio 910 the Fan and now on 105.1 FM".

Notable personalities

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Carter sisters

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WRNL provided one of the first broadcasting opportunities on a U.S. radio station for the country/folk group TheCarter Family.Beginning June 1, 1943,[23]Maybelle Carter and her daughters Helen, June and Anita using the name "The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle," had a program on WRNL that was sponsored by Nolde Brothers Bakery.[24]June Carter of the daughters would later marry country singerJohnny Cashand becomeJune Carter Cash.The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle would move on to WRVA radio in Richmond when WRNL moved their studios from the old World News Leader newspaper (WRNL) building to a new studio they built in Richmond and the star on the WRVA's Old Dominion Barn Dance until June 1948

Douglas Southall Freeman

[edit]

In addition to being a journalist and historian,Douglas Southall Freemanwas part-owner of WRNL.[15]The editor ofThe Richmond News Leader,he extended his journalistic activities to broadcasting with twice-daily newscasts at 8 a.m. and noon.[25][26]Among those interviewed by Freeman was poet Robert Frost, in what Frost said was his first time to knowingly appear on radio.[27]Biographer Charles Johnson wrote about Freeman's first broadcast of each day: "He steps up to the microphone at 8:00, and thousands of Virginians mark the beginning of their day.... They might just be beginning their day, but he has been observing the world for more than five hours and will tell them what they need to know."[26]

Harmonizing Four

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A Gospel quartet that began when its members were students at an elementary school in Richmond, theHarmonizing Fourbegan singing on WRNL in 1943, soon after recording eight songs forDeccainNew York City.[28]Described as "the area's top quartet," the group "would have Sunday breakfast with Richmond for nearly two decades, sponsored by People's Furniture."[29]

Roger Mudd

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Mudd joined the staff of the News-Leader in 1953, then shifted to broadcast journalism with WRNL, where he became news director. That led to a career in network news withCBSand, later,NBC.[30]

Ray Schreiner

[edit]

Schreiner came to WRNL in 1950. Among other duties, he had a program, "The Mailbag."[31]Schreiner also served as program director[32]and covered farm news, winning a Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters' award for his work in 1959.[33]

Frank Soden

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"A large portion of Richmond’s baby-boom generation grew up with Mr. Soden’s distinctive descriptions of baseball, basketball and football games percolating in the background on radio station WRNL."[34]Soden was general manager and executive vice president at WRNL, but he was best known for bringing sports events into the homes of people in central Virginia. He did play-by-play for theRichmond BravesandRichmond Virginiansminor league baseball teams for three decades and broadcastUniversity of Richmondbasketball (24 years) and football (11 years) andVirginia Techfootball (12 years). Soden's accolades included a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Richmond Broadcasting Hall of Fame, two awards as Virginia's Sportscaster of the Year from theNational Sportscasters and Sportswriters Associationand induction into six halls of fame.[34]

Eddie Weaver

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Organist Eddie Weaver, who played at the famousByrd Theaterin Richmond, was also heard in many homes via WRNL. His weekday morning program, "Eddie Weaver's Open House," featured music and chatter. The program began in September 1949 and was still going strong a decade later.[35]

Honors

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Year Recipient Award Organization
1951 Dr. Douglas Southall Freeman Best news commentary over larger radio stations Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters[36]
1951 Howard Hamrick Best comprehensive news broadcast over Class 1 stations Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters[36]
1955 WRNL Douglas Southall Freeman Award for public service in radio journalism Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters[37]
1966 WRNL Douglas Southall Freeman Award for public service in radio journalism Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters[38]
1966 Ken Collins Metropolitan radio interview Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters[38]
1969 WRNL Best documentary—metropolitan radio Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters[39]
1970 WRNL Douglas Southall Freeman Award Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters[40]

