WDIS

Radio station in Massachusetts, United States
42°5′32.4″N 71°18′11.2″W / 42.092333°N 71.303111°W / 42.092333; -71.303111

WDIS (1170 AM) was a radio station licensed to Norfolk, Massachusetts. It served the suburban communities south of Boston and north of Providence, Rhode Island. It had a daytime-only 1,000-watt signal[1] that reached as far west as Worcester, Massachusetts, giving it a coverage area of almost a half-million people.[2] As of June 13, 2014, WDIS was silent.[3] The FCC cancelled the license and deleted the call sign for WDIS on October 13, 2015.[4]

History

WDIS began as a construction permit applied for on January 16, 1976, as a 500-watt station by John Quinlan, a former Massachusetts state legislator. Quinlan obtained a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast on 1170 kHz with the call sign WJMQ on March 7, 1978. The studio was located on Pond Street (Route 115) near Norfolk center. WJMQ applied for an increase in power to 1 kW on June 7, 1978. The power increase was completed and a license to cover was applied for on January 19, 1979. That license was granted on July 30, 1979.[5]

During the 1980s, the station changed ownership and on October 27, 1982, changed its call sign to WJCC. In 1990, it once again changed ownership, to Brockton, Massachusetts-based Discussion Radio, Inc.[6] On February 3, 1993, WJCC became WDIS. The station was affiliated with the Business Talk Radio Network, Fox News Radio and Westwood One.

In 2007, WDIS aired Tri-County Cougar home football games at the Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School in Franklin, Massachusetts. In 2008, they resumed broadcasting Walpole High School Rebels football team live on the internet as well as over the air (daytime games live, night games on tape given the station's daytime-only status).[7] Beginning in December 2008, WDIS had also broadcast all King Philip High School Boys Basketball games,[8] as that basketball program tried to rebound after two consecutive no-win seasons.[9]

According to FCC filings, WDIS notified the FCC it was silent as of June 13, 2014, confirmed by the station on Twitter on June 25 and June 29.[10] On August 5, 2015, a letter was sent by the FCC to WDIS's owner, Albert Grady seeking an update of the operational status of the station within 30 days, or the license would be automatically terminated for violation of section 312(g) of the Communications Act (failure to broadcast for 12 consecutive months).[11] The FCC received a response on September 8, 2015 from William J. McGrath stating that the station's studio & transmitter building had been condemned as unsafe by the town of Norfolk after an inspection on June 2, 2014.[12]

On October 13, 2015, the FCC issued its decision to cancel WDIS's license, stating that the station had been off the air for over 12 months and Section 312(g) of the Communications Act required the license to be deleted as a matter of law.[13]

References

  1. ^ "WDIS-AM: Radio Station Information Page : Radio-Locator". Theodoric Technologies LLC. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  2. ^ "Advertising & Sponsorships: WDIS AM 1170". Discussion Radio, Inc. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  3. ^ WDIS's page in the FCC's Consolidated Data Base Service
  4. ^ http://www.fybush.com/nerw-20151019/ NERW 10/19/15: Billions at Stake in Spectrum Auction
  5. ^ History cards for WDIS. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  6. ^ "About Us: WDIS AM 1170". Discussion Radio, Inc. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  7. ^ "Walpole High School Football on WDIS AM 1170". Discussion Radio, Inc. Archived from the original on November 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  8. ^ "King Philip Basketball comes to WDIS". Discussion Radio, Inc. Retrieved 2008-12-07. [dead link]
  9. ^ "McInnis moves on as basketball coach". The Weston Town Crier. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
  10. ^ WDIS AM 1170 (June 25, 2014). "WDIS is taking a brief hiatus...we are off the air for now...thanks for all of the support and hope to be on the air again soon". @wdisam. Retrieved June 13, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ FCC's letter to Albert E. Grady, Esq., dated August 5, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  12. ^ [Letter to the FCC from William J. McGrath, dated September 8, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.]
  13. ^ FCC's letter to Messrs. McGrath & Grady, dated October 13, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.

External links

  • Radio Discussions board about WDIS being silent
  • WDIS's Twitter page, accessed June 9, 2015
  • FCC Station Search Details: DWDIS (Facility ID: 16977)
  • FCC History Cards for WDIS (covering 1976-1980 as WJMQ)
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