WWRI (1450 AM) is a radio station licensed to West Warwick, Rhode Island, and serving the Providence metropolitan area. The station is owned by Chris DiPaola, through licensee DiPonti Communications, LLC, and broadcasts a classic rock radio format.
WWRI transmits with 1,000 watts of power. It is also heard on FM translator W288EE in West Warwick, at 105.5 MHz. It uses the FM translator’s frequency in its moniker "I-105.5."
History
WWRI
The AM 1450 frequency was a longtime home to WWRI, later WKRI, a community station serving the West Warwick area. WWRI began broadcasting August 15, 1956. WWRI was initially headquartered at 1501 Main St. in West Warwick. Its first licensee and president was W. Paul Oury. On October 8, 1957, WWRI was sold to Melvin Green's Grelin Broadcasting. The next change of ownership occurred on February 8, 1969, when RSVP Inc. bought WWRI. By this time, WWRI was an ABC radio affiliate.
WSVP
In 1969, the station was bought by MediAmerica Broadcasting, the company that owned WYRE (a daytimer on 810 kHz) that put a listenable signal into both Baltimore and Washington, D.C., with just 500 watts. They changed the calls to WSVP – the call letters standing for "The Suburban Voice of Providence;" although that slogan was rarely, if ever used on the air.
Owner Ernie Tannen installed Jim Hooker, later to become a successful radio sales trainer, as the general manager. He hired Bill Hennes, then programming WNHC in New Haven, Connecticut, as a consultant in hopes of competing for Providence ad dollars. He put in place a Drake-like format using Johnny Mann jingles, however the station had to be oldies based since there were already two established hit-music stations in greater Providence along with several other stations that bled in from outside the market. The station failed to make a dent in WPRO's dominance, but since they sounded big they attracted listeners. The 1,000-watt daytime signal made the station listenable in Providence, but in those days they had to reduce power to 250 watts at night which limited it to just Kent County after dark.
The station was one of the launching pads for air talent in the northeast. During its brief lifespan an all-star team went through there, including Buzz Brindle, Jack Casey, Dick Downes (using Bob Lawrence), G. Michael McKay, Dusty Brooks, Paul Payton, Bill Donovan, Jim Edwards and Charlie Stone.
Famous disc jockeys from Boston's WRKO sometimes volunteered their time to developing WSVP's air talent, by traveling long distances from their homes in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, offer their major-market talent and consulting to the small station, which was also considered a training ground for RKO General Top 40 stations.
WKRI
WSVP wouldn't last long as on December 1, 1972, RSVP sold WSVP to Consolidated Communications, Inc., which changed the call sign to WKRI in 1973. WKRI was sold again in 1977 to Algonquin Broadcasting Company. Rainbow Broadcasting bought WKRI on October 5, 1979. Rainbow Broadcasting moved WKRI out of its longtime home of 1501 Main St. in West Warwick to its new location of 1585 Centerville Road in the same town. WKRI's next change of ownership came on February 16, 1984, when it was bought by WKRI Broadcasting Inc. Under WKRI Broadcasting's ownership, WKRI increased its nighttime power to 1,000 watts.
WKRI Broadcasting sold WKRI to DBH Broadcasting on June 3, 1986. 1989 would bring another change of ownership: Atlantic Broadcasting System Inc. purchased WKRI on July 3, 1989. Atlantic Broadcasting became American Independent Radio, which then became DBH Broadcasting again. This was partially owned by Richard Bouchard, who also owned WNRI in Woonsocket; WKRI and WNRI would be sister stations from 1986 until 1995. WKRI was sold to Providence Broadcasting in 1995 for $200,000. The station's weekend Spanish-language programming moved to WPMZ (1110 AM) in East Providence, the former WHIM, while WHIM's call sign and country music programming moved to 1450.
Radio Disney
Hibernia of Rhode Island bought WHIM in 1997 and affiliated it with Radio Disney, flipping the station to the format on December 19, 1997. In March 1998, the call letters were changed to WDYZ; in January 2000, the station changed to WHRC. Hibernia sold its stations, including WHRC, to ABC/Disney in 2000.
WWRI (again), WLKW, WPVD
After Disney acquired WICE (550 AM, now WSJW) in April 2001 and moved Radio Disney there, it sold WHRC to Hall Communications; and on June 20, 2001, the station dropped Radio Disney and began simulcasting urban oldies with New Bedford sister station WNBH and returned to its original WWRI call sign.