View source for WSBN

{{Short description|ESPN Radio affiliate in Washington, D.C.}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name             = WSBN
| logo             = WSBN-Sports-Capitol-logo-2019.png
| city             = [[Washington, D.C.]]
| country          = US
| area             = [[Washington metropolitan area]]
| branding         = ''ESPN 630 D.C.''
| frequency        = 630 [[kilohertz|kHz]]
| airdate          = {{Start date and age|1925|10|12|p=fy}}
| repeater         = 105.9 [[WMAL-FM|WMAL-HD2]] ([[Woodbridge, Virginia]])
| languages        = [[American English|English]]
| format           = [[Sports radio|Sports]]
| power            = 10,000 [[watt]]s day<br>2,700 watts night
| class            = B
| facility_id      = 73250
| coordinates      = {{coord|39|8|2|N|77|18|14|W|type:landmark_region:US-DC_source:FCC|display=inline,title}}
| callsign_meaning = 
| former_callsigns = WMAL (1925–2019)
| network     = [[ESPN Radio]]
| affiliations = {{plainlist|
* [[Baltimore Orioles Radio Network]]
* [[Baltimore Ravens broadcasters|Baltimore Ravens Radio Network]]
* [[Virginia Cavaliers#Radio network affiliates|Virginia Cavaliers]]
}}
| owner            = [[Cumulus Media]]
| licensee         = Radio License Holdings LLC
| sister_stations  = [[WMAL-FM]]
| webcast          = {{listen live|http://www.sportscapitoldc.com}}
| website          = [http://www.sportscapitoldc.com sportscapitoldc.com] 
| licensing_authority= [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
}}
'''WSBN''' (630 [[Hertz|kHz]]) is a [[commercial radio|commercial]] [[AM broadcasting|AM]] [[sports radio|sports]] [[radio station]] [[City of license|licensed]] to [[Washington, D.C.]], and serving the [[Washington Metropolitan Area|Washington metro area]]. It operates with 10,000 [[watt]]s in the daytime and 2,700 watts at night using a [[directional antenna]] around the clock. WSBN's studios are on Jenifer Street in Northwest Washington.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Station Information|url=https://www.wmal.com/station-information/|website=WMAL-FM|language=en-US}}</ref>  The [[transmitter]] is located off Black Rock Road in [[Germantown, Maryland]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=WSBN-AM 630 kHz - Washington, DC|url=https://radio-locator.com/info/WSBN-AM|website=radio-locator.com}}</ref>

WSBN is owned and operated by [[Cumulus Media]] and is [[network affiliate|affiliated]] with [[ESPN Radio]]. It is one of the oldest radio stations in the Washington [[media market]], continuously on the air from 1925. For most of its history, the station operated as '''WMAL'''; on July 1, 2019, its [[Talk radio|talk]] programming was moved exclusively to co-owned [[WMAL-FM]] at 105.9 [[Hertz|MHz]], which had simulcast with 630 am since 2011.

==Programming==
WSBN has two local hosts on weekdays, Andy Pollin in late mornings and Bram Weinstein in afternoon [[drive time]].  The rest of the schedule is largely made up of programs from [[ESPN Radio]].

As of 2022, WSBN broadcasts the games of the [[Baltimore Ravens]] and [[Virginia Cavaliers football]] and [[Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball|men's basketball]]. It announced on March 24, 2021, that it joined the [[Baltimore Orioles Radio Network]] as an affiliate station beginning with the [[2021 Baltimore Orioles season|upcoming season]].<ref>[http://www.insideradio.com/free/cumulus-media-s-espn-630-new-dc-market-home-of-the-baltimore-orioles/article_6a9f449e-8ca3-11eb-99b3-ff1db217dbf9.html InsideRadio.com "ESPN 630 New DC Home of Baltimore Orioles" March 24, 2021]</ref>

