WLOR

Last updated

WLOR
Broadcast area Tennessee Valley
Frequency 1550 kHz
BrandingMY Star 107.5
Programming
Format Adult contemporary
Ownership
OwnerSouthern Stone Communications, LLC
WAHR, WRTT-FM
History
First air date
November 1946 (as WHBS at 1490)
Former call signs
WHBS (1946–1958)
WAAY (1958–1989)
WAAJ (1989–1993) [1]
Former frequencies
1490 kHz (1946–1953)
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 39508
Class D
Power 50,000 watts (day)
44 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
34°51′09″N86°39′10″W / 34.85250°N 86.65278°W / 34.85250; -86.65278
Translator(s) 107.5 W298BZ (Huntsville)
Links
Public license information

WLOR (1550 AM, "MY Star 107.5") is a radio station licensed to Huntsville, Alabama, United States, that serves the greater Tennessee Valley area. WLOR is part of the Black Crow Media Group and the broadcast license is held by BCA Radio, LLC, Debtor-in-Possession. Its studios are located off University Drive (U.S. 72) in Huntsville, and its transmitter is located north of the city.

Contents

Black Crow Media Group sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on January 12, 2010. [3] In November 2011, the company announced reorganization plans that will shift the license to Southern Stone Communications, LLC, under the same parent company.

History

Early days

Great American WAAY 1970s WAAY-AM 1550 logo.png
Great American WAAY 1970s

The station originally started on November 10, 1946, as WHBS (Huntsville's Best Station") [4] on 1490 AM (1,000 watts day/250 night), which was owned by The Huntsville Times . It later added an FM simulcast in 1948 on 95.1 FM, which was discontinued around 1955. The station moved to 1550 kHz, with an increase of daytime power to 5,000 watts/500 night, on November 4, 1952. (The 1490 frequency would later go to then-WAJF, later-WDPT and WEKI, now WIEZ a year later.) From 1958 to 1989, this station used the call letters WAAY as the Top 40-formatted AM sister station of WAAY-TV. The station went to 50,000 watts-daytime power in 1980 (the maximum output permitted for U.S. AM radio stations) and then operated from a separate daytime and nighttime site until 1991. WAAY also was the first station to broadcast in AM stereo in the Huntsville market in 1984, using the Kahn-Hazeltine stereo system. Both WAAY-AM-TV stations were owned and operated by Smith Broadcasting, a local family that has since divested its broadcasting interests.

Finding religion

'80s AM STEREO logo Waaystereo84.jpg
'80s AM STEREO logo

When the AM station was sold, the new owners were required to change the callsign. They chose WAAJ in April 1989 to accompany the station's change to a Southern gospel music and religious format. This format and callsign ran until April 1993, when the station became WLOR. [1] At around 1998, WLOR returned to the air with a black gospel format (daytime only, as the nighttime site had been demolished).

In March 2000, the station was purchased by STG Media LLC (Steven J. Shelton, president) for a reported sale price of $425,000. [5] In November 2001, due to a proposed refinancing of the parent company, STG Media, LLC, applied to the FCC to transfer the licenses of WAHR, WLOR, and WRTT-FM to Black Crow Media Group subsidiary BCA Media, LLC. [6] Just two days later, another application was filed to shift the licenses to BCA Radio, LLC. [7] The FCC approved the moves on November 15, 2001, and the consummation of the transaction occurred on November 19, 2001. [6] In July 2002 the station began the "Jammin' 1550" branding [8] and in early 2002 nighttime operations resumed from the daytime site.

True Oldies

In June 2008, ABC's The Touch programming was replaced with ABC's True Oldies Channel format. This "true oldies" format was programmed by legendary disc jockey Scott Shannon. [9]

An FM simulcast of WLOR started on May 1, 2009, on FM translator W251AC at 98.1 FM with a transmitter located on Drake Mountain. The station was re-branded as "Sunny 98". (The 98.1 translator was previously operated as a WQPR/WBUZ/WKDF translator on Capshaw Mountain.) The station would later drop the True Oldies format and shift to urban oldies.

