WARF
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| City | Akron, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Akron metro |
| Branding | Fox Sports 1350 |
| Frequency | 1350 kHz (also on HD Radio) |
| First air date | April 8, 1925 |
| Format | Sports radio (Analog/HD) |
| Power | 5,000 watts (unlimited) |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 49951 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 41°10′5.00″N 81°30′45.00″W / 41.1680556°N 81.5125000°W |
| Callsign meaning |
W A "Radio Free Ohio" (former branding) |
| Former callsigns | WADC (1925–65) WSLR (1965–94) WTOU (1994–2005) |
| Affiliations |
Fox Sports Radio NBC Sports Radio (weekends) |
| Owner |
iHeartMedia, Inc. (Capstar TX LLC) |
| Sister stations | WHLO, WHOF, WKDD, WRQK-FM |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | sportsradio1350 |
WARF (1350 AM) – branded Fox Sports 1350 – is a commercial sports/talk radio station serving the Akron, Ohio metro area. WARF is the Akron affiliate for Fox Sports Radio and NBC Sports Radio. AM 1350 also serves as the flagship station for the Akron RubberDucks minor league baseball team and the Akron Zips. It is also a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets Radio Network.
The station previously had a progressive talk format, and before that was sports-focused, having been affiliated with both ESPN Radio and Sporting News Radio. WARF is the oldest surviving station in the city otherwise; it was WADC for decades before becoming country music WSLR.
The station traces its history to WADC which debuted as a temporary station for a February 1925 car show at the Central Garage. The call letters were derived from "Watch Akron Deliver Cars". After the show ended, Allen T. Simmons, owner of the Allen Theater, bought the equipment and obtained a permanent license which was granted on March 23, 1925. It was the second radio station in Akron (after WOE which went on the air on April 27, 1922, but was off the air in July 1923). Regular broadcasts began on April 8, 1925 from studios in the Portage Hotel. The station originally broadcast at 1160 kHz with 100 watts, but its signal increased to 500 watts by 1926.
WADC was a charter member of the CBS Radio Network, being one of the 16 stations that aired the first CBS network program on September 18, 1927. The station soon opened new studios in Tallmadge and increased its power to 5,000 watts. Its frequency jumped around from 1160 to 1010 to 1260, and to 1320 after the FRC's General Order 40 went into effect on November 11, 1928. On March 29, 1941 it moved to 1350 kHz as part of the NARBA frequency shifts.
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