==History==
===Early years===
The station first went on the air, as WMAL, on October 12, 1925, using [[Call sign|call letters]] incorporating the initials of Martin A. Leese, a local [[optician]] who began selling radio sets at 720 11th Street NW in Washington, D.C.<ref>"A Radio for Every Purse". (August 15, 1926). ''The Washington Post'', p. F7</ref> He started WMAL as a low-power station. The shutdown of station [[WCAP (Washington, D.C.)|WCAP]] left Washington with  WRC (now [[WTEM]]) as its only high-power station, so local business leaders affiliated with the City Club of Washington banded together to create a second high-powered station. Their original plan was to buy WCAP and convert it to a municipal station, but instead they worked with Leese to boost WMAL's signal and make it the city's second large station.<ref>"City Club to Help Develop New Radio Station in Capital". (September 26, 1926). ''The Washington Post'', p. M13</ref> The new high-power WMAL went on the air from studios at 710-712 11th Street NW on October 2, 1926, with former WCAP announcer William T. Pierson as director and with a policy of encouraging young broadcasting talent in hopes of creating "a people's forum".<ref>"New Radio Station in First Program".  (October 3, 1926).  ''The Washington Post'', p. M14</ref>

In 1927, Leese left his optical business to focus full-time on running the station, and the following year the [[Federal Radio Commission]]'s national frequency allocation plan assigned WMAL the AM 630 frequency. WMAL was a [[CBS Radio]] [[Network affiliate]] from 1928 until October 19, 1932, and then was briefly unaffiliated until joining the [[NBC Blue Network]] in January 1933. The Blue Network later became [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], with which WMAL was affiliated for many years, and which owned WMAL for several decades.

By mid-1932, M. R. Baker had been appointed manager of the station, and Kenneth H. Berkeley was appointed station director of WMAL in 1933. While still owned by the Leese family, WMAL was eventually leased to the [[NBC|National Broadcasting Company]] in 1934, joining it with [[owned-and-operated station]] WRC.

NBC's Washington vice president Frank M. Russell supervised the operation of both WMAL and WRC by 1935 when studios were moved from the National Press Building to the Trans-Lux Theatre Building, 724 14th Street NW. Transmitting facilities continued to be located at 712 Eleventh Street NW.

In the late months of 1937, the lease to NBC was terminated, with station operation reverting to the Leese Family interests. NBC, however, continued to operate it under a managerial agreement executed in fall 1937. Norman Leese was president of WMAL's licensee at that time. On May 1, 1938, the M.A. Leese Radio Corporation was acquired by publishers of the now-defunct ''[[Washington Star|Washington Evening Star]]'' [[newspaper]], a family-owned concern headed by board chairman and president Samuel H. Kauffman. Norman Leese remained president and K. H. Berkeley continued as general manager of WMAL.

The operating arrangement between NBC and the M.A. Leese Radio Corporation ended in February 1942. The station then reverted to the direct control of the Evening Star Broadcasting Company, of which K. H. Berkeley was executive vice president. Berkeley was also WMAL's general manager. In October 1947, WMAL-TV signed on as the first [[Band III|high-band]] [[VHF]] [[television]] station in the United States. It became an ABC Network affiliate a year later.

By 1946, S. H. Kauffman, president and part owner of the ''Evening Star'', was given additional duties as president of its broadcasting subsidiary, the Evening Star Broadcasting Company, until his resignation in August 1954. His replacement as general manager was Frederick S. Houwink.

Also in 1954, John W. Thompson Jr. replaced S. H. Kauffman as president of Evening Star Broadcasting Co.

