Salem Communications Corp. said that it is entering the Washington, D.C., talk radio market with the purchase of an AM station that it will convert to its own conservative news-talk format.

The Camarillo broadcaster, best known for its Christian music stations, said it will begin operating WWRC-AM under a local marketing agreement on May 15. WWRC-AM will relaunch featuring its Salem News Talk format with nationally known conservative talk shows combined with live and local news, weather and traffic.

“There is no better place to have a platform for our brand of talk radio than in our nation’s capital, and this acquisition provides us with just such an opportunity,” David Santrella, division president for radio, said in a press release.

Salem is the largest U.S. radio broadcasting company specializing in Christian and family-themed radio content based on number of stations and audience coverage. When the latest deal closes, the company will own 95 radio stations in 37 markets.

Shares were up 4 cents, or less than 1 percent, to $5.46 in midday trading on the Nasdaq.