WJJL
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| City | Niagara Falls, New York |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Western New York |
| Branding | Old Time Rock & Roll |
| Frequency | 1440 kHz |
| First air date | 1947 |
| Format | 1950s music |
| Power | 1,000 watts day 55 watts night |
| Class | D |
| Facility ID | 39517 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 43°4′43.00″N 79°0′40.00″W / 43.0786111°N 79.0111111°W |
| Callsign meaning |
W John J. Laux The station's founder |
| Owner | M. J. Phillips Communications, Inc., Debtor in Possession |
WJJL (1440 AM) is a radio station primarily broadcasting a 1950s music (oldies) format. Licensed to Niagara Falls, New York, USA, the station serves the Niagara Falls and Buffalo area. The station is currently owned by M. J. Phillips Communications, Inc., Debtor in Possession. WJJL went on the air in December 1947, and it serves Western New York and Southern Ontario, Canada. WJJL was the first radio station to feature a two-way telephone talk show, Party Line. The show was renamed Viewpoint in the 1960s and is currently maintained weekday mornings by longtime Niagara Falls fixture and former news director Tom Darro. Mr. Darro hosts a recorded music program preceding it which includes a reading of a list of public service announcements of events occurring in Niagara Falls.
A studio fire at the station's Niagara Falls headquarters in 1999 necessitated a move out of Niagara Falls to West Seneca. In June 2009, WJJL's morning show started broadcasting from a satellite studio in the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center in Niagara Falls.
In the station's heyday, it was never a top-notch station (when compared to the big legendary AMs in nearby Buffalo, such as WKBW, WBEN, WEBR, and WGR). However, it was a launching pad for many future top talents. These include former News Director and Viewpoint host Dave McKinley, now an Emmy Award-winning reporter for WGRZ-TV in Buffalo. John Murphy, the current radio voice of the Buffalo Bills, worked there early in his career, as did long-time WJYE/Buffalo Program Director/Morning Host Joe Chile, and national voice-over artist Jeff Lawrence. Former WGN Radio-Chicago VP/General Manager Tom Langmyer worked there as a summer fill-in personality, news reporter and anchor while in college. Other noted WJJL alumni include WBEN talk show host Tom Bauerle, WBEN Reporter Dave Debo, Tony Magoo, John Jarrett, Jon Park, David J. Miller, Bob O'Neil, WKBW-TV Anchor Melanie Pritchard, WGR's Howard Simon, former WIVB-TV personality Craig Nigrelli (now in Omaha), and Cumulus Media Networks, Red Eye Radio, Nationally Syndicated Talk Host and former WBEN Talk Host Gary McNamara. Country musician Ramblin' Lou Schriver was a radio personality on the station throughout the 1950s, which eventually led to Schriver buying his own station, WXRL.
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