Did you know that Howard Stern once worked at WNTN-AM? Yes that very WNTN-AM right here in front of us. This unassuming building holds a surprising piece of radio history. WNTN-AM 1550 started broadcasting on April 1 1968 in Newton Massachusetts. It was originally called Newton Broadcasting and played adult contemporary music. But things changed.
For a few years WNTN-AM played free-form rock. This was before FM radio became super popular. Imagine the eclectic mix of sounds filling the airwaves. Think folk progressive rock soul music and jazz fusion. College students and musicians loved it. It made WNTN-AM quite famous. Two early staff members John Gorman and Denny Sanders later helped create the legendary WMMS in Cleveland. A young Howard Stern even worked here in 1975. He claims he was terrible and offered to work for free but was refused.
The station’s format shifted. In 1977 it became Boston’s first disco station. Disc jockeys like Wendy Hunt and Vinnie ‘Disco Vinnie’ Peruzzi boosted its ratings. But the disco craze was short-lived. WXKS-FM ‘Kiss 108’ took over. WNTN-AM tried adult contemporary and then oldies. For a while in the 1980s it became the ‘Daytime Nightclub’ a contemporary dance station.
Later WNTN-AM focused more on talk radio and local news. It catered to senior citizens in Newton. Leased time let different groups broadcast their programs. This created a diverse multi-cultural sound including Greek Haitian Irish Italian and Arabic programs.
In 2017 Teddy Demetriades bought WNTN-AM. He moved the station to Needham. They now share an antenna with WJIB in Cambridge. WNTN-AM is rebranded as Global Echoes. It streams online reaching a worldwide audience. This small station has a powerful story a story of change adaptability and a surprising connection to radio royalty. Isn’t that amazing?