Radio station in Manchester, New Hampshire
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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4]
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.[5]
Before the enactment of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) in 1941, WFEA broadcast on 1340 kHz.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]
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.
