Fiktiv USA - WBAP 820

WBAP (820 kHz) is an AM news/talk radio station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas and serving the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. WBAP is owned by ABC Radio and broadcasts with 50,000 watts from a transmitter site in the northwest corner of Mansfield. It is a Class A clear-channel station, using a non-directional antenna. Its nighttime signal can often be heard throughout the Southern, Central, and Midwestern states and Northern Mexico, while its daytime signal provides at least secondary coverage from Oklahoma City to Austin. The station's studios are located at 2221 East Lamar Boulevard in Arlington. WBAP is one of the oldest radio stations in Texas, dating back to 1922, when stations in Texas were still given call signs beginning with "W" instead of "K."

WBAP began broadcasting May 2, 1922 at a wavelength of 360 meters (about 833 kHz), changing to 400 meters (750 kHz) in August 1922. The station shared time with Dallas stations WFAA and WRR. It was the first station in the United States to have an audible logo signal similar to the NBC chimes, the WBAP cowbell. According to President Herbert Hoover, the station's call letters stood for "We Bring A Program," although in reality, the call letters were assigned sequentially, without any special meaning.

On May 15, 1923, the Federal Radio Commission expanded the broadcast band, and WBAP and WFAA moved to 630 kHz. Another expansion moved WBAP to 600 kHz effective April 15, 1927, and this frequency was shared with WOAI in San Antonio. On November 11, 1928, WBAP moved to 800 kHz, and on June 1, 1929, WFAA also moved to 800 kHz, sharing time (and NBC Red network affiliation) with WBAP. Station owner Amon G. Carter was unhappy with having to share time on 800 kHz with WFAA. Carter Publishing purchased KGKO in Wichita Falls (570 kHz) and moved it to Fort Worth as an affiliate of the NBC Blue network (which became ABC), and more importantly as a second frequency to be used when 800 kHz was not available. The sale was approved by the Federal Communications Commission September 24, 1935. On March 29, 1941, as a consequence of the Treaty of Havana, WBAP and WFAA moved one last time, to 820 kHz.

Carter eventually sold half of KGKO to A. H. Belo, owners of WFAA and the Dallas Morning News, and on April 27, 1947, KGKO was replaced by a second shared frequency between WBAP and WFAA.

On September 29, 1948, WBAP pioneered television service in Texas with the opening of the state's first video outlet, NBC-TV Network affiliate WBAP-TV (channel 5). A year later, WBAP added an FM station at 100.5, WBAP-FM. It moved to 96.3 MHz in 1955 and today is co-owned KSCS.

The dual frequency sharing arrangement between WBAP and WFAA continued through the 1950s and 1960s, with the stations switching frequencies several times a day. When WBAP changed frequencies, it signaled the change with a cowbell, which became widely associated with the station. Even though the stations swapped frequencies several times each day, the network affiliations remained constant: NBC network programming stayed on 820 kHz and ABC network programming stayed on 570 kHz. This frequently proved confusing for announcers and listeners alike.

On May 1, 1970, the unique dual split-frequency lives of WBAP and WFAA ended when WBAP paid $3.5 million to WFAA in exchange for sole occupancy of 820 kHz (and the NBC affiliation). WFAA took on 570 kHz (and the ABC affiliation), but with only 5,000 watts full-time. Once the frequency-sharing with WFAA ended in 1970, both stations were free to program musical formats, and WBAP began programming country music. It also gained the added benefit of 820's clear-channel signal; previously WFAA controlled it during these prime nighttime hours.

Also around this time, the FCC began to scrutinize ownership of broadcast stations and print media in the same market with the tightening of its rules, which disallowed new radio and/or television combinations with newspapers while grandfathering existing instances. Carter Publications’ ownership of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and WBAP-AM-FM-TV was one of three which existed in the Dallas/Fort Worth market. However, Carter voluntarily ended the cross-ownership issue in January 1973, when it announced the sale of all its Fort Worth media interests. WBAP and its FM sister (now known as KSCS), and the Star-Telegram were packaged to Capital Cities Communications for $64.5 million; LIN Broadcasting paid $35 million to acquire WBAP-TV, whose call letters were changed to KXAS-TV. The sales became final in the summer of 1974.

After a series of network affiliation changes in the late 1970s among WBAP, KRLD and WFAA, WBAP switched affiliations to ABC.

WBAP changed to a news/talk format in October 1993. It was also the radio flagship radio station of the Texas Rangers.

Morning show host Hal Jay recently celebrated his 25-year anniversary with WBAP by organizing a charity fund-raising event for Cook Children's Hospital ("Hal Jay's Celebrity Roast"). Among those who attended were Baseball Hall-of-Famer Nolan Ryan and syndicated radio talk show host Sean Hannity.

For many years, WBAP was the flagship station for Dallas Stars hockey team, but relinquished the rights beginning in the 2009–2010 season, as on January 16, 2009, the Dallas Stars named KTCK as its new flagship station for the next 5 years.

WBAP airs both local and nationally syndicated shows on weekdays. The day begins with the WBAP Morning News followed by Chris Salcedo mid-mornings, Jay Mcfarland in middays, Rick Roberts in the afternoon and Chris Krok evenings. The station also relies on syndicated programming, carrying Mark Levin, Red Eye Radio and on weekends John Batchelor, Bob Brinker and Larry Kudlow. Weekends include shows on money, cars, home improvement, real estate and the outdoors. Brokered programming is also aired.

Overnights are locally originated as WBAP is the flagship station of the nationally syndicated Red Eye Radio (formerly Midnight Trucking Radio Network), a trucking show that traces its roots to Bill Mack's overnight show back in 1969. Hosts Eric Harley and Gary McNamara are heard live locally weeknights, with "Best Of" programs heard weekend overnights.

WBAP is an affiliate of ABC News Radio network and carries its hourly newscasts. Live and local news/weather/traffic updates air from the "WBAP 24/7 Newsroom" at the top and bottom of every hour, with live traffic updates also taking place during afternoon drive commercial breaks, roughly at :20 and :50 past the hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The station has an agreement to share news gathering and weather information with ABC affiliate WFAA-TV.