On December 2, 1947, John E. and Irene "Reeny" A. Malloy, doing business as Voice of Little Rhody, filed for a construction permit to build a new radio station on 1540 kHz at Newport, which was granted by the Federal Communications Commission on August 4, 1948. The station began broadcasting on November 6, 1948, as WRJM, for "Reeny and John Malloy". The Malloys would not own their new radio station for long, citing a lack of financial resources. In April 1949, they reached a deal to sell WRJM to the Aquidneck Broadcasting Corporation, a subsidiary of the locally based National Recording Corporation, which developed tape recording equipment. That deal never came to fruition, and a deal was instead struck to sell WRJM to the Aquidneck Broadcasting Corporation, headed by Columbus O'Donnell. The original studios at 204 Thames Street in Newport became the key element in a multi-year libel case against WRJM. In February 1950, the station put a display up in its window about a controversial seawall project, charging that the developers did not comply with their original proposal. The developers sued the station for libel and lost two years later. The O'Donnell group also relocated WADK from its original transmitter location near a charity farm to a new site on Reservoir Road that housed the studios and transmitter. ¹

An East Providence native, Stevens - born Charles Abajian Jr. - began his radio career in Newport at WRJM²

The Jewish Herald Febuary 18,1949

The Jewish Herald Febuary 18,1949

WRJM Verfication Letter

WRJM Matchbook

WRJM Receprion Card