WYLD (AM)

WYLD (940 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in New Orleans, Louisiana. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., and it broadcasts an urban gospel radio format, known as "Hallelujah 940" Some Christian talk and teaching programs are also heard. By day, WYLD is powered at 10,000 watts. Because 940 AM is a clear channel frequency reserved for Class A stations XEQ in Mexico City and CFNV in Montreal, WYLD must greatly reduce its power at night to 500 watts to avoid interference. It uses a directional antenna at all times. The transmitter is off Tullis Drive in the Algiers district of New Orleans.

When it signed on in 1948, the station's call sign was WTPS. It was owned by the New Orleans Times Picayune daily newspaper (the call sign stood for "Times Picayune Station") and was a network affiliate of the Mutual Broadcasting System. In 1958, it became WYLD. WYLD was a successful rhythm and blues (R&B) outlet in the 1960s and 1970s, serving New Orleans' large African American community. When it added an FM sister station in 1975, the urban contemporary format shifted to 98.5 WYLD FM. The AM station evolved to a community oriented R&B and soul music sound in the 1980s to its current format in the 1990s. On May 24, 2017, WYLD rebranded as "Hallelujah 940". On April 27, 2020, the station began broadcasting in C QUAM AM stereo using a new Nautel NX 10 transmitter, installed under the direction of then iHeartMedia Engineering Manager, Christopher Boone, WB5ITT. It is the only AM station in Louisiana currently broadcasting with the technology. It also uses MDCL, Modulation Density Carrier Level, during the daytime hours only.