WASHINGTON — Washington Post Co. said Wednesday it is launching a new radio news station that will begin broadcasting in the nation's capital in March, saying the move could boost interest in its flagship newspaper.
The company is creating Washington Post Radio in an agreement with Salt Lake-based Bonneville International Corp., a media firm that owns radio stations around the United States. The new channel will broadcast locally and feature staff from the newspaper.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for The Washington Post to encourage the radio audience to read more of the newspaper," said Boisfeuillet Jones Jr., publisher of the Washington Post, in a statement. The Post's circulation — like that of many other papers — has been on the decline in recent years.
Washington Post Radio will draw on content from the Post, with the paper's editors, reporters and columnists providing more context on their reporting. The station will also broadcast news and commentary from journalists and others outside the Post.
The new station will take over the 1500 AM spot that Bonneville's all-news station WTOP currently holds. While still on its old signal Wednesday, WTOP also began broadcasting on 103.5 FM. By late March, officials said that will be its main home.
This is not the first time WTOP and The Washington Post have been linked. The Post bought a partial interest in the station from CBS in 1949, then purchased the rest in 1954 and began the all-news format in 1969. The Post sold WTOP in 1978. Two owners later, Bonneville bought it in 1997.
The new Post station will also be heard on 107.7 FM from Warrenton, Va., which currently airs WTOP. WTOP will continue to broadcast on two weaker stations: 820 AM from Frederick, Md., and 104.3 FM from Leesburg, Va.
Bonneville International and the Deseret Morning News are owned by Deseret Management Corp., a holding company for businesses affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.