Radio waves fill the air around us. WAGE-AM has a fascinating story. This station started broadcasting on March 6, 1958. It was originally on 1290 kHz.
For 37 years, WAGE was a daytime-only station. It had to shut down at sunset. This protected other stations on the same frequency. Richard Field Lewis Jr. founded WAGE. He also started WINC in Winchester and WFVA in Fredericksburg.
The original WAGE studio was behind Loudoun County High School in Leesburg. Today, that street is called Wage Drive. Arthur Godfrey, a CBS host and Leesburg resident, is rumored to have owned WAGE. Some thought the call sign stood for Arthur Godfrey Enterprises. However, Richard Field Lewis Jr. owned the construction permit. It passed to his widow when he died in 1957. The call sign came from WHEN in Syracuse, New York. It likely had no specific meaning. William T. Stubblefield bought the station. James and Valeria Symington then headed a group that bought WAGE in 1962.
WAGE moved to 1200 kHz in 1985. This allowed a stronger, full-time signal. WAGE covered local news. Its format changed over the years. It went from classical music to easy listening. Then it went to country and middle-of-the-road music.
In 2005, WUST owner New World Radio Group bought WAGE. Local programming ended in 2007. The station received a permit to move to 1190 kHz in 2008. It also increased its power to 50,000 watts. This meant WBIS in Annapolis, Maryland, had to shut down.
WAGE went silent in August 2009. This was due to tough economic conditions. There was also an effort to move the station to AM 1190. The FCC approved WAGE’s application in April 2010. It increased daytime power to 50,000 watts. Nighttime power became 1,300 watts. The station had to move from Leesburg. The old site was too small for the new towers.
WAGE returned to the air on April 11, 2011. It broadcast China Radio International programming. The call sign changed to WCRW. The FCC investigated WCRW in 2015. They looked into whether CRI controlled the station. The Department of Justice also investigated. They checked if CRI followed the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Reuters reported that CRI leased 60 percent of the station’s airtime.
WCRW was sold to Potomac Radio Group in September 2018. In January 2022, Potomac Radio Group dropped CRI. It changed to a generic brokered programming format. This was called New World Radio. The Small Business Administration investigated a PPP loan. Potomac Radio registered under FARA in December 2021. Disclosures showed CRI paid the company over $4 million. This was to broadcast its programming.
iHeartMedia began operating the station in January 2023. This was under a three-year agreement. The call sign changed to WTSD. iHeartMedia launched a sports format. It was branded iHeart Sports DC. It features Fox Sports Radio and Vegas Stats & Information Network programming. This is also on WWDC-HD2.
WAGE-AM has a rich history. It reflects changes in radio and the local community. From its early days to its current sports format, WAGE-AM continues to broadcast.