WJDB-FM

Last updated
WJDB-FM
Frequency 95.5 MHz
BrandingCD Country 95.5
Programming
Format Country
Ownership
OwnerGriffin Broadcasting Corporation
History
First air date
September 9, 1972 [1]
Call sign meaning
Joel Dige Bishop (station founder)
Technical information
Facility ID 25381
Class C3
ERP 25,000 watts
HAAT 160 meters (525 feet)
Transmitter coordinates
31°44′25″N87°45′43″W / 31.74028°N 87.76194°W / 31.74028; -87.76194
Links
Website WJDB 95.5

WJDB-FM (95.5 FM, "CD Country 95.5") is an American full-service radio station licensed to serve Thomasville, Alabama, United States. The station, one of only two FM stations licensed to Thomasville, is owned by Griffin Broadcasting Corporation. [2] Griffin Broadcasting also owned Thomasville's only AM station, WJDB (now defunct). WJDB was founded in 1956.

Contents

Programming

WJDB-FM broadcasts a country music format described in the station's promotions as "hot country". [2] [3] However, the station is locally programmed and is not a subscriber to the Hot Country satellite-fed syndicated format from Dial Global.

In addition to its regular music programming, WJDB-FM is an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves radio network, [4] airs Auburn Tigers college football and men's basketball games, [5] and broadcasts select local high school football and baseball games. [2]

History

The station was assigned the "WJDB-FM" call sign by the Federal Communications Commission in 1972. [6] The station's call letters were chosen to honor the radio station's creator, Joel Dige Bishop.

In the early-to-mid-1980s, WJDB went off the air at 6:00 p.m. with the famous sign off which started with, "It's sundown in Thomasville and WJDB has concluded another day of broadcasting." While the AM station was concluding a day, WJDB-FM continued till 10:00 p.m. Taking into consideration the number of youth in the area, WJDB-FM took this opportunity to not play country music, but rather the pop music of the day, including A-Ha, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, and The Fat Boys.

In November 1990, licensee WJDB Radio, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station to Griffin Broadcasting Corporation. The deal was approved by the FCC on January 4, 1991, and the transaction was consummated on January 31, 1991. [7]

On October 25, 2005, WJDB-FM was granted a construction permit by the FCC to upgrade to a class C2 station, increase their effective radiated power to 40,000 watts, and relocate their broadcast transmitter to the tower site of now-defunct sister station WJDB [8] Station owners told the local press that construction would be completed in about one year; however, the construction was not completed when the permit expired three years later on October 27, 2008, and the permit was ultimately cancelled by the FCC on November 18, 2008. [2] [8]

On-air personalities

Trey Rowell hosts The Morning Rush weekdays from 5am-9am. A mix of classic country, and rock, as well as blues, folk, bluegrass, americana, and up and coming artists. Rowell also does play by play for local baseball and football games and also hosts The High School Football Scoreboard show in the fall.

Former

In August 1976, WJDB announcer and ad salesman John D. McDonald, affectionately known as "Johnny Mac", was a candidate for mayor of Thomasville, Alabama. [9] A US Navy veteran and former member of the local school board, McDonald was elected mayor by a narrow margin. [10]

WJDB is name-checked as the "one good station" in the area in the mystery short story "Poachers" by Tom Franklin as published in The Best American Mystery Stories 1999, edited by Otto Penzler and Ed McBain. [11]

Related Research Articles

WBHP is a commercial AM radio station in Huntsville, Alabama, and serves Madison County. The station is owned by San Antonio-based iHeartMedia and airs a news/talk format. WBHP programming is simulcast on AM 800 WHOS in nearby Decatur, FM translator at 102.5 FM and on 102.1 WDRM-HD2. Its studios are located in Madison, Alabama, and its transmitter is located southwest of downtown Huntsville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMSP</span> Radio station in Montgomery, Alabama

WMSP is a radio station licensed to serve Montgomery, Alabama, United States. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and the broadcast license is held by Cumulus Licensing LLC. Originally licensed in 1953 as WBAM, the station broadcast contemporary and country music before turning to sports talk under the WMSP callsign in 1995. The WMSP studios are located on the 3rd floor of The Colonial Financial Center in downtown Montgomery, and the transmitter tower is in Montgomery's northeast side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTWX-FM</span> Radio station in Guntersville, Alabama

WTWX-FM is a radio station serving the Huntsville, Alabama, market. WTWX-FM is licensed to the nearby city of Guntersville, Alabama. The station is owned and operated by Guntersville Broadcasting Company, Inc. The station's studios and transmitter are located separately in Guntersville.

