WASP (AM) - History

History

WASP was one of the first stations in a last round of FCC daytime-only licenses granted towards the end of the 1960s, at the time that FM was beginning to gain momentum. WASP was granted a license to broadcast at 1130 AM, with a power of 1Kw non-directional while WKEG was granted a license to broadcast at 1110 AM, 1Kw directional from nearby Washington, Pennsylvania at around this same time. When WASP increased its power in the early 70s to 5Kw and because of the close proximity of WKEG, WASP had to adopt a directional antenna pattern during daytime hours and 1Kw non-direction pattern during "Critical Hours" (2 hrs morning and 2 hours evening)to protect their adjacent competitor.

WASP was founded by Carl Loughry in the late 60s and formed Brownsville Radio, Inc. Mr. Laughry also owned WFRB in Frostburg, MD. WASP was managed for many years by Bob Logue (aka Bob Williams) who went on to host the Midnight to 5AM talk program on KDKA in Pittsburgh. James J. Humes, who formed The Humes Broadcasting Corporation, purchased WASP from Laughry in the 1980s. WASP operated for many years with a classic country format, and in the late 1980s, Humes Broadcasting successfully applied for an FM license. After being granted the construction permit, WASP began to add more talk to its programming lineup.