In January 2010, Black Crow Media Group and its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, seeking to reorganize rather than be broken up. Their filing with the FCC notified the Commission of the involuntary transfer of the license from BCA Radio, LLC, to an entity known as BCA Radio, LLC, Debtor-In-Possession. [10]

In November 2011, Black Crow Media Group announced that it was reorganizing its radio holdings and consolidating the four subsidiaries acting as debtors in possession (including BCA Radio, LLC) into a new company named Southern Stone Communications, LLC. The FCC approved the transfer on December 19, 2011. [11]

On February 1, 2017, at 10 a.m., WLOR began stunting with TV theme songs. At noon, WLOR changed its format to classic hip hop, branded as "98.1 The Beat". The first song on "The Beat" was "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. [12] [13]

On December 2, 2019, WLOR dropped the classic hip hop format (which continues on W251AC/WAHR-HD2) and began stunting with Christmas music, branded as "The Christmas Star 107.5". [14]

Technical changes

On June 19, 2007, the station was granted a construction permit to downgrade from a class B to a class D station using a single-transmitter site and a nighttime power reduction from 500 watts to just 44 watts. The station was licensed to operate as a class D at reduced nighttime power on April 24, 2008. [15]

On December 5, 2016, WLOR was granted a Federal Communications Commission construction permit to decrease daytime power to 28,000 watts, decrease nighttime power to 15 watts and change from two (day and night) three-tower directional patterns to a one-tower omnidirectional pattern. [16]

Translators

WLOR programming is also carried on an FM broadcast translator station to extend or improve the coverage area of the AM frequency.

Broadcast translator for WLOR
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) Class FCC info
W298BZ107.5 FM Huntsville, Alabama 140190250D LMS

See also

List of radio stations in Alabama

WLOR 98.1TheBeat logo.png

Related Research Articles

KVNI is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, serving the Spokane metropolitan area of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. It is owned by Morgan Murphy Media, with the license held by QueenB Radio, Inc. Morgan Murphy owns seven radio stations and a TV station in the Spokane area.

WGLB is a commercial radio station licensed to Elm Grove, Wisconsin, and serving the Milwaukee metropolitan area. It airs an urban contemporary gospel radio format. The license is held by JJK Media, LLC. It is co-owned by the children of former owner Joel Kinlow, making WGLB one of only a few radio stations that is owned by an African-American family. The studios are on West Burleigh Street in Milwaukee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFNN</span> Radio station in Mesa, Arizona, United States

KFNN is a commercial radio station licensed to Mesa, Arizona, and serving the Phoenix metropolitan area. News Talk Radio in Phoenix, it airs a financial news and talk radio format, broadcasting from studios in North Scottsdale. KFNN is owned by CRC Broadcasting Company, Inc., headed by Ronald Cohen. The company also owns sports radio 1580 The Fanatic KQFN, as well as KJJZ 102.7 The Fanatic in the Palm Springs area, and a financial expo called Financial Fest. KFNN has a lineup of local and national money related programs, with some nationally syndicated conservative talk show hosts. KFNN says it had the first full-time financial format of its kind in the U.S., starting in 1988.

WOAP is a commercial radio station broadcasting Regional Mexican Syndication of WMJH. Licensed to Owosso, Michigan, it serves Shiawassee County. While the station is a daytimer, licensed to operate during daylight hours only, its programming is heard around the clock on its FM translator W276CZ (103.1 MHz) in Saginaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KOAZ</span> Radio station in Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico

KOAZ is a radio station licensed to Vanguard Media LLC. at Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico. It is operating at "Isleta" with 5,000 watts daytime and 25 watts nighttime, from 34°58′46.2″N106°44′15.1″W. The station serves the Albuquerque Metropolitan area. Its studios are located in Northeast Albuquerque.

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

WGMP is an alternative rock formatted radio station that serves the Montgomery Metropolitan Area, in Alabama, United States, also broadcasting via a broadcast translator on the FM band at 104.9 MHz.

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

WHRP is a radio station licensed to serve Gurley, Alabama, United States. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and the license is held by Cumulus Licensing LLC. WHRP broadcasts an urban adult contemporary music format to the Huntsville, Alabama, market. Its transmitter is located southeast of downtown Huntsville, but its main studios are in Athens, Alabama.

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

WRTT-FM is an American commercial radio station licensed to serve the community of Huntsville, Alabama. The station, established in 1960, is currently owned by the Black Crow Media Group and the license is held by BCA Radio LLC. Black Crow Media Group owns two other Huntsville stations, WAHR and WLOR. Its studios are located off University Drive in Huntsville, and its transmitter is located north of the city.

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

WAHR is an American mainstream adult contemporary music-formatted radio station licensed to serve Huntsville, Alabama. The station is licensed to Southern Stone Communications, LLC. The signal covers most of northern Alabama and southern central Tennessee. WAHR is one of the top-rated radio stations in the Huntsville market. Its studios are located off University Drive in Huntsville, and its transmitter is located north of the city.

WIEZ is an American AM radio station licensed to Decatur, Alabama that serves the western Huntsville, Alabama, market. The station airs a rhythmic contemporary format.

