# WYRE (AM)

WYRE (810 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Annapolis, Maryland, United States, it serves Annapolis and portions of the Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, DC areas.

## History

WYRE has always been a daytimer, required to sign off at sunset, and broadcasts with 250 watts on a tower off Spa Creek in downtown Annapolis. The location next to the Chesapeake Bay affords it a far larger coverage area than a typical 250-watt station, as AM broadcasts travel farther over water. However, WGY in Schenectady, New York is the clear-channel station on 810 AM and located too close to allow any nighttime operation.
The station signed on in 1947 as WASL, then in 1957 switched to WIPA. It exchanged morning and afternoon programs with WIP in Philadelphia during this time, though the stations were not co-owned and it is unknown if the call sign resemblance was intentional. Under Jacob Einstein's management, the station switched to call sign WABW in 1958, signifying its coverage of the three cities.
The station was sold several times during this period. It was sold again in early 1963, prompting complaints to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from Annapolis Broadcasting Corp., owner of WANN (1190 AM) and WXTC (107.9 FM); they charged the six sales in just over six years constituted "trafficking in licenses" and was essentially a loophole that prevented a proper license renewal hearing from taking place. The commission granted the sale, and on September 8 the station assumed its present call sign and flipped to top-40.
In 1993, WYRE was purchased by Sequel Broadcasting, owner of full service WNAV (1430 AM) and active rock WXZL (103.1 FM). By then, its music format had aged with its audience to adult contemporary; in September 1994, it flipped to jazz and rhythm and blues music with news and sports coverage.
Jacob Einstein became famous in Washington-area radio as the longtime general manager and later owner of WHFS (both on 102.3 FM and 99.1 FM). He would later briefly own WYRE, WNAV, and WXZL beginning in 1995. Einstein retired in 1997; WYRE was planned to be sold to News Communications of Michigan, who was to flip it to talk radio. This sale fell through, and Einstein retained WYRE and WNAV. In 1999, WYRE was sold to Bay Broadcasting Corporation and flipped to classic country.
By 2003, WYRE was recorded as playing "eclectic music"; that March, it was sold again and began playing Spanish-language pop as "Latino 810". In March 2004, WYRE applied to move to a tower shared with WBMD and WFSI in Essex, an inner suburb of Baltimore. This never occurred, and the construction permit was cancelled in 2006.
In 2007, WYRE flipped to top-40 as part of the "KHZTV Network" originating at WKHZ in Ocean City. This was dropped in June 2009 with a return to Spanish brokered programming. On March 15, 2010, the station rejoined KHZTV, now originating from a new WKHZ in Easton.
On September 20, 2017, WYRE left the air due to a dispute with its landlord. The station filed for remain silent authority on January 11, 2018, which allows for up to six additional months of silence at the FCC's discretion. Pursuant to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, WYRE's license was subject to being deleted if it did not broadcast again by September 19, 2018.
WYRE resumed broadcasting September 19, 2018, relaying 103.1 FM, which by now was local adult album alternative station WRNR-FM. In November 2020 the station flipped to oldies as "810 The Wire". On February 11, 2023, the day 103.1 FM was flipped to a relay of WRBS-FM, WYRE began broadcasting the adult album alternative programming. The broadcast played a top of the hour legal ID that says, "The Voice of the Bay, WYRE, Annapolis and WRNR Online" with occasional "103.1 RNR" spot announcements in between songs.
In late 2023 and early 2024, Cortona Media, a group including former WRNR-FM owner Steve Kingston as a minority partner, bought WYRE from Bay Broadcasting Corporation. In a separate transaction, it bought Annapolis-licensed FM translator W260BM from Hope Christian Church of Marlton, which had an agreement to rebroadcast WNAV. This led to speculation that the former WRNR-FM's programming would return to FM radio. However, the translator continued rebroadcasting WNAV.
After the sales closed in April 2024, Cortona petitioned the FCC to allow the translator to go silent for a maximum of 180 days "in order to make technical preparations that are necessary to change the primary station" (i.e., begin rebroadcasting WYRE). Cortona also applied to move it to WYRE's tower, change frequencies to 93.5 FM, and increase power. These changes have yet to occur; the translator returned to the air under its previous technical parameters in September, continuing to rebroadcast WNAV, ahead of the expiration of the silent authority. Concurrently with this, WYRE began broadcasting an automated feed of classic rock along with overflow sports programming from WNAV. The former WRNR-FM programming continues as an online stream.