WCHR (AM)

WCHR is a brokered programming station. It sells blocks of airtime, where hosts may use their shows to seek donations to their ministries. National religious leaders heard on WCHR include John MacArthur, Jim Daly, Chuck Swindoll, James Dobson, Kay Arthur, J. Vernon McGee, Michael Youssef, Joni Eareckson Tada and Adrian Rogers.

The station signed on in {{start date and age|1998}}. Originally its call sign was WJHR ("Jersey Hometown Radio") with an adult contemporary format. In February 1998, the station began broadcasting in AM stereo using the C-QUAM system.[https://web.archive.org/web/20191019201101/http://users.hfx.eastlink.ca:80/~amstereo/offenders.htm Offenders of The Faith - The AM STEREO Page]. Archived from [http://users.hfx.eastlink.ca/~amstereo/offenders.htm the original] that has since been removed.

In December of that year, the station changed its format to contemporary hit radio (Top 40).{{cite magazine|title=Format Changes & Updates|url=https://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-M-Street/M-Street-Journal/M-Street-1998-12.pdf#page=14|magazine=The M Street Journal|date=December 9, 1998|page=2}} It briefly broadcast a talk radio format called "Chat Radio" on May 3, 1999, and the station turned off the AM stereo system. It later had short stints as a business talk station and an ESPN Radio sports station before adopting the call letters and religious format of WCHR. WCHR which had been operating on 920 AM in Trenton, in 2002.

On January 3, 2008, Nassau Broadcasting Partners announced that 1040 AM would drop the religious format and switch to a full-time simulcast of New York City's sports station WEPN 1050 AM.{{cite news |title=WEPN/New York LMAs NJ Station |url=http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=140580&pt=todaysnews |work=Radio Ink |date=January 3, 2008 |access-date=January 5, 2008 }} Nassau moved the religious programming and the WCHR call sign back to 920, which had been broadcasting as a Philadelphia-oriented ESPN Radio affiliate under the call letters WPHY.{{cite news |first=Jennifer |last=Wielgus |title=ESPN pulls plug on local station |url=http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/108-01082008-1467506.html |work=Bucks County Courier Times |date=January 8, 2008 |access-date=January 12, 2008}} On February 5, 2008, the station took the WNJE call sign.

On May 21, 2012, WNJE ended the simulcast of WEPN and joined ESPN Deportes Radio, a Spanish-language sports station. This came in advance of WEPN's own switch to ESPN Deportes Radio in September, after ESPN Radio took over the operations of WEPN-FM in April.

File:2024-11-15 12 14 23 The Townsquare Media Trenton offices in Ewing Township, Mercer County, New Jersey.jpg, co-located with the studios for New Jersey 101.5, 94.5 WPST and 920 WNJE]]

WNJE and nine other Nassau stations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania were purchased at a bankruptcy auction by NB Broadcasting in May 2012. NB Broadcasting is controlled by Nassau's creditors — Goldman Sachs, Pluss Enterprises, and P.E. Capital.{{cite news|title=10 Nassau Stations Go To NB Broadcasting LLC|url=http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/106532/10-nassau-stations-go-to-nb-broadcasting-llc|access-date=November 10, 2012|newspaper=All Access|date=May 30, 2012}}{{cite news|last=Pierce|first=David|title=Pocono radio stations now in the hands of creditors|url=http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120612/NEWS/206120329|access-date=November 10, 2012|newspaper=Pocono Record|date=June 12, 2012}} In November, NB Broadcasting filed a motion to assign its rights to the stations to Connoisseur Media.{{cite news|title=Connoisseur Moves To Assume Debtor's Bid To Buy 10 Nassau Stations, Including WPST|url=http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/112815/connoisseur-moves-to-assume-debtor-s-bid-to-buy-10|access-date=November 21, 2012|newspaper=All Access|date=November 21, 2012}}

On December 3, 2012, WNJE dropped ESPN Deportes Radio and began simulcasting the religious format of sister station WCHR 920. The sale to Connoisseur Media, at a price of $38.7 million, was consummated on May 29, 2013.

On November 13, 2013, the simulcast of the religious format ended, and the Christian programming was subsequently heard only on 1040. AM 920 adopted a secular talk radio format, changed its call letters back to WNJE and later was sold. (It is now a Regional Mexican station.) The WCHR call sign was once again moved to 1040.

Effective July 2, 2018, WCHR and sister stations WNJE and 94.5 WPST were sold to Townsquare Media for $17.3 million.

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• {{Official website|https://wchram.com/}}

{{AM station data|28130|WCHR}}

{{Trenton Radio}}

{{Townsquare Media}}

Category:Flemington, New Jersey

CHR

Category:Townsquare Media radio stations

Category:Radio stations established in 1998

Category:1998 establishments in New Jersey

Category:Religious radio stations in the United States

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