WPTF

The station's call sign date back to the former longtime owner of the station, Durham Life Insurance Company, whose motto was "We Protect The Family." Durham Life owned the station from 1927 to 1992. In 1949, Durham Life added an FM station, now 94.7 WQDR-FM, and in 1977 it added a television station, WPTF-TV, the longtime NBC Network affiliate in the Triangle. The TV station is now known as WRDC, "MyRDC," an affiliate of MyNetworkTV, and owned by Sinclair Broadcasting.[7][8]

WPTF was originally called WFBQ, and was the second radio station in Raleigh. North Carolina State University (known as N.C. State) had the first station, WLAC, but it did not last. WFBQ signed on the air on September 22, 1924, originally at 1190 kilocycles, broadcasting at only 50 watts, as a daytimer. The station was owned and operated by the Wynne Radio Company, owned by William A. Wynne. The offices and broadcasting facilities were located in the Boone Building next to the Wake County Courthouse. After a year of successful operation, the station had its call letters changed to WRCO, for Wynne Radio Company. On August 19, 1926 the station was authorized to increase its power to 100 watts. Being a more powerful station, the operations were moved to the Sir Walter Hotel. The following year the power was increased to 250 watts. WRCO signed on the air each morning at sunrise and signed off the air at sunset each day. Early in 1927 the station requested a power increase to 500 watts. In June of that year they received word that the request would not be granted, however, the station was given authority to move to 1380 kHz, along with unlimited time on the air.

In 1927, The Durham Life Insurance Company purchased WRCO from the Wynne Company and the station's call letters were changed to WPTF. The new owners received permission to increase the power to 500 watts and to move to 720 kHz. New equipment was purchased and the operations were moved to the basement of the old Durham Life building.

Things moved rather rapidly for the new owners. On November 16, 1927, WPTF moved to 550 kHz, remaining there until November 1, 1928, when it changed to 680 kHz. In 1928, the station was granted another increase in power, this time to 1,000 watts, but it was back to being a daytimer station, required to sign off at sunset.

In the early 1930s, WPTF was a pioneer in educational radio. Students in area schools that had radios were able to listen to a daily broadcast, with topics that included "Citizenship", "Science", "Social Studies" and "Art, Music and Literature".[9]

Although many attempts were made over the next several years, it was not until 1933 that the station increased its power to 5,000 watts. With this authority, WPTF purchased new equipment and moved its transmitter to Cary, North Carolina, on US Highway 1.

In June 1940, WPTF was given authority to operate unlimited hours and a month later was granted a construction permit to install new transmitter equipment and increase its power to 50,000 watts, the maximum for AM stations in the U.S.

Almost a year later on a late spring evening, listeners heard these words from the announcer on duty: "Ladies and Gentlemen, there will be a few moments of silence while engineers switch from WPTF's 5,000 watts transmitter unit and begin operation for the first time with its new 50,000 watts transmitter." Thus, on May 24, 1941, WPTF began a new era in broadcasting.

As of 1948, WPTF became an affiliate of the NBC Red Network. WPTF added an FM station that year.[10] WPTF-FM signed on at 94.5 in 1949 using the tallest of the AM station's three towers off N.C. Highway 54, near the present-day Interstate 40. (As seen from image above.)

WPTF-FM later moved to 94.7 and today is Country music station WQDR-FM, still co-owned by Curtis Media. At the time, both stations operated from 410 South Salisbury street in Downtown Raleigh. The tower used by WPTF-FM when it signed on is currently used by WKIX-FM.

Bart Ritner went to work at WPTF in 1966, staying for 39 years. He hosted the morning show "Ask Your Neighbor", with people giving advice or recipes. His most popular show was "Open Line", an hour-long call-in-show started in 1966 and expanded to two hours in 1973. Don Curtis, whose company later bought the station called the show "one of the nation's first daily two-way talk programs".[11]

By the 1970s, the AM station offered a "full service format with news, talk, and adult contemporary music." WPTF-FM was playing classical music before switching to album rock and the call letters WQDR-FM in 1973.[7]

Ritner moved to news in 1980. He was the only reporter at a 1982 hostage incident at Central Prison, helping to negotiate and end the standoff. Ritner returned to "Open Line" in 1986 and moved it from evenings to afternoons.[11]

Bob Kwesell, whose conservative views offended a number of listeners but attracted many newcomer and increased advertising, was dropped on November 17, 1986.[12]

In 1977, Durham Life bought the Triangle's NBC affiliate, WRDU-TV (channel 28) and changed the calls to WPTF-TV. All three stations were housed at studios in the Highwoods office park on Raleigh's north end.[13] It is now WRDC Channel 28.