[[Andy Ockershausen|Andrew Martin Ockershausen]] was appointed station manager of WMAL in 1960. One of Ockershausen's first moves was to team [[Frank Harden]] with [[Jackson Weaver]] for WMAL's morning drive show after the duo had a successful tryout hosting an evening comedy show patterned after [[Bob and Ray]]; ''Harden and Weaver'' took off in popularity and quickly became the top-rated morning show in the Washington market, featuring a blend of news, interviews, light music and comedy.<ref>Harden and Weaver, 1983. p. 88 & 112</ref><ref name="washington">''Frank Harden Signs Off At WMAL; After 50 Years, Radio Voice Leaves With Little Fanfare'' by Marc Fisher ''The Washington Post'' January 7, 1998  [https://web.archive.org/web/20160325225807/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-647106.html Highbeam.com]</ref><ref name="sillier">'' '60s Radio Days: A Sillier, Simpler Time''. Marc Fisher, ''The Washington Post'', September 13, 1999; Page A1.</ref>

In 1962, Fred Houwink became a company vice president while continuing as WMAL's general manager. In 1965 Houwink was named vice president of Evening Star Broadcasting and Ockershausen was elevated to general manager of WMAL.

In 1970 Houwink retired and Ockershausen was named vice president, operations. Also in 1970 Richard S. Stakes was named general manager and Harold L. Green was named station manager. In 1974 Charles A. Macatee became WMAL's general manager.

===ABC years===
In early January 1976, the Evening Star Broadcasting Company's WMAL, [[WLVW|WMAL-FM]] and [[WJLA|WMAL-TV]] and majority control of the ailing newspaper were acquired from the Kauffman, Noyes and Adams families by publisher [[Joe Allbritton|Joseph L. Albritton]]’s Perpetual Corporation and Albritton became board chairman and chief owner of WMAL's license. On January 21, 1976, WMAL's licensee name was changed to ''Washington Star Communications of Delaware, Inc.'' Richard S. Stakes became station president, but resigned in December 1976. Mr. Albritton then assumed the presidency, with Robert Nelson becoming president of the broadcasting division. General Manager Charles Macatee resigned in January 1977.

A requirement of the purchase of the Evening Star properties included the sale of the radio or television properties. In March 1977, WMAL and WMAL-FM were spun off to ABC Radio, while the TV station was retained and became [[WJLA|WJLA-TV]], named after Albritton's initials. ABC paid $16 million for WMAL and WMAL-FM, a record price for radio properties at that time. Andrew Ockershausen was appointed executive vice president.

[[File:WMAL 630 old.png|left|thumb|200px|WMAL logo used until 2009.]]On January 3, 1986, [[Capital Cities Communications|Capital Cities]] and [[ABC, Inc.]] merged in a $3.52 billion deal. Thomas S. Murphy was chairman and CEO of the new firm. Frederick Weinhaus became president and general manager following the resignation of Andrew Ockershausen in March 1986. Weinhaus was transferred to [[Citadel Media|ABC Radio]] New York in January 1988. His replacement in May 1988 was Thomas Bresnahan, who continued in that role until his retirement in 2002.

WMAL morning co-host Jackson Weaver died on October 20, 1992, with ''Harden and Weaver'' still at or near the top of the local ratings; Weaver also garnered fame nationally as the first voice of [[Smokey Bear]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Jackson Weaver, 72, Voice of Smokey Bear |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/22/obituaries/jackson-weaver-72-voice-of-smokey-bear.html?pagewanted=1 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 22, 1992 |language=en}}</ref> Frank Harden continued the morning show with co-hosts [[Tim Brant]] and Andy Parks until his retirement in 1998.<ref name="washington" /> Brant and Parks continued until Brant's departure in May 2002,<ref>{{Cite web|last=The Washington Times|title=Brant replaces Knott in WJLA sports post|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2003/dec/15/20031215-093650-7060r/|website=The Washington Times|language=en-US}}</ref> his replacement would be former congressman [[Fred Grandy]].

In 1996, WMAL won a [[Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award]] for its reporting on [[Disney's America]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://vimeo.com/channels/257675/57016872 | title="American History—The Disney Version" on WMAL-AM &#124; 1996 duPont-Columbia Award Winner in 1996 duPont Winners | date=8 January 2013 }}</ref> By the late 1990s, WMAL transitioned its talk lineup into one similar to sister station [[WABC (AM)|WABC]] in New York City, with an emphasis on conservative talk.

