WIZZ

WIZZ

Greenfield, Massachusetts
Frequency	1520 kHz
Branding	Pure Oldies 1520 AM & 100.5 FM
Programming
Format	Oldies
Ownership
Owner	Saga Communications (Saga Communications of New England, LLC)
Sister stations	WAQY, WHAI, WHMP, WLZX, WLZX-FM, WPVQ-FM, WRSI
History
First air date	August 26, 1980; 44 years ago (1980-08-26)
Former call signs	WPOE (1980–1987) WGAM (1987–2003)[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	54779
Class	D
Power	1,000 watts day 160 watts night
Transmitter coordinates	42°35′20.31″N 72°37′3.33″W
Translator(s)	100.5 W263DE (Greenfield)
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live
Website	pureoldiesgreenfield.com

WIZZ (1520 AM) is a radio station licensed to Greenfield, Massachusetts. It is owned by Saga Communications and operates as part of its Western Mass Radio Group. It broadcasts an oldies radio format, switching to Christmas music in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

By day, WIZZ is powered at 1,000 watts. But 1520 AM is a clear channel frequency. To protect other stations on 1520 from interference, WIZZ greatly reduces power at night to 160 watts. Programming is also heard on FM translator W263DE at 100.5 MHz in Greenfield.

History

The station signed on the air on August 26, 1980; 44 years ago (1980-08-26).^[3] The original call sign was WPOE, standing for "Poet's Seat Broadcasting." It had a middle of the road (MOR) format. In its early years, the station was a daytimer, required to go off the air at night.^[4]

In 1987, the call letters changed to WGAM, with a format of big band music and adult standards. The station was assigned the WIZZ call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on February 1, 2003.^[1]

WIZZ previously aired a locally programmed adult standards format.^[5] It carried the national AP Radio newscast on the hour and half-hour. The station verified signal reports by QSL card. At the top of the hour, WIZZ used the same "V for Victory" time tone as WTIC 1080 in Hartford.

WIZZ's former owner and disc jockey, Phil D (Phillip Drumheller), was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2010, and was active in broadcasting for 60 years. He is the first inductee into the MBHOF to have had his career outside the Boston radio market.^[6]

On April 6, 2022, Saga Communications acquired WIZZ and flipped it from adult standards to oldies. Programming is simulcast on the HD3 digital subchannel of 99.3 WLZX-FM in Northampton.^[7] It is also heard on an FM translator at 100.5 MHz.

Translator

Call sign	Frequency	City of license	FID	ERP (W)	Class	Transmitter coordinates	FCC info
W263DE	100.5 FM	Greenfield, Massachusetts	201279	250	D	42°35′20″N 72°37′3.7″W	LMS

References

1. "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
2. "Facility Technical Data for WIZZ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
3. Youtube silent film of WPOE signing on the air on August 26, 1980. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
4. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1984 page B-122. Retrieved Dec. 14, 2024.
5. "About WIZZ".
6. "Phillip G. Drumheller". Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
7. "WIZZ Joins Pure Oldies Simulcast". RadioInsight. Retrieved April 7, 2022.

External links

• WIZZ official website
• Facility details for Facility ID 54779 (WIZZ) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WIZZ in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• Facility details for Facility ID 201279 (W263DE) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• W263DE at FCCdata.org