Standing here, let me tell you about WADO. It is a Spanish-language sports radio station licensed to New York City. WADO broadcasts on AM 1280 kHz. It is owned by Uforia Audio Network.
WADO’s story begins long before its current format. The station first signed on the air on January 30, 1927. Back then, it was known as WGL. Colonel Lewis Landes was the president of International Broadcasting. He declared the station’s aim was to adhere to truth. It also aimed to be free of partisanship, religious or political bias.
Initially, WGL broadcast on 678 kHz. That was a non-standard frequency. The Federal Radio Commission restored order. It assigned WGL to 720 kHz on May 3, 1927. The station then moved to Secaucus, New Jersey. Later, it was assigned to 1170 kHz.
The station faced challenges. WOR in Newark wanted 710 kHz. Both stations went to court. WOR won. In June 1927, WGL moved to 1020 AM. It shared this frequency with WODA. That station was in Paterson. In August 1927, WGL started local news coverage. Listeners volunteered as radio reporters. They called in breaking news.
In 1928, WGL almost lost its license. But it convinced the commission to remain. On September 16, 1928, WGL became WOV. John Iraci bought it. He was a Sicilian-born importer. On November 11, 1928, WOV moved to 1130 kHz. Its broadcast schedule was limited to daytime until 6 p.m.
WOV initially targeted a general audience. By the mid-1930s, it focused on ethnic programming. Italian-language broadcasts filled the daytime hours. WOV became the dominant Italian voice in the Northeast. It was affiliated with WBIL and WPEN.
In early 1940, WOV upgraded its facilities. It moved to 1100 kHz. In March 1941, it moved back to 1130 kHz. Later in 1941, WOV and WNEW swapped identities. WOV’s call sign and programming moved to 1280 kHz. WNEW did the reverse. The FCC approved the changes on November 12, 1941. The transfer was finalized on December 1, 1941.
In 1959, WOV was sold to Bartell Broadcasters. The call sign changed to WADO. During the day, WADO played Top 40 and R&B music. At night, it featured Italian programming. By 1962, some Spanish programming aired on weekends. By 1963, only Sunday religious broadcasts were in English.
In 1964, WADO began broadcasting completely in Spanish. That was from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Italian programming ran from 8 p.m. to midnight. Asian programming filled the overnight hours. By 1970, Spanish-language programming replaced the Asian content.
Musically, WADO played a blend of Spanish MOR and Spanish oldies. By the mid-1970s, it evolved to Spanish adult contemporary music and oldies. Italian programming was dropped in 1971. During the 1980s, four full-time Spanish stations battled for listeners. These were WADO, WKDM, WSKQ, and WJIT. Only WADO remains secular.
Command Broadcasting bought WADO in 1979. Heftel Broadcasting acquired it in 1986. The station shifted to a Spanish-language adult contemporary music and talk format. By the early 1990s, WADO became a Spanish-language news and talk station.
In March 1996, Heftel bought WPAT. In 1997, Heftel restructured into Hispanic Broadcasting. In 2002, Hispanic Broadcasting was sold to Univision. On December 20, 2016, Univision announced WADO would join Univision Deportes Radio. That was the company’s new Spanish-language sports network. It launched on April 19, 2017.
On June 3, 2022, Univision planned to sell WADO to Latino Media Network. The deal was not completed. In February 2025, it was announced that WADO would flip to regional Mexican. The format change was postponed.
WADO increased its power. Day power went from 5,000 watts to 50,000 watts. Night power increased to 7,200 watts. The new system went on air in 2000. Today, WADO continues to serve the New York City area. It provides Spanish-language sports coverage. It keeps the community informed. It also entertains listeners.