WPOM
| |
Broadcast area | West Palm Beach, Florida |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1600 kHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Ethnic |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | August 17, 1959 |
Last air date | February 2025 |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning |
|
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| 73892 | |
| Class | B |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 26°44′56.2″N 80°07′57.2″W / 26.748944°N 80.132556°W |
| Translator | 101.1 W266DP (Delray Beach) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
WPOM (1600 kHz) was an AM radio station broadcasting ethnic programming. Licensed to Riviera Beach, Florida, United States, the station served the West Palm Beach area. The station was owned by Carline Clerge, through licensee Caribbean Media Group, Inc.[2] It operated from 1959 to 2025.
History
[edit]The station went on the air as WHEW on August 17, 1959.[3] In 1969, the station changed its call letters to WXVI;[4] by 1970, the station had a middle-of-the-road format.[5] In 1971, the station became WPOM, with a contemporary format.[6] In the intervening years, WPOM would adopt several other formats, including all-news in the late 1970s,[7] disco music in the early 1980s,[8] and a split format of gospel and blues by 1999.[9]

Hibernia Broadcasting, whose stations were all affiliated with Radio Disney, acquired WPOM in 1999,[9] and switched the station to Radio Disney on June 16, 1999; to better reflect the format, the station adopted the WMNE callsign, referring to Minnie Mouse, on July 9.[10] Hibernia was acquired by The Walt Disney Company, through ABC, in 2000.[11]
Disney sold WMNE to Travis Media, LLC in January 2010.[12] In the interim, Disney took the station, and five other stations slated to be sold, silent on January 22.[13][14] The station resumed broadcasting on May 6;[15] on June 2, the call letters were changed to WHTY.
In March 2015, Carline Clerge, who already owned 42% of the station, agreed to acquire the remaining 58% from Robert Travis and David Urbach;[16] upon taking control on August 24, 2015, Clerge transferred WHTY from Travis Media to Caribbean Media Group, another company she controls.[17] The call sign was changed back to WPOM on August 24, 2015.[18]
WPOM went silent in February 2025, due to financial problems that had led Caribbean Media Group to put it up for sale.[19] The Federal Communications Commission cancelled the station's license on September 16, 2026.[20]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WPOM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ↑ "WPOM Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1960 (PDF). 1960. p. A-133.
- ↑ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 13, 1969. p. 72. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1971 (PDF). 1971. p. B-46.
- ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1972 (PDF). 1972. p. B-46.
- ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1976 (PDF). 1976. p. C-43. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
- ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1980 (PDF). 1980. p. C-49. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
- 1 2 Lundy, Sarah (June 18, 1999). "Mickey Mouse Takes Over WPOM". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
- ↑ "WMNE Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ↑ "Palladium Equity Partners to Sell Hibernia Communications' Radio Stations To ABC, Inc" (Press release). Palladium Equity Partners. June 29, 2000. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
- ↑ "Disney sells West Palm Beach radio station". Radio Business Report. January 25, 2010. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
- ↑ "Radio Disney Takes Six Stations Silent". All Access. January 28, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- ↑ Zucker, John W (January 26, 2010). "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- ↑ Tillotson, David (June 21, 2010). "Resumption of Operations". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
- ↑ "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO TRANSFER CONTROL OF ENTITY HOLDING BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. March 20, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ↑ "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO TRANSFER CONTROL OF ENTITY HOLDING BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. March 21, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ↑ "Media Bureau Call Sign Actions" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ↑ Venta, Lance (February 8, 2025). "FCC Report 2/9: FCC Begins Investigation Into Audacy’s KCBS Triggering Potential First Amendment Battle". RadioInsight. Retrieved September 17, 2026.
- ↑ "License Cancelled". Federal Communications Commission Licensing and Management System. September 16, 2026. Retrieved September 16, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Facility details for Facility ID 73892 (WPOM) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WPOM in Nielsen Audio's AM station database