WLOA

WLOA (1470 AM) is a radio station licensed to Farrell, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It serves the areas of Sharon, Pennsylvania, and Youngstown, Ohio. Though licensed to Farrell, WLOA transmits from a facility on South State Line Road in Masury, Ohio. The Farrell city limit is across South State Line Road in Pennsylvania.

WLOA and WGRP 940 AM are owned by Vilkie Communications, which assumed control of the stations from Educational Media Foundation on December 15, 2011.

WLOA, dubbed "1470 F-A-R" (a reference to its original WFAR callsign), and WGRP currently simulcast one another, but occasionally break away from one another for high school sports coverage. WLOA, WGRP and WMVL all simulcast The Backstage Pass on COOL show that is broadcast on Thursday nights.

History

Beginnings as WFAR

The station first signed on the air as WFAR, a 500-watt daytime-only station, on October 3, 1954. The station was founded by Sanford A. Schafitz, a native of the Youngstown area, doing business as Farrell-Sharon Broadcasting Company. Schafitz also started up WWIZ in Lorain, Ohio. He was involved in the launching of WXTV-TV in Youngstown in 1955. Before WFAR went on the air, a dispute occurred between Greater New Castle Broadcasting Corporation and Schafitz. Greater New Castle Broadcasting Corporation wanted to put a 1,000-watt daytime-only station on 1460 kHz in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and Schafitz wanted to put a 500 W daytime only station on 1470 kHz. The FCC ruled in favor of Schafitz on September 4, 1953, and he put the station on the air shortly thereafter.