WTON (1240 kHz) is a talk radio formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Staunton, Virginia, United States, serving Staunton and Augusta County, Virginia. WTON is owned and operated by Thomas Media, LLC.[4]
WTON had previously carried ESPN Radio and local and regional sports starting in 2000. Stu-Comm, Inc. purchased WTON and co-owned WTON-FM (94.3 FM) in 2023, intending to use WTON-FM as a full-powered relay of its WNRN-FM for the lower Shenandoah Valley. In March 2024, it then sold WTON and their now-redundant FM translators covering Staunton–Waynesboro and Harrisonburg to WCHV morning host and program director Joe Thomas. WCHV owner Monticello Media fired Thomas when the sale was reported publicly, stating that the purchase of another station within its coverage area was an unacceptable conflict of interest.[5][6] Thomas then told the Staunton News Leader that he plans to return WTON to a competing format of local news, talk and sports programming.[7] The sale closed on May 24, with Thomas telling the News Leader he was preparing for the launch of his programming the following day.[8][9]
Translators
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Class | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W255DS | 98.9 FM | Harrisonburg, Virginia | 141356 | 80 | D | LMS |
| W266BQ | 101.1 FM | Crozet, Virginia | 91283 | 195 | D | LMS |
References
- ^ "Stations in the U.S." (PDF). Retrieved 2023-09-13.
- ^ a b FCC History Cards for WTON
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WTON". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "WTON Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ Venta, Lance (2 April 2024). "Joe Thomas Let Go From WCHV Following WTON Purchase". RadioInsight.
- ^ "[To our listeners and the Central Virginia community,]". WCHV Radio [Facebook]. 2 April 2024.
- ^ Hite, Patrick (12 April 2024). "WTON sold: New owner plans to return local programming to Staunton radio station". Staunton News Leader.
- ^ Hite, Patrick (17 May 2024). "Staunton's WTON set to debut new lineup under new ownership at the end of May". The News Leader.
- ^ Venta, Lance (17 May 2024). "WTON To Launch Talk Format On May 25". RadioInsight.
External links
- Facility details for Facility ID 50077 (WTON) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WTON in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
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