WSDK

WSDK (1550 AM) is a radio station licensed to Bloomfield, Connecticut. The station is owned by Blount Communications and broadcasts religious programming.

History

WSDK signed on October 6, 1963 as WEXT, licensed to West Hartford, Connecticut, with a 1000-watt daytime-only signal on 1550 kHz and a country and western format. The studios at that time were located at 999 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford Center and the transmitter and tower were at 99 Grassmere Avenue in West Hartford. Flood control work on Trout Brook adjacent to the transmitting tower resulted in damage to the ground system.

In 1972, the studios were moved to the 2nd floor of the Culbro Building at 630 Oakwood Avenue in West Hartford.

In 1977, the station changed ownership and the call letters were changed to WMLB, which was a combination of the first names of the three owners: Mary, Lou and Barry. Soon afterward, WMLB was one of the first stations in the state to install a satellite downlink when the Mutual Broadcasting System, of which WMLB was an affiliate, agreed to place a 3 meter downlink on the roof of the transmitter building. This site then served as the Connecticut hub for Mutual and also for the Associated Press for the next ten years.