WOLB

WSID launched at 1570 kHz on November 27, 1947.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49273103/|access-date=April 21, 2020|date=November 27, 1947|work=Baltimore Sun|title=Your new radio station...|page=54}} Owned by Sidney H. Tinley, Jr.,{{Cite web|url= https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=66964 |title= History Cards for WOLB|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}} (Guide to reading History Cards) the station was in Essex and broadcast with 1,000 watts during the daytime on 1570 kHz.{{cite news|title=WSID, New Baltimore Daytimer, Now on Air|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1947/1947-11-24-BC.pdf|page=85|access-date=24 October 2014|agency=Broadcasting|date=November 24, 1947}} The station's location became part of its argument against prosecution for broadcasting crime news in 1948. An old Baltimore law prohibited the practice, and five Baltimore-area stations were cited for contempt of the law;{{cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1948/1948-08-09-BC.pdf|work=Broadcasting|date=August 9, 1948|title=Baltimore: Papers Join Stations in Gag Rule Melee|page=30|access-date=April 21, 2020}} Essex-based WSID claimed the Baltimore city court lacked jurisdiction over the station.{{Cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1948/1948-12-20-BC.pdf|access-date=April 21, 2020|work=Broadcasting|date=December 20, 1948|title=Baltimore Court to Hear 'Gag' Charges Jan. 27|page=86}} Ultimately, it was found not guilty, though the other stations in the proceeding were cited.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49273796/|title=4 Fined for Contempt in Radio Broadcasting of Details on Murder|work=Baltimore Sun|page=22|date=January 29, 1949|access-date=April 21, 2020}}

The same month that WSID was acquitted, Tinley filed to sell WSID for $65,000 to the United Broadcasting Company, which owned radio station WOOK (1600 AM) in Silver Spring; the sale was granted in June.{{cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1949/1949-06-06-BC.pdf|access-date=April 21, 2020|date=June 6, 1949|work=Broadcasting|title=FCC Roundup|page=73}} WOOK, which moved to 1340 kHz in 1951, was the first radio station in the Washington, D.C., area to serve the African-American community, and United owner Richard Eaton immediately hired a black announcer for WSID.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49274118/|work=Baltimore Sun|page=10|title=Radio Station WSID Is Sold|access-date=April 21, 2020|date=July 12, 1949}} The station moved to 1010 kHz in July 1950. Two years later, the city of license was modified to officially serve both Essex and Baltimore; the Essex main studio was closed in 1956, at which time the license moved entirely into Baltimore.{{r|hc}} Jocko Henderson began his broadcasting career as "Doug Henderson" at WSID in 1952.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49292734/|title=Jocko: A Phila. original|first=Mark|last=de la Viña|page=39|work=Philadelphia Daily News|date=February 18, 1992|access-date=April 22, 2020}} In 1959, Pauline Wells Lewis began her gospel music show, "Inspiration Time", on WSID; she continued with WSID-AM-FM until 1983 and remained a fixture on Baltimore radio until shortly before her death in 1998.{{cite news|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2000-01-05-0001050241-story.html|work=Baltimore Sun|date=January 5, 2000|title=The Powers of Pauline|access-date=April 22, 2020}} Paul "Fat Daddy" Johnson, who worked at several Baltimore stations, found appeal among black and white audiences alike.{{cite news|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2001-02-24-0102240083-story.html|access-date=April 22, 2020|date=February 24, 2001|work=Baltimore Sun|title='Fat Daddy' was a voice in R|first=Frederick N.|last=Rasmussen}}

United also began adding additional broadcasting outlets in Baltimore, with the January 1961{{cite news|work=Baltimore Sun|first=William|last=Hyder|date=February 5, 1961|title=News, Notes About Television|page=A-13|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40774277/|access-date=December 18, 2019}} launch of WYOU (soon renamed WSID-FM and today WERQ-FM); in 1967, after nearly 14 years of delays,{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49274157/|work=Baltimore Sun|date=December 10, 1953|title=WSID Given TV Expansion Rights|access-date=April 21, 2020|page=32}} WMET-TV channel 24 launched as the first independent TV station in the city.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40154174/uhf_tv_station_begins_service/|title=UHF TV Station Begins Service|first=Theodore F.|last=Shelsby|access-date=December 18, 2019|page=C9}} WMET-TV, which broadcast some local programming (including a gospel show hosted by Wells Lewis{{cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/advertisement-clipping-jun-25-1968-1475997/|work=Baltimore Afro American|date=June 25, 1968|title=Something New!|access-date=December 18, 2019|page=5}}) but mostly simulcast sister station WOOK-TV/WFAN-TV in Washington, closed in January 1972.{{cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1972/1972-01-17-BC.pdf|work=Broadcasting|date=January 17, 1972|access-date=December 18, 2019|title=Eaton station goes dark|page=8}} WSID-AM-FM had moved in 1965{{r|hc}} to the Avalon Theater on Park Heights Avenue, which was also converted for WMET-TV's use; the radio studios occupied the former manager's office and production room, and the auditorium was converted into a TV studio.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40154668/movie_house_gives_in_to_tv/|title=Movie House Gives In To TV|first=William|last=Hyder|page=5 (TV)|work=Baltimore Sun|date=November 1, 1970}}

