WRAK (1400 kHz) is an AM radio station licensed to serve Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and licensed to iHM Licenses, LLC. It airs a News/Talk format as "The News/Talk Network".
History
The station was first licensed to the Economy Light Company in Escanaba, Michigan on March 23, 1923."New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, April 2, 1923, page 3. The WRAK call sign was randomly assigned from a sequential roster of available call letters. The station was deleted on June 23, 1923,"Strike out all particulars", Radio Service Bulletin, July 2, 1923, page 10. relicensed on February 14, 1925,"New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, March 2, 1925, page 3. deleted a second time on January 5, 1926,"Strike out all particulars", Radio Service Bulletin, January 30, 1926, page 7. then reauthorized on February 9, 1926."New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, February 27, 1926, page 3.
Following the establishment of the Federal Radio Commission (FRC), stations were initially issued a series of temporary authorizations starting on May 3, 1927."List of broadcasting stations issued temporary permits", Radio Service Bulletin, April 30, 1927, pages 6-14. In addition, they were notified that if they wanted to continue operating, they needed to file a formal license application by January 15, 1928, as the first step in determining whether they met the new "public interest, convenience, or necessity" standard."Extension of Broadcasting Station Licenses", Radio Service Bulletin, December 31, 1927, page 7. On May 25, 1928, the FRC issued General Order 32, which notified 164 stations, including WRAK, that "From an examination of your application for future license it does not find that public interest, convenience, or necessity would be served by granting it.""Appendix F (2): Letter to and list of stations included in General Order No. 32, issued May 25, 1928", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission for the Year Ended June 30, 1928, Together With Supplemental Report for the Period From July 1, 1928 to September 30, 1928, pages 146-149. However, the station successfully convinced the commission that it should remain licensed. WRAK satisfied the FRC's concerns by selling the station to C. R. Cummins, who relocated the station to Erie, Pennsylvania."Alterations and corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, March 31, 1928, page 8.
On November 11, 1928, the FRC implemented a major reallocation of station transmitting frequencies, as part of a reorganization resulting from its General Order 40. WRAK was assigned to 1370 kHz."Broadcasting Stations", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission (June 30, 1928), page 186. In March 1941, with the implementation of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement, most stations on 1370 kHz, including WRAK, were moved to 1400 kHz. WRAK relocated to Williamsport no later than 1951, the year WJET assumed WRAK's former frequency in Erie.Broadcasting Yearbook 1961-1962 page B-141, Broadcasting_&_Cable
References
External links
FCC History Cards for WRAK (covering 1923–1980)