In 1991, Durham Life exited broadcasting in order to focus on its core insurance business. The broadcast properties were sold off to various owners, giving Durham Life a handsome return on its original purchase of WPTF 64 years earlier. The radio stations were bought by the Curtis Media Group, headed by Don Curtis.

WPTF had served as the flagship station for the NC State Wolfpack sports network for more than 40 years until Wolfpack Sports Marketing announced it had signed a ten-year deal to move its flagship to Capitol Broadcasting Company's WRAL-FM.[14] NC State athletic officials cited their desire to be on an FM signal with a multi-year contract and the ability to collect more local advertising revenue, conditions that Curtis Media was unwilling to provide. Some Wolfpack fans around the East Coast were unhappy with the move because it cut the audience of Wolfpack sports, especially at night, because of the reduced power.[15]

Starting with the 2011 Daytona 500, WPTF began airing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series racing.[16]

On July 28, 2021, Curtis Media announced that WPTF will become the Raleigh/Durham affiliate of the Tar Heel Sports Network beginning with the 2021 football season, sharing flagship status with WCHL in Chapel Hill. In addition, the station will also carry men's basketball games, along with the coaches' shows for both sports and a weekly show called Primetime In The ACC.[17] WTKK was the previous rights holder for UNC sports for many years. With this move, the Tar Heels now aired their games on the state's two most powerful AM stations; Charlotte's WBT has carried Tar Heel games for all but a few years since 1971.

After the September 2008 death of Jack Boston, Scott Fitzgerald took over North Carolina Morning News.

As of September 15, 2008, WPTF began streaming the popular syndicated host Rush Limbaugh as well as the rest of their local and syndicated line up.

Parent Company Curtis Media announced in August 2009 the acquisition of The North Carolina News Network from Capitol Broadcasting Company of Raleigh.[18]

On November 2, 2009, Curtis Media President Phil Zachary said Limbaugh would be leaving WPTF December 31, 2009, after more than 20 years.[19] The show moved to Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia's) FM talk radio station, 106.1 WRDU (now WTKK), which competes with WPTF.

The loss of long-time staples Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity has proved challenging for WPTF. Following the move of the conservative programs to the new FM Talk Radio station, WPTF's ratings were significantly impacted. After having been among Raleigh's most popular stations, these days the station's ratings are considerably lower. In December 2009, Brian Freeman, program director of sister station WSJS in Winston-Salem, North Carolina took over the same duties at WPTF and became the host of North Carolina's Morning News.

On July 16, 2021, Tom Kearney ended his nightly program following a lengthy run with the station.[20]

Previous WPTF logo, used until 2009

WPTF's format was, in effect, split on March 13, 2012, when much of its talk programming moved to sister station WPTK, which was branded as TalkRadio 850 WPTF. WPTF then shifted most of its daytime programming to all-news, retaining the NewsRadio 680 WPTF identity. The station continued to air The Dave Ramsey Show in the late morning hours until it was picked up by WTKK on June 15, 2013. Other talk shows still comprise WPTF's nighttime and weekend schedule.[5] WPTF's local coverage is supplemented by the CBS Radio Network, AP Radio, and the co-owned North Carolina News Network.[21] In August 2015, WPTF dropped the split programming from 850 AM.

Tony Riggsbee, who retired from WPTF in 2004, had returned to the station on a part-time basis a few months prior. He currently helms WPTF's Saturday Morning News prior to "Eye on Health" and long-time staple "The WPTF Weekend Gardner" hosted by Mike Raley and Ann Clapp.

WPTF has historically provided hurricane coverage to residents of the Carolinas. WPTF first provided reports of Hurricane Hazel and has covered most major storms ever since.

Because of WPTF's directional nighttime signal, the station assisted the residents of Charleston, South Carolina after Hurricane Hugo hit the state in 1989. Most of coastal South Carolina, including the city of Charleston was without power, so local radio stations were knocked off the air. WPTF broadcast emergency information and even won several awards from the state of South Carolina for their assistance.

In 1996, WPTF provided coverage of Hurricane Fran even though the station was without power for nearly a week. The station and transmitter site ran on generator power, allowing residents in the Triangle and beyond to call in for storm and damage information and find out where to get needed supplies, such as ice, water, and food.