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WTEM

Profile Preparedfor Skip McCloskey

WRC werethe call lettersassigned to a new broadcaststation, erected in Aprilol 1923on the Riggs NationalBank Building (Riggs-Thompkins Building), 14th Street N. W. and ParkRoad, Washington D. C. The RadioDivision, Bureau of Navigation,U. S. Departmentof Commercegranted a licensein June1923 to the RadioCorporation of Americato operateon 469meters (equal to 640kilocycles). That dial position wassimultaneously granted to anotherWashingtonstation, WCAP, which was installed by the Chesapeake andPotomac telephone Company. The two stations were required to divideoperating hours on the "Class B" wavelength.

Two 1S0-footthree-legged steel towers, 175 feet apart, were placed on the roofof WRC'sbank building quartersto supportits 4-wire"T"-type flattop antenna, 190 feet in length. lts 500watt transmitter (capable of 2,000watt output) was installed in "the apparatus room" adjacent to WRC'sthird floor studios. WRC made its 500 watt air debutAugust 1, 1923,initially sharing time with WCAPon alternatingnights. RCAs Washingtonheadquarters were located at thistime at 1110 Connecticut Avenue.

Powerwas increasedto 1,000watts on April 24, 1925. On August1, 1926,WRG acquired the hours, programs,and technical facilities of itsformer share-time partner WCAP, which was then discontinued as a resultof an agreementreached between RCA, WRC's licensee, and the subsidiaryof the American Telephoneand Telegraph Company, wlrich owned WCAP. On November 15, 1926, WRC aired the National BroadcastingCompany's inaugural program, which originated from New YorkCity's old Waldorf-Astoria Hotelat 8:00p. m. thatevening. Power was reducedto 500watts in early1927. An auxiliarystudio was openedin downtownWashington in the NationalPress Building in June1927. Mainstudios continued to be at 330814th Street N. W. OnAugust 27, 1927,WRC became a fulltimeaffiliate of NBC'sRed Network.

As a resultof the nationwidefrequency reallocations ordered for 3:00a. m.,Saturday, November 11, 1928 by the FederalRadio Commission, WRC shiftedto 950 kilocycles.Station Manager by 1929was Ralph Edmunds.WRC moved its mainoffices and studios to the NationalPress Building, 14th and "F" StreetN. W. (threeblocks from the White House) in early1929. lts transmitter, 110-foot towers, and antenna system remainedbehind at 14thand ParkRoad. In November1930, full interestin WRC'slicensee. the Radio Corporationof America,was acquired from former co-owners General Electric and Westinghouse, and on March31 , 1931 , WRC'slicensee name was changed to the National Broadcasting Company lnc. When NBC leasedWashington's WMAL in February1933 to releaseNBC Blue Network programs in the District,WRC begansharing studio and office space in the NationalPress Building with its newly-acquiredsister station.

ln 1934,WRC doubled its daytime power level to 1,000. lts nighttime power remained at the500 watt level. Alsoin thatyear, Kenneth H. Berkeleybecame Station Manager of WRCand WMAL. By 1937,Frank M. Russellwasnamed by NBCto headthat network's Washington D. C. operationsas VicePresident. New I

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studiosthree blocks north of its presentNational Press Club Building locale were secured and occupied byWRC and its sister station WMAL in Mayof 1937.The studios, in the Trans-Lux Theatre Building, at 14th andNew YorkAvenueN. W., were dedicated July 22,1937. Also in 1937,the FederalCommunications Commissiongranted WRC a constructionpermit to increaseday power from 1 ,000 to 5,000watts and raise nightpower from 500 to 1,000watts with a moveto a newtransmitting location.

EffectiveMarch 15, 1938, WRC'sRiggs Building transmitting site was closed and technical operations wererelocated to itsnew Chillum Township (near Hyattsville, Maryland) facility, a fewmiles to thenortheast. A 400-footTruscon vertical radiator was erected at the suburbansite and power was boostedto 5,000watts daysand 1,000watts nights. (Alsoin March,Washington's WOL movedto its new site on Ager Road, Chillum,adjacent to WRC'snewfacilities.) The FCC authorizedWRC to increasenighttime power output to5,000wattsin1939.lnlg40,nightpowerwasincreasedwith theinstallationoftwonew250-footSchuler steeltowers,enabling nighttime-only directionalized operation. The existing 400-foot tower remained in use for non-directionaloperation. Niles Trammelwas appointed President of NBClnc. effective July 17, 1940.

WRC shiftedfrom 950to 980 kilocycleson Saturday,March 29,1941, pursuant to the NARBATreaty reallocationseffective at 3:00a. m.on thatdate. 1941found Carleton D. Smithnamed to the postof WRC GeneralManager, replacing K. H. Berkeley,who was thennamed Executive Vice President and General Managerof WMALwhen NBC'slease of that stationexpired in late 1941. While now underseparate remainedin the Trans-LuxBuilding, but now a floor apart. Mr. Smithwas ownership,both stations '1948 transferredto NBC'snew WashingtonD. C. televisionstation, WNBW (TV) in when WilliamR. McAndrewwas appointed to replacehim as WRC'sGeneral Manager. Effective October 7, 1949,Joseph H.Mcgonnell was named President of NBC.ln 1951, EugeneJester succeeded Mr. McAndrew as General Managerof WRC.

