WFED
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| City | Washington, D.C. |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Washington, D.C. |
| Branding | Federal News Radio |
| Slogan | Your source for federal news... now. |
| Frequency | 1500 kHz (also on HD Radio) |
| First air date | September 25, 1926 (in Brooklyn; moved to Washington in 1927) |
| Format | News Talk Information |
| Power | 50,000 watts |
| Class | A (clear-channel) |
| Facility ID | 74120 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 39°02′31″N 77°02′47″W / 39.04194°N 77.04639°W |
| Callsign meaning | FEDeral News Radio |
| Former callsigns | WWWT (2007–2008) WTWP (2006–2007) WTOP (1943–2006) WJSV (1929–1943) WTFF (1927–1929) WTRC (1926–1927) |
| Former frequencies | 1250 kHz (1927) 1470 kHz (1927) 1480 kHz (1927-1928) 1460 kHz (1928-1941) |
| Affiliations |
Associated Press ABC News Voice of America |
| Owner |
Hubbard Broadcasting (Washington DC FCC License Sub, LLC) |
| Sister stations | WBQH, WTOP-FM, WWWT-FM |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | FederalNewsRadio.com |
WFED (1500 AM) is a 50,000 watt Class A radio station in the Washington, D.C. region, broadcasting from just outside the District line in Wheaton, Maryland. The station broadcasts a news, talk and information format targeted towards U.S. government employees under the moniker Federal News Radio.
WFED transmits with a power of 50,000 watts continuously. While it is the most powerful AM radio station in the city, WFED has a nighttime signal oriented north-south to avoid interference with sister station KSTP in St. Paul, Minnesota; KSTP is also a 50,000 watt Class A station on 1500 AM. WFED's signal can be heard reliably on the East Coast of North America and is often heard by radio enthusiasts in Europe. In 2006, the station began broadcasting in digital "HD Radio", utilizing iBiquity Digital Corp.'s IBOC (in-band on-channel) technology.
Both stations are currently owned by Hubbard Broadcasting and its programming originates from Hubbard's broadcast complex in northwest Washington, D.C.
The format itself was launched by Bonneville International, owners of terrestrial-based all-news station WTOP, as FederalNewsRadio.com—the first Internet-only all news station, and the first Internet station to make the jump to terrestrial radio—on February 22, 2000. The programming concept has changed little to this day, except that the Associated Press' All News Radio service originally filled in during the overnight hours, as a complement to WTOP.
Federal News Radio is one of a few radio stations that originated on the Internet prior to moving onto a traditional broadcasting signal. It first found a home on the radio dial in 2004, on the 1050 kHz frequency licensed to Silver Spring, Maryland; that station was founded in 1946 as beautiful music station WGAY, but had become business radio station WPLC by 2004, when Bonneville bought the station and converted it to Federal News Radio and the WFED call letters.
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