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WKND

Simulcasts WLAT, New Britain
Windsor, Connecticut United States
Broadcast area	Greater Hartford
Frequency	1480 kHz
Branding	Mega 101.7 & 97.5
Programming
Format	Spanish tropical
Ownership
Owner	Gois Broadcasting of Connecticut, LLC
Sister stations	WLAT, WNEZ
History
First air date	March 4, 1961
Former call signs	WSOR (1961–1966) WEHW (1966–1969) WKND (1969–2004) WNEZ (2004–2007)
Call sign meaning	KND Corporation (former owner Kenneth Dawson)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	26302
Class	D
Power	500 watts day 14 watts night
Transmitter coordinates	41°51′10.36″N 72°40′41.33″W / 41.8528778°N 72.6781472°W / 41.8528778; -72.6781472
Translator(s)	97.5 W248CR (Windsor)
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live
Website	www.mimusicaboston.com/megahartford

WKND (1480 AM) is a radio station licensed to the city of Windsor, Connecticut. The transmitter site is in Windsor, while the studios are in Hartford. WKND is owned by Gois Broadcasting of Connecticut, LLC. WKND operates with 500 watts during the day and 14 watts at night. WKND airs a Spanish tropical format, simulcast from WLAT (910 AM) in New Britain. Its programming is also heard on FM translator W248CR (97.5).

History

WKND signed on in 1961 as WSOR, and featured a country/western and Polish format. It was a 500-watt daytime-only station. After a couple sales of the station in the mid-1960s, WSOR became WEHW in 1966.

In 1969, The KND Corporation purchased the station, and changed the callsign to WKND. A format change to R&B soon followed, and WKND became the first radio station in the state to feature a format targeting the African American community. In 1981, Hartcom Inc. purchased the station. Hartcom was formed by an all-minority group of individuals committed to keeping the station serving the African-American community. Studios eventually moved to the Windsor Parkade Shopping Center. Major transmitter site renovations were undertaken in the mid-1990s, with the replacement of the station's three towers and a retuning of the station's directional antenna pattern.

In 2004, under an LMA with Freedom Communications of Connecticut, WKND's call sign and format moved to Freedom's WNEZ (1230 AM). With the move to 1230, WKND became a 24-hour station for the first time and got a power boost to 1,000 watts. They ran on-air announcements "The all-new 24 Hour, Twice the Power WKND 1230 AM". The 1480 facility then took the WNEZ call letters from 1230 AM and became urban gospel-formatted "Heaven 1480" for a few months, and then became Spanish oldies "La X 1480". WNEZ soon joined its sister stations WLAT and WKND at 330 Main Street in Hartford.

Freedom Communications ended up in receivership, and in 2007, WKND and its R&B oldies format returned to 1480, with 1230 going back to WNEZ and a Spanish-language format. Gois Broadcasting acquired WLAT and WNEZ in 2008 and WKND in 2009. The three stations were moved into new studios on Burnside Avenue in East Hartford shortly thereafter.

Translators

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for WKND". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. Hartford Radio History's page on WKND

External links

• Facility details for Facility ID 26302 (WKND) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WKND in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• Facility details for Facility ID 139032 (W248CR) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• W248CR at FCCdata.org

• Radio stations in Connecticut
• Spanish-language radio stations in Connecticut
• Tropical music radio stations
• Radio stations established in 1961
• 1961 establishments in Connecticut