WDJL

Last updated

WDJL
Broadcast areaHuntsville - Athens - Decatur
Frequency 1000 kHz
BrandingWDJL Gospel Explosions 1000 AM
Programming
Format Urban Gospel - Christian talk and teaching
Ownership
Owner
  • WDJL Gospel Explosions
  • (Dorothy Sandifer)
History
First air date
October 1, 1968(57 years ago) (1968-10-01)
Former call signs
WVOV (1968–1981)
WTAK (1981–1994) [1]
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 23088
Class D
Power 1,100 watts days only
Transmitter coordinates
 34°46′47″N86°39′16″W / 34.77972°N 86.65444°W / 34.77972; -86.65444
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen Live
Website wdjl1000am.net

WDJL (1000 kHz, "Gospel Explosions") is an AM daytimer radio station licensed to Huntsville, Alabama, that serves the Huntsville - Athens - Decatur radio market. The station is owned by Dorothy Sandifer, doing business as WDJL Gospel Explosions. It broadcasts an urban gospel radio format with Christian talk and teaching shows. [3]

Contents

By day, WDJL is powered at 1,100 watts, using a non-directional antenna. But because 1000 AM is a clear channel frequency reserved for Class A WMVP Chicago, WDJL must go off the air at night to avoid interference. The transmitter and studios are on Stringfield Road NW near Blake Bottom Road in Huntsville. [4]

History

The station signed on the air on October 1, 1968. [5] It was powered at 10,000 watts but was always a daytime only operation. It had a Top 40 format as WVOV. The call sign stood for the "Voice of the Valley." [6] In 1979, the station flipped to a country music format before falling temporarily silent. [7]

WTAK logo WTAK-AM 1000 logo.png
WTAK logo

In May 1981 the station returned as WTAK. [1] It was branded as "The New WTAK 10 AM", with an Adult Contemporary music format and a morning team of Mike Sweeney and Gary Drake. Limited by the daytime-only restrictions, the station went through several owners. Formats included Oldies, Jazz Fusion and a mix of album rock and classic rock.

In 1987, the station changed to a fulltime AOR format which it later shared with then-sister station 106.1 WTAK-FM. [7] After a transition period to establish the FM home of the format, and an April 1994 call sign change to WDJL, the AM station was sold off in 1995. [1]

In October 1996, local insurance and real estate broker Keith Sharp acquired the station as part of a land deal. [8] The station flipped to an oldies music format under the moniker "Gold 1000". [8]

The station ran 10,000 watts of power in a directional pattern until 2006 when its towers and the land on which they were located were sold off. The station relocated to a single tower and a smaller lot size.

Former logo WDJL-AM logo.png
Former logo

The station was purchased by Dorothy Sandifer in 2008. The branding of the station was changed to "WDJL, Gospel Explosions, 1000 AM."

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WDJL". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  4. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/WDJL
  5. ↑ "New station on air today". Huntsville News. Huntsville, Alabama. October 1, 1968. p. 1. Retrieved October 21, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Nelson, Bob (February 2, 2008). "Call Letter Origins". The Broadcast Archive.
  7. 1 2 "AM History Profile: WDJL". Alabama Broadcast Media Page. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  8. 1 2 Smallwood, Dean (February 23, 1997). "AM radio's 'Gold 1000' plays hits from yesterday". The Huntsville Times. p. G2.
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