[[File:WMAL (AM) former logo (2009-2011).png|thumb|200px|WMAL logo, 2009-2011]] [[Chris Berry (broadcaster)|Chris Berry]] was named president and general manager November 19, 2002. Prior to joining WMAL, Berry was vice president, radio for [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]], based in New York. In August 2005, host [[Michael Graham (radio personality)|Michael Graham]] was fired after refusing to apologize for calling the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) a "terrorist organization."

===Citadel and Cumulus years===
ABC sold its non-[[Radio Disney]] and [[ESPN Radio]] stations, including WMAL, to [[Citadel Broadcasting]] in 2007; Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.<ref name=abj-citadelcumulus>{{cite news|title=Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2011/09/16/cumulus-now-owns-citadel-broadcasting.html|access-date=September 16, 2011|newspaper=Atlanta Business Journal|date=September 16, 2011}}</ref>

Longtime Washington broadcaster [[Chris Core]] was dismissed from WMAL in 2008 as part of a broad cost-cutting move; his replacement, Austin Hill was dropped in February 2009 due to Levin's show expanding and Sliwa's show moving up an hour. Plante, a popular talk host who hosted evenings and later middays, was yanked in favor of [[Joe Scarborough]]'s ''[[Morning Joe]]'' in April 2009, only to return to middays six months later after Scarborough's show was cancelled.

By late 2009, WMAL's morning-drive through midnight weekday format was uninterrupted conservative talk, with a lineup of [[Fred Grandy]] and Andy Parks, [[Chris Plante]], [[Rush Limbaugh]], [[Sean Hannity]], [[Mark Levin]], [[Joe Scarborough]], and [[Curtis Sliwa]]. Weekends include gardening host Jos Roozen, investing adviser [[Ric Edelman]] and lawyer Michael Collins. [[John Batchelor]] replaced Sliwa in November 2009. In April 2010, Parks was laid off from the station, resulting in Plante's and Grandy's shows being merged. At the same time, Scarborough's show was put on extended hiatus. Austin Hill began filling in the middays for the time being, while Mark Simone handled Scarborough's shift. Grandy left WMAL in March 2011.

On September 19, 2011, WMAL began simulcasting its AM signal on 105.9 FM, now [[WMAL-FM]]. The former WMAL-FM, renamed WRQX in 1977, has since become [[WLVW]]; it remained co-owned with WMAL until 2019.

In 2017, WMAL started broadcasting games from the [[Washington Commanders]], then named the Washington Redskins, as an affiliate station for the first time since the team's [[Super Bowl XXVI]] win in 1992. WMAL previously carried the team's games from 1942 to 1956, and again from 1963 to 1991. [[WTEM]] (570 AM), a new sports station at the time, acquired the radio broadcast rights from WMAL for the [[1992 NFL season]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Allen |first1=Scott |title=Redskins games will be back on WMAL for first time since last Super Bowl win |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2017/02/16/redskins-games-will-be-back-on-wmal-for-first-time-since-last-super-bowl-win/ |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=3 April 2019}}</ref>

As of January 3, 2017, WMAL's weekday lineup consisted of local talent [[Brian Wilson (news correspondent)|Brian Wilson]] and Mary Walter in the morning, then Chris Plante, followed by the syndicated Rush Limbaugh, then [[Larry O'Connor (radio host)|Larry O'Connor]] hosts a local afternoon drive show, followed by the syndicated shows of [[Mark Levin]], [[John Batchelor]], and overnight the syndicated show ''[[Red Eye Radio]]'', hosted by [[Eric Harley]] and [[Gary McNamara]].  Brian Wilson was released in May 2017.

