It’s been 18 years since Hartford, Conn.’s 1410 AM WPOP was a news station, according to Steve Honeycomb, regional market president for iHeartMedia Connecticut — but that’s what it is once again.
Most recently, the station had aired a sports/talk format including Fox Sports Radio content. Years ago it was a pop music station, the inspiration for the station’s call letters.
The move is notable in part because the news format generally is perceived as a costly one — and because the switch is happening on an AM frequency. The band that has been the subject of much debate about its long-term commercial viability, and announcements of AM stations flipping to a news format don’t come along frequently these days.
WPOP will focus primarily on local news, weather and traffic. Fans can also tune into News Radio 1410 WPOP on the station’s website, www.newsradio1410wpop.com, and through the iHeartRadio mobile app.
Hartford is part of Nielsen radio market No. 52. WPOP is a 5 kW day/night station on 1410 kHz.