WSNO (AM)

File:WSNO logo.png

WSNO signed on October 13, 1959. The original owners, JKL Broadcasting Company, sold the station to Robert Kimel and Bessie Grad, owners of WWSR in St. Albans, in 1960. By 1961, the station had affiliated with the CBS Radio Network.{{cite book|title=1961–62 Broadcasting Yearbook|year=1961|page=B-174|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1961-62/Section%20B%202%20Radio%20%20Broadcasting%20Yearbook%201961-1962-10.pdf|access-date=August 31, 2016}} By 1970, WSNO had a middle of the road format, with twelve hours weekly of country music.{{cite book|title=1971 Broadcasting Yearbook|year=1971|page=B-212|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1971/B-2-Radio-YB-1971.pdf|access-date=August 31, 2016}} In 1980, the station shifted to a full-time country music format.{{cite book|title=Broadcasting Yearbook 1980|year=1980|page=C-234|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1980/C-2%20Radio%20Broadcasting%20Yearbook%201980.pdf|access-date=August 31, 2016}}{{cite book|title=Broadcasting/Cable Yearbook 1981|year=1981|page=C-240|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1981/Cb%20Facilities%20of%20Radio%201981%20N-Z.pdf|access-date=August 31, 2016}} The station had added an affiliation with Mutual by 1993, while remaining a CBS affiliate.{{cite book|title=Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1994|year=1994|page=B-380|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1994/B-Radio-NE-Ter-BC-YB-1994-B&W.pdf|access-date=August 31, 2016}} In 1996, the station switched to a news/talk format.{{cite book|title=Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1996|year=1996|page=B-431|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1996/B-NE-Ter-BC-YB-1996.pdf|access-date=August 31, 2016}}{{cite book|title=Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1997|year=1997|page=B-460|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1997/B-Radio-NE-Ter-BC-YB-1997.pdf|access-date=August 31, 2016}}

Kimel sold WSNO and sister station WORK (107.1 FM, now WRFK) to Bull Moose Broadcasting in 1997;{{cite news|last=Fybush|first=Scott|title=Back From the Dead...|url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-970126.html|access-date=August 31, 2016|newspaper=North East RadioWatch|date=January 26, 1997}} two years later, the stations were purchased by Vox Radio Group.{{cite news|last=Fybush|first=Scott|title=The Eagle Has Crash-Landed|url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-990402.html|access-date=August 31, 2016|newspaper=North East RadioWatch|date=April 2, 1999}} Nassau Broadcasting Partners acquired most of Vox's northern New England radio stations in 2004.{{cite news|title=Nassau Will Buy 10 Vox Stations in New England|url=http://www.radioworld.com/article/nassau-will-buy-10-vox-stations-in-new-england/10025|access-date=August 31, 2016|newspaper=Radio World|date=March 16, 2004}}

WSNO, along with 29 other Nassau stations in northern New England, was purchased at a bankruptcy auction by Carlisle Capital Corporation, a company controlled by Bill Binnie (owner of WBIN-TV in Derry), on May 22, 2012. The station, and 12 of the other stations, were then acquired by Vertical Capital Partners, controlled by Jeff Shapiro.{{cite news|title=Carlisle Capital Corp. Wins Bidding For Rest Of Nassau Stations|url=http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/106283/carlisle-capital-corp-wins-bidding-for-rest-of-nas|access-date=May 22, 2012|newspaper=All Access|date=May 22, 2012}}{{cite news|last=Venta|first=Lance|title=Nassau Broadcasting Auction Results|url=http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/57250/nassau-broadcasting-auction-results/|access-date=May 24, 2012|newspaper=RadioInsight|date=May 22, 2012}} (updated May 23, 2012) The deal was completed on November 30, 2012.{{cite news|last=Kitch|first=Michael|title=Binnie closes on purchase of WLNH|url=http://www.laconiadailysun.com/index.php/newsx/local-news/64052-binnie-s-radio-franchise|access-date=December 1, 2012|newspaper=Laconia Daily Sun|date=December 1, 2012}} The Vertical Capital Partners stations were transferred to Shapiro's existing Great Eastern Radio group on January 1, 2013.{{cite web|title=APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGN BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE OR TO TRANSFER CONTROL OF ENTITY HOLDING BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1533507&Service=FM&Form_id=316&Facility_id=17798|date=December 11, 2012|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=June 8, 2013}}{{cite web|title=Consummation Notice|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1536345&Form_id=905&Facility_id=17798|date=January 4, 2013|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=June 8, 2013}}

File:WSNO1450.png

In the later years of its talk format, WSNO's programming included Imus in the Morning, The Glenn Beck Radio Program, The Rush Limbaugh Show, and The Howie Carr Show.{{cite news|last1=Venta|first1=Lance|title=Beat Dropping Into Central Vermont|url=https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/107948/beat-dropping-into-central-vermont/|access-date=August 31, 2016|work=RadioInsight|date=August 31, 2016}} WSNO also featured local news and weather, high school sports, NFL football, Boston Bruins and NCAA basketball. WSNO ended its talk format after 20 years on August 29, 2016, and began stunting. The station introduced a top 40 format at midnight on September 2, 2016, and concurrently began simulcasting on translator W289CH (105.7 FM); the station was branded as "105.7 The Beat". The first song on The Beat was "Can't Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake. Despite the format change, WSNO continued its high school sports coverage.{{cite news|last1=Delcore|first1=David|title=All change at 'Central Vtermont's Talk Station'|url=http://www.timesargus.com/article/20160831/THISJUSTIN/308319995|access-date=August 31, 2016|work=Barre Montpelier Times Argus|date=August 31, 2016}}[https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/107948/beat-dropping-into-central-vermont/ Beat Dropping Into Central Vermont][http://formatchange.com/wsno-becomes-105-7-the-beat/ WSNO Becomes 105.7 The Beat]

On January 1, 2022, WSNO began simulcasting newly-acquired sister station WXMS (which concurrently became WSNO-FM) from Au Sable, New York (near Burlington and Plattsburgh), with an adult hits format branded as "The Penguin". All three of the initial members of the new format's airstaff previously worked at Burlington top 40 station WXXX.{{cite news |last1=Venta |first1=Lance |title=Penguins Found In Vermont |url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/217707/penguins-founds-in-vermont/ |access-date=January 1, 2022 |work=RadioInsight |date=January 1, 2022}}

WSNO went silent in September 2023 after losing its transmitter site; the "Penguin" programming was moved to the second HD Radio channel of WWFY (100.9 FM) to continue to feed the 105.7 translator.[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/259148/fcc-report-9-24-audacy-proposes-to-revive-silent-las-vegas-ams/ FCC Report 9/24: Audacy Proposes to Revive Silent Las Vegas AMs] Radioinsight - September 24, 2023 The Federal Communications Commission cancelled the station’s license on September 5, 2024.{{cite web|url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityDetails.html?facilityId=34813|title=License Cancelled|work=Federal Communications Commission Licensing and Management System|date=September 5, 2024|access-date=September 5, 2024}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://www.thepenguinvermont.com/}}

{{AM station data|34813|WSNO}}

{{Montpelier-Barre-St. Johnsbury Radio}}

SNO

Category:Defunct radio stations in the United States

SNO

Category:Radio stations established in 1959

Category:1959 establishments in Vermont

Category:Radio stations disestablished in 2024

Category:2024 disestablishments in Vermont