ABOUT US
THE VOICE OF LIBERTY
The finest entertainment and best, most truthful information vital to our
family of listeners, informed by love of God, family and the United States of
America. The WYSL Stations are committed to excellence in programming
and great value for our treasured advertisers.
THE WYSL STATIONS and THE WYSL RADIO NETWORK!
WYSL celebrates 37 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!
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
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.
10 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. Further expansions included a daytime power increase to 20,000 watts in 2007 and another one to 27,000 watts in 2024.
ANOTHER FIRST!
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.
INCREASING POWER
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.
BIGGER THAN EVER
Bigger than ever, locally-owned and fiercely independent in an era of predictable, reactionary corporate radio
THE WYSL STATIONS and THE WYSL RADIO NETWORK!
Whatever the future brings – you can always depend on The WYSL Stations
27,000 watt AM 1040, FM 92.1 and FM 95.5 West, the market leader in programming innovation, quality and commitment to local radio!
