WLAC, clear-channel news/talk radio station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States
WLAC is a radio station in Nashville, Tennessee, that has been on the air since 1926 and now focuses on talk radio and news programming. The station operates with a 50,000-watt transmitter that reaches across many states, broadcasting local Nashville news, national topics, and syndicated talk shows throughout the day and night.
WLAC was founded in 1926 and became the dominant station for blues and rhythm-and-blues music during nighttime hours from the 1940s onward, with hosts like Gene Nobles and John Richbourg championing artists on air. The station shifted to talk-radio format in the 1980s and is now operated by iHeartMedia.
The station's call letters come from its original owner, Life and Casualty Insurance Company, a detail that shaped its identity from the start. For decades, it served as a bridge where black music and artists reached audiences across racial lines, becoming a cultural crossroads that shaped how people listened to and understood music.
You can locate the station's antenna building in Nashville's Music Row district, and its signal is strong enough to be received across great distances. Listeners can tune in to shows on mobile devices or computers through online streaming, making all programs accessible regardless of location.
WLAC is one of the few remaining clear-channel radio stations in the US, able to broadcast at night with a special pattern that protects other stations on the same frequency. This technical distinction allows the station to reach across 28 states and into parts of Canada, making it one of the country's farthest-reaching radio signals.
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