About Us

Big, new, innovative, and locally-owned and fiercely independent in an era of predictable, reactionary corporate radio: THE WYSL STATIONS and THE WYSL RADIO NETWORK!

WYSL celebrates 31 years of success, with a long, long list of firsts: the first all-news format, first comprehensive partnership with a local TV news product, first with a long list of fabled national talk radio hosts, first commercial station to stream 24-7 on the worldwide web, first AM station to crank up a new high-power signal in Upstate New York in over 50 years, and on, and on and on!

WYSL started out as a 500-watt daytime-only station on 1030 kHz in January 1987, offering ABC’s TalkRadio and big band music in morning drive primarily serving Rochester’s southern suburbs and Livingston County. In October 1987 WYSL doubled its power to 1000 watts, still daytime-only on 1030, and in 1989, debuted the first all-news radio format in Rochester, utilizing then-new CNN Headline News, at the time the only 24-hour news product in national broadcasting.

Ten years later, in late 1997, WYSL moved one channel up the dial from 1030 to 1040 kHz and started 24-hour broadcasts from a new $250,000 facility at its existing studio, office and transmitting complex on South Lima Road in the Town of Livonia, Livingston County. At the same time we increased power to 2500 watts days, 500 watts at night.

WYSL scored another “first” in 2000 as the station became the first radio station in Rochester to simulcast 24-7 with streaming audio on the worldwide web, providing global coverage to listeners.

At this juncture professional and collegiate sports became a big part of WYSL programming, and 1040 has carried pro baseball, soccer, hockey, arena football, and indoor and outdoor lacrosse. WYSL 1040’s two-time winner of the Rochester Press-Radio Club’s “Local Sportscaster of the Year” award, play-by-play veteran JC DeLass, teams with various color commentators to call University of Rochester Yellowjackets football and basketball, St. John Fisher, Roberts Wesleyan and SUNY Geneseo hoops, as well as assorted soccer and lacrosse games, providing over 120 local games live to collegiate sports fans.

In 2004, WYSL applied to increase daytime transmitting power to 20,000 watts, and the FCC granted our application in April 2005. October 2006 saw the debut of NewsPower 1040 – the first new high-power AM facility to come online in the region in over 50 years.

Then in January 2010, thanks to new regulations for FM broadcasting enacted by the FCC the preceding summer, WYSL debuted its FM simulcast serving Monroe County on 92.1, from an all-new transmitter site on Pinnacle Hill in Brighton.

And brand-new local service to the western suburbs debuted in September 2018 with WYSL FM 95.5 located in Spencerport. “FM 95.5 West” provides city-grade signal to Spencerport, North Greece, Hilton, Parma, Brockport, Gates, Chili and more.

Whatever the future brings – you can always depend on The WYSL Stations -20,000 watt AM 1040, FM 92.1 and FM 95.5 West, the market leader in programming innovation, quality and commitment to local radio!

Contact us at info@wysl1040.com or at (585) 346-3000