Studioswere relocated from Washington's Trans-Lux Building, 724 14thStreet N. W., to new quartersin theWardman Park Hotel, consolidating NBC's Washington studios of WRC, WRC-FM,and WNBW (TV) therein 1952. Thatlocation's name was changedthrough acquisition a yearlater to the SheratonPark Hotel. FrankWhite served as NBCPresident from January 2, 1953until August 7th of that year,when SylvesterL. (Pat)Weaver assumed that post. Alsoin 1953,Carleton D. Smithwas reappointedGeneral Manager. In 1954,he was elevatedto Vice Presidentand GeneralManager. RobertSarnoff rose to Presidentof NBC on December7, 1955. JosephGoodfellow, former Sales Director, became Station Managerof the NBC affiliate in late1 957. OnThursday, May 22,1 958, WRC's studios were moved to a new 4 miltiondollar studio-office building at 4001 NebraskaAvenue N. W., Washington.Robert E. Kintner becameNBC President on July1 1, 1958.

ln late1959, Joseph Goodfellow rose to VicePresident and General Manager of WRC. Replacinghim as StationManager in 1960was HarryA. KarrJr. By mid-1964,the stationwas in operation24 hours-a-day with a "middle-of-the-road"music format. FormerManager Kenneth H. Berkeleydied at age 65 on September13, 1964. Heresigned from Washington's WMAL in 1954to moveto Floridato acquirean AM stationthere.

On January1, 1966,Julian Goodmanwas appointedPresident of WRC's licensee,the National BroadcastingCompany. Stephen B. Labunskiin 1967was named President of NBC'sowned and operated stations,which included WRC and WRC-FM. HarryKarr Jr. roseto GeneralManager in 1968,and remainedin thatpost until his death on May3, 1972.lnearly June, PeterV. O'Reilly joined WRC as itsnew Manager.ln October1972, Bruce A. Houstonbecame General Manager of WRC,which, in that General "Top long-standingAdult "MOR" music format to switchto a 40" rockmusic format. month.dropped its "Scoop" FormerWashington area Vice President and Directorof WRCfor manyyears, Frank M. Russell, diedon November11, 1972. He was 77. WTEMProfile (continued) Paqe Three:

HaroldL. Greenwas appointed General Managerof WRC in earlyJanuary 1974. ln 1975,Jack G. Thayer wasnamed President of NBC'sO & O stations.WRC began an around-the-clockall newsformat June 18, 1975as an inauguralmember station of NBC'sNews and InformationService (NlS). lt thenbecame an around-the-clockall newsoutlet. lts NBC networkaffiliation was retained. The AM station'sformer "ContemporaryMusiC'format was movedin tototo its FM sisterstation, WKYS (FM). NISWashington headquarterswere established in theWRC studios initially but in late1975 moved to itsown quartersin the NationalPress Building in downtownWashington. General Manager Harold Green resigned in March1976 to join KaiserBroadcasting. His replacement at WRC in Aprilwas FrankScott.

NBC'sNIS shut down effective May 29, 1977.lts Washingtonaffiliate elected to retainits all newsformat, butwith added talk segments. Frank Scott was appointed Vice President and General Manager in early June 1978. ByApril 1979, the stationwas mostly all talk. lts air sloganwas "The Voice Of Washington."Jerry Nachmansucceeded Mr. Scott as Vice President and General Manager in lateOctober 1981 . Inearly 1983, WRCcompleteditsmoveintoanewl0,000squarefootwingoftheNBCBuildingat400lNebraskaAvenue N.W. ltsformerfacilities in anotherwingof thebuilding were torn down in June. EffectiveMarch 14, 1983, WRCjoined NBC's "TalkNet" for nighttimetalk programming. lt remainedthe CapitolDistrict's NBC Radio Networkaffiliate.

WhenJerry Nachman was "kicked upstairs" to becomeVice President of Newsfor the NBCowned and operatedstations in lateApril 1983,his successoras WRC'sVice Presidentand GeneralManager was BartleyD. Walsh. Retired NBC Vice President (and former WRC General Manager) Joseph W. Goodfellow diedat hisFlorida home on August5, 1983.He was 73. WRCchanged call letters to \A/WRCon March5, 1984.FormerVice President and General Manager Carlton Dabney Smith died April27,19B4 at 79. ln the thirties,he was NBC'sPresidential announcer.

