WSB (AM)

WSB (AM)
Name	WSB
City	Atlanta, Georgia
Area	Atlanta metropolitan area
Branding	NewsTalk 98.5 WSB
Frequency	750 kHz
Format	News/Talk
Power	50,000 watts
Facility id	6597
Callsign meaning	Sequentially assigned
Owner	Cox Media Group
Licensee	Cox Radio, LLC
Sister stations	WSB-FM, WALR-FM, WKHX-FM, WSRV

WSB (AM) is a clear-channel, high-power news/talk radio station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia, serving the Atlanta metropolitan area and much of the Southeastern United States. Established in the early 20th century, the station has played a prominent role in broadcasting developments, political coverage, and cultural events across Georgia (U.S. state), influencing regional media through affiliations and innovations. It functions as a flagship for local and syndicated programming and is owned by Cox Media Group, a major media conglomerate with holdings in radio, television, and digital media.

History

Founded in the 1920s, the station emerged during the formative years of broadcasting alongside contemporaries such as KDKA and WGN (AM). Early operations reflected ties to regional newspapers and businesses similar to relationships seen with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and corporate stakeholders like Cox Enterprises. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s the station participated in network affiliation shifts comparable to movements involving NBC Radio Network and CBS Radio Network, adapting its schedule to national program offerings and live event coverage, including reports on Franklin D. Roosevelt era initiatives and World War II developments involving the United States Army and Allied powers. Postwar expansion paralleled the rise of television outlets such as WAGA-TV and the growth of media companies like Gannett and Hearst Communications.

By the 1960s and 1970s the station transitioned formats reflective of market trends exemplified by stations like WLS (AM) and KLIF, incorporating talk, news, and music blocks. In the 1980s and 1990s corporate consolidation—mirroring transactions involving Clear Channel Communications and Emmis Communications—brought changes in ownership strategy and syndication partnerships with networks such as Premiere Networks and Westwood One. Technological upgrades in the 21st century included digital automation and streaming comparable to implementations at NPR member stations and commercial broadcasters.

Programming

Programming blends locally produced talk shows, syndicated talk programs, and specialty segments analogous to lineups on KFI and WABC (AM). Morning drive features local hosts focusing on regional politics and traffic similar in scope to programs on WBBM (AM) and WNYC (AM), while midday and afternoon slots include national syndicated personalities whose content aligns with distributors like Salem Radio Network and Cumulus Media Networks. Evening and weekend schedules incorporate public affairs programs and brokered programming resembling offerings heard on KFI and WBZ (AM).

The station serves as a platform for issue-driven talk shows, interviews with elected officials—paralleling coverage by CNN and Fox News Radio—and frequent call-in segments modeled after long-running formats such as the programs of Limbaugh, Rush and Sean Hannity. Special series have spotlighted regional arts and heritage initiatives tied to institutions like the High Museum of Art and Atlanta History Center.

News and Sports Coverage

The station maintains an in-house news department and collaborates with wire services and networks similar to arrangements used by Associated Press and Reuters. Coverage emphasizes Georgia politics, metro Atlanta events, and breaking news stories comparable to reportage by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and television partners such as WSB-TV. During major regional crises—hurricanes impacting the Gulf Coast, severe winter storms, or significant transportation incidents involving Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport—the station has provided continuous updates and emergency information parallel to procedures at NOAA and Federal Emergency Management Agency coordination efforts.

Sports coverage includes play-by-play and commentary for local collegiate and professional teams comparable to broadcasts for Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Atlanta Falcons, and partnerships with sports networks similar to ESPN Radio carry national game coverage, analysis, and talk programming.

Technical Information

Operating on a clear-channel frequency at 750 kHz with 50,000 watts of licensed power, the station uses directional antenna arrays by night to protect other Class A stations on the same frequency, following regulations set by the Federal Communications Commission. Its transmitter site and studio facilities have undergone modernization involving digital consoles, STL links, and streaming encoders consistent with industry standards adopted by broadcasters such as iHeartMedia and Cox Communications divisions. The station's signal propagation reaches multiple states after dark, exhibiting skywave characteristics studied in radio engineering texts alongside subjects like AM groundwave propagation and ionospheric reflection.

Community Involvement and Public Affairs

The station conducts public affairs programming, community outreach, and charity drives modeled on initiatives run by broadcasters including United Way campaigns and municipal public-service collaborations with entities like the City of Atlanta and Atlanta Police Department. It sponsors town-hall forums, voter information segments during election cycles akin to partnerships with League of Women Voters, and public-safety broadcasts coordinated with Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency. Educational partnerships have included internships and training with local universities such as Georgia State University and Emory University media programs.

Notable Personalities and Alumni

Over the decades the station has been associated with prominent broadcasters, talk hosts, and journalists whose careers connect to larger media figures and networks like Walter Cronkite, Tom Joyner, Clark Howard, Rodney Dangerfield (guest appearances), and syndicated personalities who later worked with NPR or national talk networks. Alumni have moved between markets to work at outlets such as WABC (AM), KABC (AM), and television stations including WSB-TV and WXIA-TV, contributing to political coverage, investigative reporting, and syndicated talk formats.

Category:Radio stations in Atlanta Category:Cox Media Group