WUST
WUST is an AM radio station licensed to Washington, DC. Its transmitter is located in nearby Fairfax, Virginia. WUST broadcasts paid foreign government-sponsored programming, including an English language news program from China Radio International and French language programming from Radio France International. WUST operates at 50,000 watts during the day but it must reduce power during early morning hours and go off the air during the night to protect the signal of KMOX in St. Louis, which is the dominant Class A station on 1120 AM.
WUST first signed on in 1947 as WBCC, licensed to the Washington, DC suburb of Bethesda, Maryland with 250 watts of power, broadcasting in the daytime only. It had been a rhythm and blues station. Its call letters came from its studio location at 1120 U Street, NW, later moving to 815 V Street NW, site of today's.
During the 1950s, DJs Lord Fauntleroy Bandy and "Terrible" Thomas popularized R&B music with high school students, weaning them from Top 40. Part of the appeal of WUST was its location in the red light district of the time.
During late August 1963, the ballroom of the WUST studio served as the operations headquarters for the August 28 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
On April 6, 2017, WUST filed an application for a Federal Communications Commission construction permit to remain on the air at night with 50 watts. The application was accepted for filing on April 12, 2017.
New World Radio sold WUST to Herndon, Virginia-based Potomac Radio Group for $750,000 on September 18, 2018.