WKEY is an American AM radio station licensed to serve the community of Covington, Virginia. The station, which began broadcasting in 1941, is owned and operated by Todd P. Robinson, Inc. The WKEY broadcast license is held by WVJT, LLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLWI-FM</span> Radio station in Montgomery, Alabama

WLWI-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Montgomery, Alabama, United States. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and the broadcast license is held by Cumulus Licensing, Inc. The WLWI studios are located on the third floor of The Colonial Financial Center in downtown Montgomery, and the transmitter tower is in Montgomery's northeast side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WZZN</span> Radio station in Union Grove, Alabama

WZZN is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Union Grove, Alabama, and serving the Huntsville media market. The station is owned by Neighbors Broadcast Company, LLC, and airs a sports radio format, affiliated with the ESPN Radio Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTXK</span> Radio station in Pike Road, Alabama

WTXK is a sports-formatted radio station licensed to Pike Road, Alabama, United States and serving nearby Montgomery. The station, established in 1968, is currently owned and operated by Frontdoor Broadcasting, LLC as part of a duopoly with Contemporary Christian station WVRV. Both stations share studios on Carmichael Way in eastern Montgomery, while its transmitter facilities are located between Montgomery and Pike Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WECB (FM)</span> Radio station in Headland, Alabama

WECB is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Headland, Alabama. The station, established in 1992, is owned by Robert Holladay and the broadcast license is held by Alabama Media, LLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNSP</span> Radio station in Bay Minette, Alabama

WNSP is a radio station licensed to serve Bay Minette, Alabama, United States. The station, founded in 1964, is currently owned by Dot Com Plus, LLC. WNSP and sister station WZEW broadcast from the former Smith Bakery building in Mobile, Alabama. WNSP's transmitter is near Bay Minette.

WTLM is an urban gospel radio station licensed in Opelika, Alabama, United States. The station is owned by San Antonio–based iHeartMedia, through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC. 1520 AM is a United States clear-channel frequency, on which WWKB and KOKC share Class A status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKKR</span> Radio station in Auburn, Alabama

WKKR is a radio station licensed to Auburn, Alabama, United States. The station, established in 1968, is currently owned by San Antonio–based iHeartMedia, through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC. In 1988, WKKR became the first Alabama radio station to earn the National Association of Broadcasters Crystal Radio Award for outstanding commitment to community service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WAAO-FM</span> Radio station in Andalusia, Alabama

WAAO-FM is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Andalusia, the county seat of Covington County, Alabama. The station, established in 1987, is owned by Three Notch Communications, LLC.

WPPG is a radio station licensed to serve Repton, Alabama, United States. The station is owned by Wolff Broadcasting Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGYV</span> Radio station in Greenville, Alabama

WGYV is a radio station licensed to serve Greenville, Alabama, United States. The station, established in August 1948, is currently owned by Robert John Williamson. In August 2008, WGYV was granted a construction permit to relocate to the Cincinnati suburb of Aurora, Indiana, but the move was not completed before the permit expired in August 2011. As of August 2013, WGYV is still broadcasting in Alabama.

WJDB was an American radio station licensed to serve Thomasville, Alabama. The station, the only AM station licensed to Thomasville, was owned by Griffin Broadcasting Corporation. Griffin Broadcasting also owns Thomasville's WJDB-FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBGN (AM)</span> Oldies AM music station in Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S.

WBGN is an oldies formatted radio station licensed to Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. The station is currently owned by Forever Communications, Inc. as part of a conglomerate with Glasgow–licensed country music station WLYE-FM, Auburn–licensed country station WBVR-FM, and Smiths Grove–licensed Top 40/CHR station WUHU. All four stations share studios on Scottsville Road in southern Bowling Green, and its transmitter is located off Church Avenue in the northern part of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSKR (AM)</span> Radio station in Roseburg, Oregon

KSKR is a radio station licensed to serve Roseburg, Oregon, United States. The station, which began broadcasting in 1935, is currently owned by Brooke Communications, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KNND</span> Radio station in Cottage Grove, Oregon

KNND is a radio station licensed to serve Cottage Grove, Oregon, United States. The station, which began broadcasting in 1953, is currently owned by Cameron Reiten, through licensee Reiten Communications, LLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KBFC</span> Radio station in Forrest City, Arkansas

KBFC is a radio station licensed to serve Forrest City, Arkansas, United States. The station, established in 1960, is owned and operated by the Forrest City Broadcasting Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WALI</span> Radio station in Dayton–Cleveland, Tennessee, United States

WALI is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Dayton, the county seat of Rhea County, Tennessee. Established in 1957, the station's broadcast license is held by Beverly Broadcasting Company, LLC. The station broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format and is known as "Alive 96.9, Cleveland's Lite Rock", named for its FM translator, W245DZ 96.9 FM, which has its transmitter in Cleveland, Tennessee.

References

  1. Broadcasting Yearbook. Broadcasting Publications. 1973.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "WJDB gets amped up". The Thomasville Times. November 16, 2005.
  3. "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Archived from the original on March 1, 2010.
  4. "Affiliate Radio Stations". The Official Site of the Atlanta Braves. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  5. "Football Affiliates". The Auburn University Official Athletic Site. December 10, 2008.
  6. "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  7. "Application Search Details (BALH-19901113HQ)". FCC Media Bureau. January 31, 1991.
  8. 1 2 "Application Search Details (BPH-20050407HRO)". FCC Media Bureau. November 18, 2008.
  9. Dement, Velma (July 16, 2003). "Looking Back: Mockingbird returns to nest to raise another litter of wonderful singers". The Thomasville Times.
  10. Dement, Velma (August 13, 2003). "Looking Back: Politics dominated the news back in 1976". The Thomasville Times.
  11. McBain, Ed and Otto Penzler, ed. (October 1999). The Best American Mystery Stories 1999. Houghton Mifflin. p. 158. ISBN   0-395-93915-1. He had his radio and one good station, WJDB of Thomasville, and money enough.