WJFP (740 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a conservative talk format. It is licensed to Chester, Pennsylvania, and serves the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The station is owned by John Fredericks, with the license held by Disruptor Radio, LLC. Fredericks hosts a syndicated weekday morning talk show and also owns three stations in Virginia.[2] Other syndicated shows on WJFP include "The War Room with Steve Bannon," "The Ramsey Show with Dave Ramsey" and "Red Eye Radio."
| Broadcast area | Philadelphia metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 740 kHz |
| Branding | Liberty Radio |
| Programming | |
| Format | Conservative talk |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | April 4, 1948 |
Former call signs | WVCH (1947–2022) |
Call sign meaning | "John Fredericks Philadelphia" (owner and target city) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 74166 |
| Class | D |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 39°52′38.00″N 75°24′24.00″W / 39.8772222°N 75.4066667°W |
| Translator(s) | 103.3 W277DL (Chester) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wjfpradio.com |
By day, WJFP transmits with 1,000 watts. 740 AM is a clear channel frequency reserved for Class A CFZM Toronto, so to avoid interference at night, WJFP reduces power to 6 watts. It uses a non-directional antenna at all times. The transmitter is off Dutton Mill Road in Brookhaven, Pennsylvania.[3] Programming is also heard on FM translator 103.3 W277DL in Chester.
History
editOn April 4, 1948, the station first signed on the air.[4] The call sign from its founding until early 2022 was WVCH, standing for the "Voice of Chester". It was originally a 250-watt daytimer. It later boosted its power to 1,000 watts and got nighttime authorization at low power.
For most of its history, WVCH carried a Christian talk and teaching format branded as simply "WVCH, The Christian Station." One of the programs carried on WVCH in the 1950s was George A. Palmer's popular Morning Cheer weekday broadcast.[5]
On November 15, 2021, RadioInsight.com reported that WVCH and translator W277DL would be sold to John Fredricks of the MAGA Radio Network through Disruptor Media, LLC, for $500,000. On February 16, 2022, the station flipped to a conservative talk format as "Liberty Radio".[6][7] The sale was consummated on March 1, 2022, with the station's call sign changing to WJFP the following day.
References
edit- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WJFP". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ JohnFredericksRadio.com/about
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/WJFP
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1950 page 255, Broadcasting & Cable
- ^ "Statement Issued by 'Cheer' Head". Courier-Post. Camden, New Jersey. July 1, 1959. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Venta, Vance. "John Fredericks To Expand Conservative Network To Suburban Philadelphia". radioinsight.com. RadioInsight. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
- ^ Liberty Radio Debuts in Philadelphia
External links
edit- Facility details for Facility ID 74166 (WJFP) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WJFP in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 200328 (W277DL) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- W277DL at FCCdata.org