WPRV (790 AM, "The Score") is a commercial radio station in Providence, Rhode Island. The station is owned by Cumulus Media, and airs a sports radio format, largely focused on sports betting. The studios are on Wampanoag Trail in East Providence. Established in 1922 as WEAN, the station is the oldest surviving radio station in Rhode Island. WPRV’s power is 5,000 watts, non-directional by day, but to protect other stations on 790 AM from interference, at night it uses a directional antenna with a two-tower array. The transmitter is off King Phillip Road in East Providence, near the Seekonk River. Programming Most of WPRV's programming is syndicated from the CBS Sports Radio and BetQL networks. It also features a local afternoon program hosted by Kevin McNamara. The station serves as the Providence affiliate for the New York Yankees Radio Network and the Boston Celtics Radio Network. It also carries Brown University football and men's basketball. History Early years On December 1, 1921, the U.S. Department of Commerce, in charge of radio at the time, adopted a regulation formally establishing a broadcasting station category, which set aside the wavelength of 360 meters (833 kHz) for entertainment broadcasts, and 485 meters (619 kHz) for farm market and weather reports. The Shepard Company Department Store in Providence was selling radio receivers and sought to have a station for its customers to listen to. On June 2, 1922, the Shepard Company application was granted. The new station was issued the call sign WEAN, and a telegram was sent authorizing immediate operation. However, the station's license was not issued until the 5th. The call letters were randomly assigned from a sequential roster of available call signs, and the station initially transmitted on the shared 360-meter "entertainment" wavelength. On June 2 and 3, Providence held a "Block-Aid" fund-raising street festival, benefiting the Rhode Island Hospital. The "radio editor" of the Providence News arranged for the new station to broadcast musical selections in support of this event. WEAN was the second licensed Rhode Island broadcasting station, and is the oldest surviving one. Throughout the 1920s, the U.S. government struggled to maintain an equitable assignment policy. During this period WEAN was reassigned to multiple transmitting frequencies, until on November 11, 1928, as a result of a major national reallocation implemented under the Federal Radio Commission's General Order 40, it moved to 550 kHz. However, this was changed the