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

WAVH is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Daphne, Alabama, and serving the Mobile metropolitan area. The station airs a talk radio format and is owned by Bigler Broadcasting, LLC. The studios and offices are located at 900 Western America Circle Suite #106 Interstate 65/Airport Boulevard interchange in Mobile.

WDBT is an FM radio station licensed to serve Fort Novosel, Alabama, United States, part of the Dothan market. In addition, the station's digital FM signal transmits an adjacent channel, 103.9 HD2, which is also broadcast in analog on a translator signal on 107.7 FM as "Music 107.7". WDBT-FM began broadcasting in 1974, and is currently owned by Clay Holladay and the broadcast license held by Gulf South Communications, Inc.

WHOS is a radio station licensed to serve Decatur, Alabama, United States. The station is owned by San Antonio-based iHeartMedia and the broadcast license is held by iHM Licenses, LLC. WHOS is one of five stations in the Huntsville, Alabama, market owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The station is also simulcast on WBHP at 1230 AM in Huntsville, a 106.5 FM broadcast translator in Huntsville, and on WQRV-HD2. Its studios are located in Madison, Alabama and its transmitter is located in West Decatur, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBXR</span> Radio station in Hazel Green, Alabama

WBXR is a daytimer radio station licensed to Hazel Green, Alabama, that serves the Huntsville - Athens - Decatur radio market. WBXR is owned by the Wilkins Communications Network based in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The license held by New England Communications, Inc. WBXR airs a Christian talk and teaching radio format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMIA (AM)</span> Radio station in Auburn–Federal Way, Washington

{{Infobox radio station | name = KMIA founded as KASY [[

KVIN is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a radio format of Punjabi language talk and Punjabi music. Licensed to Ceres, California, it serves the Stockton and Modesto radio markets. The station is owned by Balwinder Kaur Khalsa and Kilpreet Singh Khalsa, through licensee Punjabi American Media LLC. They just changed their format to Punjabi Language.

WSLK is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Moneta, Virginia. It broadcasts an oldies and adult standards radio format and is owned and operated by Smile Broadcasting, LLC. The studios and offices are on Village Springs Drive in Hardy, Virginia.

WHTG is a radio station broadcasting an oldies format. Licensed to Eatontown, New Jersey, United States, the station serves the Monmouth County and Ocean County area. The station is currently owned by Press Communications, LLC and features programming from AP Radio.

WLOU is a radio station broadcasting an urban adult contemporary music format. Licensed to Louisville, Kentucky, United States, the station serves the Louisville, KY-IN market area. Its studios are located west of downtown and the transmitter is on the city's westside near I-264. WLOU utilizes an FM translator: W284AD 104.7 FM covering most urban parts of Louisville and the southern Indiana suburbs of New Albany, Clarksville, and Jeffersonville. The Louisville, KY-IN radio market has approximately 200,000 African-American citizens, 170,000 aged 6+ years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCAZ</span> Radio station in Carthage, Illinois

WCAZ is a farm/country formatted AM radio station, licensed to Carthage, Illinois. Because the station shares the same frequency as clear-channel station WLAC in Nashville, Tennessee, WCAZ broadcasts only during the daytime. However, its FM translator, W256DZ on 99.1 MHz, also provides nighttime operation.

References

  1. 1 2 "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access Database. FCC Media Bureau. April 16, 1993. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  2. "Facility Technical Data for WLOR". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. Bilbao, Richard (January 25, 2010). "Black Crow Media Group LLC files for Ch. 11 protection".
  4. "Huntsville Rewound™ (AL/USA) Rocket City USA". www.huntsvillerewound.com. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  5. "Changing Hands". Broadcasting & Cable. March 27, 2000.
  6. 1 2 "Application Search Details (BALH-20011113AAJ)". FCC Media Bureau. November 19, 2001. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  7. "Application Search Details (BALH-20011113AAN)". FCC Media Bureau. November 15, 2001. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  8. Welch, Chris (July 16, 2000). "Radio mining the 'old is gold' vein". The Huntsville Times. p. S39.
  9. "Radio Stations". Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel. Archived from the original on July 28, 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
  10. "Application Search Details (BALH-20100114ABW)". FCC Media Bureau. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  11. "Application Search Details (BALH-20111208DMM)". FCC Media Bureau. December 19, 2011. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  12. WLOR Brings Classic Hip Hop to Huntsville Radioinsight – February 1, 2017
  13. WLOR Becomes 98.1 The Beat
  14. Christmas Star Shines in Huntsville Radioinsight - December 4, 2019
  15. "AM Broadcast Station License" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission.
  16. Application for Construction Permit for Commercial Broadcast Station – Federal Communications Commission