WCSS

For other uses, see WCSS (disambiguation).

WCSS (1490 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a news/talk format.^[2] Licensed to Amsterdam, New York, the station serves the Mohawk Valley, with radio studios in the Riverfront Center Mall in that city's downtown.

WCSS

Amsterdam, New York
Broadcast area	Mohawk Valley
Frequency	1490 kHz
Programming
Format	news/talk
Ownership
Owner	Carol Whelley, Joseph Tesiero and John Tesiero, III (Cranesville Block Company)
History
First air date	1948
Call sign meaning	Community Service Station
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	23456
Class	C
Power	1,000 watts unlimited
Transmitter coordinates	42°57′40″N 74°10′35″W
Translator(s)	106.9 W295CZ (Amsterdam)
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Website	wcss1490.com

The station is owned by Carol Whelley, Joseph Tesiero, and John Tesiero, III, through licensee Cranesville Block Company, and features programming from Westwood One's Good Time Oldies Network and ABC Radio News.^[3] The station is part of the Buffalo Bills Radio Network and also carries a local swap-shop program.

WCSS is powered at 1,000 watts, non-directional. Programming is also heard on FM translator W295CZ at 106.9 MHz.

WCSS 1490 previously aired a full service oldies and classic hits radio format and currently simulcasts with WKAJ 1120 and its FM translator W250CX (97.9 FM) with a news/talk format.

History

The station first signed on in 1948.

In August 2024, it was announced that Mariano and Wilhelmina Simms’ Simms Broadcasting will acquire Cranesville Block Company’s four stations and four translators in Upstate New York for $600,000. The stations included in the sale are: 96.5 WYVS Speculator, 930 WIZR/102.9 W275BS Johnstown and 104.3 W282CU Northville along with 1490 WCSS/106.9 W295CZ Amsterdam and 1120 WKAJ/97.9 W250CX Saint Johnsville.^[4]