[[File:Wmal 20090125 133755.jpg|thumb|right|The former WMAL radio tower site in Bethesda, Maryland]]
In 2015, Cumulus announced that it was planning to sell the station's 75 acre (30 hectare) [[Bethesda, Maryland]] transmitter site, in use since 1941, so it could be redeveloped for high-end housing.<ref>[https://bethesdamagazine.com/2016/04/11/developer-of-wmal-radio-towers-site-unveils-latest-plans-to-skeptical-public/ "Updated: Developer of WMAL Radio Towers Site Unveils Latest Plans to Skeptical Public"] by Aaron Kraut, April 11, 2016 (bethesdamagazine.com)</ref> On May 12, 2016, WMAL was granted a [[Federal Communications Commission]] [[construction permit]] for a transmitter site relocation.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101726202&formid=301&fac_num=73250 |title=Application for Construction Permit for Commercial Broadcast Station |work=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |date=May 12, 2016 |access-date=June 21, 2017}}</ref> Transmissions from Bethesda ceased on the afternoon of May 1, 2018, with operations switched to the replacement facility at [[Germantown, Maryland]], northwest of the original site and now diplexed with an existing station, WSPZ (later [[WWRC]]).<ref>[https://www.radioworld.com/white-papers/diplex-2-4-tower-da-stations-%e2%80%a860-khz-apart "Diplex Two Four-Tower DA Stations 60 kHz Apart? No Way!"] by James R. Moser, Robert L. Elder and David N. Supplee, July 26, 2019 (updated December 17, 2019) (radioworld.com)</ref> Although daytime power remained at 10,000 watts, this relocation resulted in a nighttime power reduction from 5,000 to 2,700 watts. In 2020, the decommissioned Bethesda site was sold to [[Toll Brothers]] for $74.1 million,<ref>[https://www.rbr.com/255101-2/ "Cumulus Finally Closes On Ex-WMAL Tower Site Sale"] by Carl Marcucci and Adam Jacobson, June 25, 2020  (rbr.com)</ref> and the Bethesda towers were demolished on November 4, 2020.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SxA4BV3cBc "Demolition of WMAL-AM towers Bethesda, MD 11/4/2020"], video uploaded by David Sproul (youtube.com)</ref>

===Flip to sports talk===
[[File:AM radio transmission towers for WWRC and WSBN ESPN sports radio (3 June 2025).jpg|thumb|left|upright|WSBN's radio transmitter tower in unincorporated [[Montgomery County, Maryland]], June 2025.]]
On June 13, 2019, it was announced that WMAL would break away from the simulcast with WMAL-FM and flip to [[ESPN Radio]] on July 1, 2019, as ''ESPN 630''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://awfulannouncing.com/local-networks/espn-cumulus-dc-sports-radio-redskins.html|title=ESPN and Cumulus will launch a new D.C. ESPN Radio station|date=2019-06-14|website=Awful Announcing|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/187183/wmal-a-f-washington-d-c-to-split-simulcast-am-to-f|title=WMAL-A-F/Washington, D.C. To Split Simulcast, AM To Flip To Sports As ESPN 630, The Sports Capitol|website=All Access|language=en|access-date=2019-06-14}}</ref> WMAL replaced WTEM as ESPN Radio's Washington, D.C., affiliate, though both stations continue to share Redskins games, with WTEM as flagship.<ref name="wp-wmalamsports">{{cite news |last1=Allen |first1=Scott |title=D.C. is getting a third sports talk radio station with the launch of ESPN 630 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/06/14/dc-is-getting-third-sports-talk-radio-station-with-launch-espn/ |access-date=July 2, 2019 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=June 14, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Concurrent with the format change, WMAL changed its call letters to WSBN;<ref name="fcc-callsigns">{{cite web |url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=73250&Callsign=WSBN |title=Call Sign History (WSBN) |website=CDBS Public Access |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref> prior to the change, it had been Washington's oldest station to be operating under its original call letters. WSBN signed a four-year radio broadcast rights agreement on June 15, 2022, to serve as the Washington affiliate for the [[List of Baltimore Ravens broadcasters|Baltimore Ravens Radio Network]].<ref>[https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/press-release-washington-d-c-based-espn-630-am-to-broadcast-ravens-games "Press Release: Washington, D.C.-Based ESPN 630 AM To Broadcast Ravens Games," Baltimore Ravens, Wednesday, June 15, 2022.] Retrieved July 26, 2022.</ref>

==Studios==
WMAL broadcast from various facilities in Washington, D.C., and suburban [[Maryland]] until July 25, 1973, when it settled in at its current studio facility at 4400 Jenifer Street NW in Washington, two blocks from the city's border with [[Maryland]].