On September1, 1984,WWRC was sold by the NationalBroadcasting Company for 3.6million dollars to GreaterWashington Radio Inc. (a subsidiaryof GreaterMedia Inc. -- PetersA. Bordes,Chairman). FCC approvaltook place July 6th. Inearly September, the station replaced its "News-TalK'format with a nostalgia "MOR" "The musicformat, dubbed StationOf TheStars." lts newVicePresident and General Manager in 1984was Theodore R. Dorf. By the end of the year,offices and studios were relocated to the landmark "WorldBuilding," 81 21 GeorgiaAvenue, Silver Spring, Maryland. lt nowshared space on the top three floors withco-owned WGAY (FM). OnAugust 3, 1987,its nostalgiamusic format was dropped in favorof an "All Talk"programming format. Also dropped at thistime was its "NBCTalkNet" liaison.

TheFCC granted WWRC permission March 39, 1989to changefrom directional nights only (DA-N) to two patterndirectional(DA-2)bothdaysandnights.Thestation'slong{imeNBCnetworkaffiliationwasreplaced withprogramming from the ABC DirectionNetwork in 1990. ln that year,it beganMotorola C-QUAM AM stereooperation. The GreaterMedia stations, including WWRC, suffered severe smoke damage in their "WorldBuilding" headquarters on February23,1991. Studios of WNTRon the7th floorwere destroyed by thefire. VicePresident and General Manager Ted Dorf retired at the end of December1991 . Inmid-January 1992, Alan Goodman was appointed General Manager of WWRC. The station began carriage of "TheLarry KingShou/'from the MutualNetwork beginning on July1,1992. DickRakovan was named to succeeded Mr.Goodman as GeneralManager in lateNovember 1992.

OnSeptember 29, 1993, FCC permission was obtained for WWRC to increasepower from 5,000 to 50,000 wattsand makechanges in its antennasystem. ln late 1994,WWRC began a new"Hot Talk" format, as "Stimulating TalkRadio." lts affiliationswith the ABC Direction Network and the MutualNetwork ended at thistime. Bob Longwell became General Manager in mid-January 1995. Majortechnical improvements were carriedout on March9, 1995when daytime power rose to 50,000watts (5,000 watts continued at night)and WTEMProfile (continued) Paoe Four:

WWRCswitched to two pattern(day and night)directional operation. lt continuedto use its three-tower arrayon AgarRoad, Callum, Maryland.

WWRC replacedits affiliationwith NBC's"TalkNet" in mid-February1996 when it joinedthe ABC ContemporaryNetwork. BennettZierreplaced Bob Longwellas General Manager in lateJune 1996. In late 1996,WWRC was sold by GreaterWashington Radio lnc. to groupstation owner Evergreen Media Corporationfor 22.5 milliondollars (the priceincluded Washington's WGAY (FM), a sisterFM station). EffectiveSeptemberS, 1997, WRCwas acquiredthrough mergerby ChancellorMedia Corporation (Thomas O. Hicks,Chairman; Scott K. Ginsburg,President). This 1.075billion dollar consolidation gained FCC sanctionSeptember 5th. CharlieOchs became WWRC's newVice President and General Manager in late December1997.

EffectiveFebruary 9, 1998,WWRC's "Hot Talk" format was abandonedin favorof a "BusinessNews" format,featuring frequent Bloomberg Business Radio feeds. When that format shiftedto another Chancellor-ownedAM outletin Bethesdaon March9, 1998,WWRC changed call lettersto WTEMand beganan "All Sports" format (as "The Team.") lts ABC Contemporary Network affiliation was dropped at this time. Newoffices and studios at Suite707, One Central Plaza,11300 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland wereinaugurated in October1998. (ln 1999,its old 9thfloor "World Building" quarters were occupied by MegaCommunications' cluster of Washington-areaAM stations).Bennett Zier was named Vice President and GeneralManager of WTEMin earlyJanuary 1999. ln July1999, the station'slicensee name was changedto AMFM lnc. as the resultof the mergerof ChancellorMedia Corporationand Capstar BroadcastingPartners, which took place July 13th. Thecombined firm now owned 465 stationsin 105U. S. markets.

In a stock transactionworth 23.5 billion dollars,AMFM Inc. was purchasedby Clear Channel CommunicationsInc. on August30, 2000. Thismulti-station transfer obtained FCC approvalAugust 7th. ln 2001, studioswere moved from Rockville to 8750Brookville Road, Silver Spring, Maryland. Programming fromESPN Radio Sports was added in 2003.

Today,WTEM "The Team," the District'soldest continuously licensed AM broadcaststation, operates 24 hoursa daywith an 'All SportsTalk" format on 980kHz. with 50,000 watts days and 5,000 watts nights (two patterndirectionalized) from studios at 8750Brookville Road, Silver Spring, Maryland but remains licensed to nearbyWashington D. C. A memberof ESPNRadio Sports, the C-QUAMAM stereooutlet is licensed to groupstation owner Clear Channel Communications Corporation. Bennett Zier is Vice Presidentand GeneralManager.