Legal problems became a major issue at many United stations at the end of the 1960s, with a number of them facing challenges to their license renewals. (WOOK and WFAB in Miami lost their licenses outright.) WSID's license renewal application, filed in 1969, remained pending for over a decade; it was still unresolved when Eaton died in 1981.{{r|hc}}

On December 23, 1982, the WSID call letters were dropped in favor of WYST, the moniker that had been adopted by the FM station—then WLPL—when it became "Star 92" the year before.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49275045/|access-date=April 21, 2020|date=November 16, 1981|work=Baltimore Sun|title=Wedding bells ring for Luke and Laura|first=Bill|last=Carter|page=B4}} WYST AM aired a gold-leaning adult contemporary format, with longtime Baltimore DJ Jack Edwards in mornings.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49275294/|access-date=April 21, 2020|date=August 7, 1983|title=Tim White: from Crabtown to Beantown|first=Laura|last=Charles|work=Baltimore Sun|page=E5}}

In 1981, SRW, Inc., challenged the licenses of United's Baltimore radio stations.{{r|hc}} SRW, owned by then-Maryland state senate president Melvin Steinberg, ultimately dropped its challenge to the AM station and focused on obtaining the WYST-FM license;{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49275458/|work=Baltimore Sun|pages=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49275495/ 10A]|title=Steinberg has eye on the airwaves|date=January 27, 1985|first=Steven M.|last=Luxenberg|access-date=April 21, 2020}} United paid $400,000 to Steinberg to settle the FM license challenge, the last pending for the once-embattled chain, in November 1985.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49275640/|pages=1C, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49275580/ 10C]|date=December 19, 1985|work=Baltimore Sun|title=Steinberg paid to drop quest for WYST license|first=Eric|last=Siegel|access-date=April 21, 2020}} United also invested in the AM station, which received a new tower and began broadcasting at night in early 1986; however, it also reduced its daytime power to 250 watts.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49275964/|access-date=April 21, 2020|first=Laura|last=Charles|title=Coming back is price for getting away|date=February 26, 1986|page=3G}}

In 1989, Richard Eaton's estate agreed to sell WYST-AM-FM as part of a $132.5 million buyout of the company, including its nine radio stations and a 35,000-subscriber cable system in Manchester, New Hampshire.{{cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1989/RR-1989-02-24.pdf|access-date=April 21, 2020|work=Radio & Records|date=February 24, 1989|page=8|title=TA Associates, Shaw United In $75 Million Radio Buyout}} The sale agreement expired in January 1990, however, and the deal was not consummated.{{cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1990/BC-1990-01-15.pdf|access-date=April 21, 2020|date=January 15, 1990|work=Broadcasting|title=In Brief|page=145}}

WYST-AM-FM, by that point a simulcast, relaunched as WERQ-AM-FM "92Q" with a rhythmic contemporary hit radio format on August 16, 1991.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49276251/|title=Format change for WYST asks listeners to dance to different beat|work=Baltimore Sun|date=August 19, 1991|page=E1|first=Steve|last=McKerrow|access-date=April 21, 2020}} In 1992, WERQ dropped the FM simulcast to begin airing the audio of CNN Headline News.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49276425/|access-date=April 21, 2020|page=10A|first=Antero|last=Pietila|title=Survival of the Fittest on the AM Band|work=Baltimore Sun|date=January 9, 1993}}

File:WOLB-AM.png

United finally found a buyer for WERQ-AM-FM in 1993 when Radio One purchased the two stations for $9 million.{{cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1993/RR-1993-04-02.pdf|access-date=April 21, 2020|date=April 2, 1993|work=Radio & Records|title=Transactions|page=8}} On November 19, 1993, WERQ became talk outlet WOLB, initially simulcasting its WOL in Washington, D.C.{{cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-M-Street/M-Street-Journal/M-Street-1993-12.pdf|access-date=April 22, 2020|date=December 8, 1993|page=1 (9)|title=Format Changes & Updates|work=M Street Journal}} In 1995, WOL and WOLB programming began to be originated from Radio One's new Baltimore studios.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49292945/|access-date=April 22, 2020|page=4D|first=Steve|last=McKerrow|title=Sister stations WOL-WOLB relocate to Baltimore, sponsor picnic|date=August 19, 1995|work=Baltimore Sun}}

In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission ruled against WOLB in a case where a proposed facilities upgrade would have conflicted with an application from WIOO in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.{{cite news|url=https://www.rbr.com/carlisle-am-shuts-down-baltimore-upgrade/|access-date=April 22, 2020|date=February 21, 2015|work=RBR|title=Carlisle AM Shuts Down Baltimore Upgrade}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.wolbbaltimore.com WOLB AM website]

{{AM station data|54711|WOLB}}

• [https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=66964 FCC History Cards for WOLB]

{{Radio One}}

{{Baltimore Radio}}

{{News/Talk Radio Stations in Maryland}}

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Category:African-American history in Baltimore

Category:Urban One stations

OLB

Category:Radio stations established in 1947

Category:1947 establishments in Maryland

Category:News and talk radio stations in the United States