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WLSS (930 kHz) is a commercial radio station in Sarasota, Florida. It is owned by Salem Communications and airs a talk radio format. It is the oldest and most powerful AM station in the Sarasota-Bradenton radio market. The studios are on West Laurel Street in Sarasota.

WLSS is a Class B AM station. By day, it is powered at 5,000 watts. But at night, to protect other stations on 930 AM, it reduces power to 3,000 watts. It uses a directional antenna with a four-tower array. The transmitter is on Lorraine Road in the Lakewood Ranch section of Sarasota. Programming is also heard on 99-watt FM translator W229BR at 93.7 MHz in Bayshore Gardens.

Programming

Most of WLSS's weekday schedule is conservative talk programs. Two local hosts are heard each weekday afternoon, Phil Grande (Phil's Gang) and Bill Bunkley. The rest of the line up are nationally syndicated shows from the Salem Radio Network, hosted by Hugh Hewitt, Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager, Charlie Kirk, Brandon Tatum and Sebastian Gorka. Most hours begin with an update from Townhall Radio News.

Weekends on WLSS feature shows on money, health, guns, technology and movies, some of which are paid brokered programming. Syndicated weekend hosts include Kim Komando and Eric Metaxas. WLSS also serves as the Sarasota affiliate of the University of Florida Gators radio network, broadcasting football and men's basketball games.

History

The station signed on the air on May 23, 1949; 75 years ago (1949-05-23). The original call sign was WKXY and it was owned by the Sarasota Broadcasting Company. It was a daytimer station, required to go off the air at sunset. WKXY was powered at 1,000 watts and broadcast on 1540 kHz.

In the 1950s, WKXY made some big changes. It was given permission to move down the dial to 930 AM. And that was coupled with nighttime authorization, powered at 500 watts. WKXY was no longer required to go off the air at night.

In 1999, the call letters changed to WUGL. And the call sign switched to WLSS in 2002.

On January 5, 2015, WLSS rebranded as "930 The Answer". Many of Salem's talk stations around the country use "The Answer" as a moniker.

Translators

WLSS broadcasts on an FM translator as part of the FCC's AM Revitalization authorization.

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for WLSS". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. Radio-Locator.com/WLSS
3. Radio-Locator.com/W229BR
4. Broadcasting Yearbook 1951 page 114. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
5. ' Broadcasting Yearbook 1960 page A-133. Retrieved Nov. 28, 2023.
6. Salem Rebrands Seven Talkers as The Answer

External links

• WLSS 930 The Answer
• Facility details for Facility ID 59126 (WLSS) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WLSS in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• Facility details for Facility ID 140537 (W229BR) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• W229BR at FCCdata.org
• FCC History Cards for WLSS

27°21′17″N 82°23′06″W / 27.35472°N 82.38500°W / 27.35472; -82.38500

• Radio stations in Florida
• News and talk radio stations in the United States
• Radio stations established in 1983
• Salem Media Group radio stations
• 1983 establishments in Florida