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WJZN

WJZN (1400 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Augusta, Maine, United States. The station, established in 1932 as WRDO, was owned by Townsquare Media; it broadcast an alternative rock format simulcast from WCYYinPortland prior to going silent in May 2023. WJZN's programming was also heard on W240DH (95.9 FM) in Augusta.

History[edit]

WJZN went on the air February 23, 1932,^[1] as WRDO, owned by the Rines family's Congress Square Hotel Company, who also owned WCSHinPortland and WFEAinManchester, New Hampshire.^[3][4]

The Rines family sold WRDO to Ocean Coast Properties, owner of WPOR AM-FM in Portland, for $100,000 in 1974.^[5] H&R Corporation bought the station for $225,000 in 1977.^[6] By 1978, WRDO had a middle of the road format and was affiliated with the NBC Radio Network.^[7] H&R sold WRDO to Sterling Broadcasting Corporation for $260,000 in 1980.^[8] Sterling changed the station's format to country music in 1981;^[9] the format was simulcast with FM sister station WSCL (92.1 FM).^[10] Augusta-Waterville Broadcasters, controlled by the owners of WGHQ and WBPMinKingston, New York, bought WRDO and WSCL for $425,000 in 1983.^[11] By this point, the stations were simulcasting an adult contemporary format; WSCL had also moved to 92.3,^[12] and that December changed its call letters to WRDO-FM.^[13]

Augusta-Waterville Broadcasters sold WRDO and WRDO-FM to Marcom for $400,000 in 1986.^[14] The call letters changed to WMME on March 1, 1987,^[15] as the station began simulcasting a contemporary hit radio format with what had become WMME-FM.^[16] Target Communications sold WMME and WMME-FM to Tri-Group for $1.4 million in 1988.^[17] Pilot Communications bought the stations for $950,000 in 1993.^[18] The call letters were changed to WEZW on August 17, 1995,^[15] though the station continued to simulcast WMME-FM;^[16] it then changed to WLTI on August 30, 1996, before returning to WEZW on September 25.^[15]

Pilot's radio stations were acquired by Citadel Broadcasting in 1999 as part of its purchase of parent company Broadcasting Partners Holdings.^[19] In January 2003, Citadel ended WEZW's simulcast of WMME-FM and switched the station to an adult standards format, simulcast with sister station WTVL (1490 AM) in Waterville under the "Kool" branding.^[20] The call letters were changed to WJZN on October 14, 2004.^[15]

Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.^[21] Townsquare Media acquired Cumulus' Augusta-Waterville stations in 2012.^[22] On July 14, 2016, WJZN split from its simulcast with WTVL and launched a classic rock format, branded as "Capital 95.9"; this followed the launch of FM translator W240DH (95.9 FM).^[23]

On October 22, 2021, WJZN dropped the classic rock format and began stunting towards a new format to launch on Monday October 25. That day, the station began simulcasting a relaunched version of the alternative rock format from Portland sister station WCYY.^[24] WCYY's expansion, which also included WPKQinNorth Conway, New Hampshire, coincided with the syndication launch of Toucher and Rich from WBZ-FM in Boston, with the WCYY stations, along with Bangor sister station WEZQ, serving as the program's first affiliates.^[24] On May 8, 2023, Townsquare Media filed an STA to take the station silent;^[25] it returned to the air on April 29, 2024.^[26]

Translator[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Facility details for Facility ID 52604 (WJZN) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WJZNinNielsen Audio's AM station database
• Facility details for Facility ID 141380 (W240DH) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• W240DH at FCCdata.org