WKDN (AM)

WKDN (950AM, "Family Radio") is an American radio station licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and serving the Philadelphia market. WKDN is owned and operated by Family Stations, Inc. and broadcasts a Christian format.

History

Early years

WKDN began broadcasting as WPEN on April 19, 1929, originally as a 250-watt station on 1500 kHz. The frequency was previously shared by the Pennsylvania School of Wireless Telegraphy's WPSW, which went on the air in 1926, and Bethayres-based WALK, which launched in 1927; both stations were acquired by William Penn Broadcasting and merged to create WPEN. In its early years, it was known for Italian-language programming, and was co-owned with another major Italian-oriented station, WOV in New York City. Beginning in November 1929, Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission broadcast their Sunday morning services from their 800 person homeless shelter and soup kitchen. The most notable speaker was Percy Crawford who spoke consistently to the crowd of homeless men. In the 1930s, WPEN moved to 920 kHz, sharing time with WRAX until the two stations merged in 1938. WPEN then went to 950 kHz in the NARBA frequency shifts of 1941. During the mid-1940s, the station was owned by the Philadelphia Bulletin newspaper; in 1948, the newspaper bought the more powerful WCAU and sold WPEN to the local Sun Ray Drug Store chain. As entertainment programming moved from radio to television, WPEN evolved into a popular music format in the early 1950s. The music at that time consisted of artists such Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Mills Brothers, Tommy Dorsey, Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Pat Boone, Tony Bennett, and many others. At this time, a show called the "950 Club" began as well.

WPEN

WPEN is the call letters used for three radio stations serving Philadelphia that have been owned by Greater Media:

WPEN may also refer to:

WPEN (FM)

WPEN (97.5 FM, "97.5 The Fanatic") is a radio station owned by Greater Media. Licensed to Burlington, New Jersey, it currently broadcasts a sports format to the Philadelphia metropolitan area. It has studios located in Bala Cynwyd and broadcasts from a transmitter site in Wyndmoor.

History

WTOA

The 97.5 frequency was originally allocated to Trenton, New Jersey. The station there began test broadcasts on January 10, 1949, then official operations on April 19, 1949, as WTOA. It was owned by the Mercer Broadcasting Company, which was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trenton Times newspaper. WTOA started out broadcasting from 3 pm to 11 pm, with an ERP of 14,500 watts. Its original coverage area reached as far north as Queens, NY and as far west as Reading PA.

By the late 1960s, the station had been acquired by Nassau Broadcasting. Its call letters were changed to WPST on September 13, 1971.

WPST

The WPST calls originally stood for "Passport Stereo Trenton," a slogan of the station at the time. WPST is known for its mainstream CHR format, which they've had for many years. Tom Taylor was the PD who launched the format in the mid-1970s, and did mornings on the station until 1987. In August 1975, owner Herb Hobler hired Phil Gieger as the General Manager. Along with Tom Taylor, they revamped the station and coined the phrase, "From The Shore To The Poconos, The Music Is On The FM 97.5 WPST." They initially established an Adult Rock format, and by the Fall of 1975, the station took off and eventually became the number one station in the market. Some WPST DJ's over the years included John Mellon (aka Walt Ballard), Ed Johnson, Doug James, John Brown, Eddie Davis, Trish Merelo, Andy Gury, Brian Douglas, Mel "Toxic" Taylor, Jay Sorensen, Dave Hoeffel, Tom Cunningham, Michelle Stevens, Eric Johnson, Mark Sheppard, Andre Gardner, Phil Simon, Steve Trevelise, Joel Katz, Rich DeSisto, Lee Tobin, Steve Kamer, Lori Johnson, Mark DiDia, Bob Sorrentino, and Scott Lowe.