WAIX
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| City | Mechanicville, New York |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Albany area |
| Branding | Empire News Network |
| Frequency | 1160 kHz |
| Translator(s) | W291BY (106.1, Albany) |
| Repeater(s) | WPTR |
| First air date | 1973 (as WMVI at 1170) |
| Format | Business news |
| Audience share | 0.8, #20 (Fa'07, R&R) |
| Power | 5,000 watts daytime 570 watts nightime |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 41582 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 42°55′12″N 73°42′08″W / 42.92000°N 73.70222°W |
| Callsign meaning | Albany MIX (previous format) |
| Former callsigns | WMVI (1973-2002) WABY (2002-2014) |
| Former frequencies | 1170 kHz (1973-1980s) |
| Affiliations | Bloomberg Radio |
| Owner | Empire Broadcasting Corporation |
| Sister stations | WABY, WPTR, WJKE |
| Website | Empire News Network Website |
WAIX (1160 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a business news format. The station is branded as "Empire News Network". Licensed to Mechanicville, New York, USA, the station serves the Albany area. The station is currently owned by Empire Broadcasting Corporation and features programming from ABC Radio.
WMVI signed on the air in 1973, at 1170 kHz with 250 watts, daytime only operation. It was originally owned by John Farrina and had a middle-of-the-road (MOR) format, focusing on standards and big bands. Early disc jockeys included Don Kirby, John Butler, and Rene' Tetro. WMVI had a race wire installed and broadcast thoroughbred and harness racing results three times per hour from 1PM until sign off, a unique feature in the Albany region. This helped the station gain an audience above what would normally be expected for a small radio station competing directly with larger Albany stations.
WPTR legend "Boom Boom Branigan" (Joe Motto), who also owned other small AM stations around the Northeast US, purchased WMVI in 1979. Following the change in ownership, the station had a hybrid format of oldies, standards and big-band music, which underwent very little change until the early 1990s. During the late 1980s, WMVI had secured a construction permit to switch to 1160 kHz with 50,000 watts daytime power and modest nighttime power. However, ownership could not afford the upgrades the station needed for high-power, directional operation and the permit was left to expire. Later, WMVI did secure another permit to switch to 1160 kHz with 5 kW days/570w nights, non-directional. Coming under Branigan's ownership once again in late 1995, WMVI would return after a brief period, being off the air with an oldies/variety format which featured Branigan himself as the centerpiece of the station. Though the format proved popular with local listeners, the station had an extremely difficult time retaining advertising accounts due to repeated transmitter & 'telco' STL failures, forcing the station off the air repeatedly, sometimes for days at a time. As station employees moved to more secure jobs and operating funds became scarce, Branigan leased the station in 1998 to a group which aired Black Gospel music. Again, money shortages and aging, unreliable equipment forced Branigan to sell the station outright.
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