WMAL's former transmitting facility, located in the Bradley Hills section of suburban [[Bethesda, Maryland]], once housed studios for WMAL and WMAL-FM.

===Personalities===
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2010}}
Among the WMAL broadcasters over the years have been [[Frank Harden]] and [[Jackson Weaver]], who co-hosted WMAL's morning show for more than four decades until Weaver's death in the early 1990s; Tom Gauger, who also spent several decades at WMAL on the mid-day shift from 10am-3pm; Bill Trumbull was the afternoon drivetime host and paired with several others through two decades, Felix Grant's evening show featured traditional jazz. Grant is credited with introducing Brazil's "bossa nova" music to the US. [[Arthur Godfrey]], a national radio and early-TV personality who briefly broadcast on WMAL in 1933 as "Red" Godfrey; Bill Mayhugh, a mellow-voiced overnight broadcaster; and [[Ken Beatrice]], a sports talk radio pioneer who hosted a call-in show from 1977 to 1995.

The station also kept a local following for a time by broadcasting [[sports]] games featuring the [[Washington Redskins]] and [[University of Maryland, College Park]] Terrapins. Legendary jazz authority [[Felix Grant]] broadcast on WMAL for decades.

Support of the local community has been a tradition for WMAL, which founded such innovative fund-raisers as the Leukemia Radiothon and the Gross National Parade, which supported the D.C. Police Boys & Girls Club.

===News===
In addition to providing talk programming, WMAL provided local news coverage. With morning anchor Bill Thompson,<ref>[http://wmal.com/Article.asp?id=450426&spid=18558 Bill Thompson]</ref> afternoon anchor Mark Weaver<ref>[http://wmal.com/Article.asp?id=192504&spid=18558 Mark Weaver - WMAL biography]</ref> and the team covers news stories affecting the Washington, D.C., area.

===Jerry Klein's 2006 radio experiment===
{{main|Jerry Klein's 2006 radio experiment}}
The station aired a [[Talk radio|radio talk show]] on November 26, 2006, to gauge his audience's reaction to saying that "force should be applied to ensure that all Muslims in America wear identifying markers...."<ref>{{cite news|title=In U.S., fear and distrust of Muslims runs deep | author=Bernd Debusmann | publisher=[[Reuters]]|date=December 1, 2006 |url=http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=58909 |access-date=December 16, 2006 }}</ref><ref>
{{cite news
 |first=Bernd |last=Debusmann |author-link=<!-- Bernd Debusmann --> |title=Fear and distrust of Muslims run deep in US
 |url=https://www.dawn.com/2006/12/02/int14.htm
 |publisher=[[Dawn Group of Newspapers]] |work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]
 |date=December 2, 2006 |access-date=2009-03-12
 |location=[[Pakistan]] 
 |quote=When radio host Jerry Klein suggested that all Muslims in the United States should be identified with a crescent-shape tattoo or a distinctive arm band, the phone lines jammed instantly.
}}
</ref> The hoax was revealed at the end of the program.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=62852 FCC History Cards for WSBN]
*{{Official website|sportscapitoldc.com}}
{{AM station data|73250|WSBN}}
*[https://www.reelradio.com/gifts/wmaljings.html Unofficial WMAL history, with recordings of past WMAL station-ID jingles]

{{Washington Radio}}
{{Cumulus Media}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sports radio stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Radio stations in Washington, D.C.|SBN]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1925]]
[[Category:Cumulus Media radio stations]]
[[Category:ESPN Radio stations]]
[[Category:1925 establishments in Washington, D.C.]]