References

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  1. ^ab"Radio Service Bulletin"(PDF).Department of Commerce, Bureau of Navigation. December 31, 1926. p. 18.
  2. ^abcdef"Facility No. 11960 History Card"(PDF).Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^"Facility Technical Data for WRNL".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^"WRNL Facility Record".Federal Communications Commission,audio division.
  5. ^Radio-Locator.com/WRNL-AM
  6. ^"Station Search Details".
  7. ^Radio-Locoatr.com/W286DJ
  8. ^InsideRadio.com "Sports Junkies Added to Mornings at WRNL" Jan. 28, 2019
  9. ^"WLBG In New Hands"(PDF).Broadcasting.June 1, 1932. p. 13.
  10. ^"[Virginia Broadcasting System Ad]"(PDF).Broadcasting.February 1, 1936. p. 5.
  11. ^abCox, Jim (2009).American Radio Networks: A History.Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. pp. 113–114.ISBN9780786454242.
  12. ^"[Virginia Broadcasting System Ad]"(PDF).Broadcaasting.February 1, 1936. p. 5.
  13. ^Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1938).The 1938 Radio Annual.Radio Daily Corp. P. 383.
  14. ^"New Station In Richmond, WRNL, Now on the Air"(PDF).Broadcasting.December 1, 1937. p. 22.
  15. ^ab"WRTD, Richmond, Quits Operation; WRNL Full-Time"(PDF).Broadcasting. September 1, 1940.Retrieved16 January2015.
  16. ^Broadcasting Yearbook 1943 page 150
  17. ^Rayner, Bob (September 7, 2000)."Downtown Richmond, Va., Building to Undergo Renovations".Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. Archived fromthe originalon March 29, 2015.Retrieved20 January2015.
  18. ^Broadcasting Yearbook 1970 page B-213
  19. ^Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2000 page D-474
  20. ^"Entercom Trades Boston & Seattle Spin-Offs to iHeartMedia for Richmond & Chattanooga".November 2017.
  21. ^"Consummation Notice".CDBS Public Access.Federal Communications Commission.December 19, 2017.RetrievedDecember 21,2017.
  22. ^"WRNL Richmond To Become 910 The Fan".RadioInsight.28 January 2019.
  23. ^Ruhlmann, William (2001)."Carter Family, The".Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians.Farmington Hills, Michigan.: Gale Group, Inc. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-03-29.Retrieved20 January2015.
  24. ^Wolfe, Charles K. (2000).Classic Country: Legends of Country Music.Taylor & Francis.ISBN9780415928267.Retrieved16 January2015.
  25. ^Stoddard, Brooke C."Words Read 'Round the World".Virginia Living.Retrieved17 January2015.
  26. ^abJohnson, David E. (2002).Douglas Southall Freeman.Gretna, Louisiana: Pelican Publishing Company.ISBN1-58980-021-4.Retrieved17 January2015.
  27. ^Robert Frost & Dr. Douglas Southall Freeman: WRNL Richmond, Va.OCLC56726112.
  28. ^W.K. McNeil, ed. (2010).Encyclopedia of American gospel music.New York: Routledge. p. 174.ISBN978-0-415-87569-1.Retrieved22 January2015.
  29. ^Harrison, Don."Lonnie's Boys".Style Weekly.Retrieved22 January2015.
  30. ^"State Press Group Honors Roger Mudd".The Virginian-Pilot. July 20, 1997. Archived fromthe originalon March 29, 2015.Retrieved20 January2015.
  31. ^"air-casters"(PDF).Broadcasting. July 31, 1950.Retrieved18 January2015.
  32. ^Alicoate, Jack, Ed. (1961).The 1961 Radio Annual.Radio Daily Corp. P. 593.
  33. ^"Virginia AP Men Present News Awards"(PDF).Broadcasting. May 4, 1959.Retrieved18 January2015.
  34. ^abDorr, Vic (October 22, 2013)."Broadcast legend Frank P. Soden dies".Richmond Times-Dispatch.Retrieved17 January2015.
  35. ^"(photo caption)".Richmond.com.Richmond Times-Dispatch. 14 May 2013.Retrieved17 January2015.
  36. ^ab"Freeman Wins Award For News Commentary".Kingsport News.Kingsport News. April 6, 1951. p. 3.RetrievedMarch 22,2015– viaNewspapers.com.Open access icon
  37. ^"Va. AP Honors WRNL, WSVS For Public Service in Radio".Broadcasting. November 14, 1955.Retrieved17 January2015.
  38. ^ab"Area Radio Stations Win 16 Awards".The Danville Register.The Danville Register. May 14, 1966. p. 7.RetrievedMarch 22,2015– viaNewspapers.com.Open access icon
  39. ^"WDVA Wins Radio Award For Editorial".The Danville Register.The Danville Register. May 10, 1969. p. 6.RetrievedMarch 22,2015– viaNewspapers.com.Open access icon
  40. ^"WDVA Is Among Award Winners". The Bee. May 9, 1970. p. 5 – viaNewspapers.com.Open access icon
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