WOOK (AM) facts for kids

WOOK was a radio station in Washington, D.C., that broadcast on 1340 kHz. It was owned by United Broadcasting and was very popular for its programs aimed at the African American community in the Washington area. Before that, in the 1940s, it was an independent station owned for several years by The Washington Post.

WOOK also helped start an FM radio station (WFAN) and a TV station (WOOK-TV channel 14, later WFAN-TV). The station's license was eventually taken away by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1975 due to serious problems with its operations. In 1976, as the station's future looked uncertain, WOOK changed its name to WFAN and began broadcasting in Spanish. This change allowed the popular Black-focused programming of WOOK to continue on the FM station. WFAN stopped broadcasting on April 22, 1978. A new station, WYCB, began using its frequency on August 15.

Early Days of WINX Radio

William P. Gottlieb at the WINX microphone in 1940

The radio station WINX started broadcasting in 1940. It was Washington's fifth radio station and operated on 1310 kHz. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had approved its permit on February 13. It was allowed to use a 50-watt amplifier to help its signal reach all over the city. This amplifier was located at American University. The next year, in 1941, the station moved to 1340 kHz because of a new agreement called NARBA. In 1942, the original owner, Lawrence J. Heller, sold parts of WINX to Richard K. Lyon and Herbert M. Bratter.

The Washington Post Buys WINX

In 1944, The Washington Post newspaper bought WINX for $500,000. This was a very high price for a local radio station at that time, especially one that broadcast with only 250 watts. The Post also got involved in early FM radio. They bought station W3XO in 1945, which later became WINX-FM.

The Post owned WINX until 1948. Then, they decided to buy a large share of WTOP (1500 AM) from CBS. This deal meant the newspaper had to sell WINX and its two signal boosters. In 1949, William Banks, who owned a station in Philadelphia, bought WINX AM for $130,000. The Post kept WINX-FM.

WOOK: A New Era for Radio

From WINX to WOOK

In 1951, Richard Eaton bought WINX from the Banks Independent Broadcasting Company for $115,000. Eaton's company, United Broadcasting, already owned radio station WOOK (1590 kHz) in Silver Spring, Maryland. They also owned a new FM station in Washington called WFAN (100.3 FM). WOOK, which started in 1947, was Eaton's first radio station. Before that, Eaton had been a commentator on WINX and later for the Mutual Broadcasting System.

To follow FCC rules about owning multiple stations, the Silver Spring station's license was moved to Rockville, Maryland. At that time, Rockville was not considered part of the Washington area. The station then broadcast on 1600 kHz. Eaton also swapped the call letters of the two stations. This meant that 1340 in Washington, D.C., became WOOK, and the station at 1600 in Rockville became WINX.

Pioneering Black Radio Programming

WOOK, both at 1590 kHz before 1951 and at 1340 kHz afterward, was a groundbreaking station in Washington radio. Richard Eaton had first planned for WOOK to be a talk radio station. However, the African-American printer of Eaton's local newspapers suggested he focus on Washington's growing Black population.

WOOK became one of the first stations in the country to aim its programming at a Black audience. The first was WDIA in Memphis, Tennessee. Hal Jackson, who had started his career at WINX, launched the first regular program hosted by an African American in Washington on WOOK (when it was at 1590 kHz). He had a show called "The Bronze Review."

In 1956, WOOK moved its transmitter to a new location in the Chillum Castle Manor area.

WOOK Expands to Television

WOOK-TV Channel 14

The success of WOOK as the main radio station for Black Washington led Richard Eaton to expand into television. In 1962, WOOK moved into a new building designed for both radio and television studios. On March 5, 1963, WOOK-TV channel 14 began broadcasting. Like WOOK radio, Channel 14 mainly served an African American audience. It changed its name to WFAN-TV in 1968.

However, WFAN-TV stopped broadcasting on February 12, 1972. United Broadcasting faced many legal challenges to its station licenses, which caused financial difficulties. United asked the FCC to keep the WFAN-TV license active while they tried to sell it. But since United did not plan to restart the station themselves, the station's license was removed in 1974.

Challenges and Changes

License Problems for WOOK

In early 1966, the FCC renewed WOOK's license but fined the station $7,500 for various technical issues. However, United Broadcasting's problems grew worse. On August 31, another group called Washington Community Broadcasting applied to use the 1340 frequency.

In 1969, the Federal Communications Commission decided to hold hearings to review WOOK's and WFAN-TV's license renewals, alongside Washington Community's application. For WOOK radio, the FCC had questions about whether the station broadcast false advertisements. There were also concerns that WOOK was involved in a scheme where fake Bible quotes were read on air by ministers who bought time on the station. These quotes were said to hint at winning numbers in a local lottery.

The hearings for WOOK lasted until September 1975. The FCC decided not to renew WOOK's license. Richard Eaton defended WOOK, saying the FCC's main witness was a former employee who was upset and had a criminal record. It wasn't until August 24, 1976, that Washington Community Broadcasting Company was finally granted the right to use the 1340 frequency.

WOOK Becomes WFAN and Closes

When it became clear that the 1340 license would be lost, Richard Eaton decided to move WOOK's popular Black-focused programming to the 100.3 FM station. This meant the Spanish-language programming that had been on 100.3 FM would be replaced.

On December 24, 1976, WOOK on 1340 kHz became WFAN, and the FM station at 100.3 MHz became WOOK. Lawyers for Washington Community Broadcasting, the group set to take over the 1340 frequency, were unhappy with this switch. However, they could not stop it.

As April 22, 1978, the final day for the WFAN license, approached, Hispanic leaders in Washington tried to find other options for Spanish-language radio. They tried to buy WGTB, which Georgetown University was selling. However, the University of the District of Columbia bought that station instead.

After WFAN stopped broadcasting, a new station, WYCB, began operating on the 1340 frequency on August 15. The WFAN call letters are now used by two sports radio stations in New York City.