WOWW

Last updated
WOWW
Broadcast area Memphis metropolitan area
Frequency 1430 kHz
BrandingRadio Pig
Programming
Format Adult album alternative
Ownership
OwnerFlinn Broadcasting Corporation
KXHT, WGSF, WHBQ, WHBQ-FM, WMPS, WMSO
History
First air date
October 29, 1955;68 years ago (1955-10-29) [1]
Former call signs
  • WHER (1955–1973)
  • WWEE (1973–1988)
  • WWBA (1988-1989)
  • WEZI (1989)
  • WNWZ (1989-1997)
Call sign meaning
derived from "wow"
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 21728
Class B
Power 2,500 watts
Transmitter coordinates
 35°12′50″N89°47′46″W / 35.21389°N 89.79611°W / 35.21389; -89.79611
Translator(s) 97.7 W249BN (Memphis)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live
Website radiopig.com

WOWW (1430 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Germantown, Tennessee, and serving the Memphis metropolitan area. WOWW carries an adult album alternative radio format and calls itself "Radio Pig". It is owned and operated by Flinn Broadcasting Corporation. [3] The studios and offices are in Southaven, Mississippi.

Contents

WOWW is powered at 2,500 watts. At night, to protect other stations on 1430 AM, WOWW uses a directional antenna with a six-tower array. The transmitter is off Orgill Road in Bartlett, Tennessee. [4] Programming is also heard on an FM translator: 220 watt W249BN at 97.7 MHz in Memphis. [5]

History

WHER

RCA 77 microphone with WHER mic flag. WHER Mic.jpg
RCA 77 microphone with WHER mic flag.

On October 29, 1955, the station signed on as WHER, a pioneering station with an all-female air staff, including broadcaster Vida Jane Butler. [1] [6] The radio station was the brainchild of Sam Phillips, who used a portion of the $35,000 he made from the sale of Elvis Presley's recording contract to RCA Records to finance the station. [1] [7] A portion of the balance of the funding came from Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson, who also provided the station's first home, in a part of the third Holiday Inn ever built. [1] [7] It aired light music and had the slogan "1,000 Beautiful Watts". [1] The licensee was Tri-State Broadcasting Service, initially owned by Phillips, Clarence A. Camp, and James E. Connolly. [8]

WWEE

In the early 1970s, WHER went to a mixed-gender air staff and became talk station WWEE. The station gave birth to the longest running sports talk show "SportsLine" (now called "SportsTime"). "SportsLine" went on the air in 1972.[ citation needed ] Notable former staff members include Marge Thrasher, Bill Thomas, George Lapides, Dick Palmer, Jim Fields, and Jeff Weinberger.[ citation needed ]

In 1981, the Phillips family bought out the other owners of Tri-State Broadcasting Service, becoming known as the Big River Broadcasting Corporation. Big River liquidated in 1986, selling WWEE to the Ardman Broadcasting Corporation of Tennessee. In 1989, after seven months spent simulcasting co-owned WEZI (now WMLE) with the same call letters, Ardman relaunched the station as WNWZ. Flinn bought the station in 1993, changing the call letters to WOWW in 1997.

Format flips

On February 15, 1997, WOWW flipped from adult standards to Radio AAHS, a children's radio format. Due to Radio AAHS ceasing operations on January 30, 1998, the station switched to a talk radio format. After later shifting to an oldies and classical music format, WOWW returned to a children's format with Radio Disney in late March 2000.

On March 12, 2012, WOWW dropped Radio Disney after nearly 12 years in favor of a all-news radio format.

On April 10, 2013, WOWW changed their format to country, simulcasting WEBL 95.3 FM. [9]

On June 21, 2013, WUMY dropped its classic country format for variety hits as "97.7 Guess FM". [10]

On January 2, 2014, WOWW began stunting, directing listeners to WUMY 830 AM Memphis, Tennessee, which took over the "Guess FM" variety hits format. [11]

A few days later, WOWW changed their format to country, branded as "The Rebel", simulcasting WEBL 95.3 FM Coldwater, MS.

On August 6, 2018, WOWW changed their format to classic hits, branded as "97.7 Guess FM". [12]

On May 13, 2022, at noon, WOWW changed their format from classic hits to top 40/CHR, branded as "B97.7". This returns the station to playing current Top 40 music on this frequency for the first time since Radio Disney in 2012, which also carried a similar format. [13]

On July 4, 2023, WOWW changed their format from top 40/CHR to adult album alternative, branded as "Radio Pig". [14]

Translator

In addition to the main station, WOWW is relayed by an FM translator to widen its broadcast area. It also provides the listener with high fidelity/stereophonic sound.

Broadcast translator for WOWW
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
W249BN97.7 FM Memphis, Tennessee 139990220223.4  m (733  ft)D LMS

WOWW Guess FM logo.png

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXKS (AM)</span> Radio station in Newton, Massachusetts

WXKS – branded Talk 1200 – is a commercial conservative talk radio AM radio station licensed to Newton, Massachusetts, serving the Greater Boston area. Owned by iHeartMedia, WXKS serves as the Boston affiliate for Fox News Radio, The Glenn Beck Program, The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, The Sean Hannity Show and The Mark Levin Show; and the home of syndicated personalities Bill Handel, Ron Wilson, Gary Sullivan and Leo Laporte. The WXKS studios are located in the Boston suburb of Medford, while the station transmitter resides in Newton. Besides its main analog transmission, WXKS streams online via iHeartRadio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KYCR (AM)</span> Radio station in Golden Valley, Minnesota

KYCR is an AM radio station serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. It is owned by Salem Media Group, and is carrying a business radio format.

WHBQ – branded Sports 56 WHBQ – is a commercial sports AM radio station licensed to serve Memphis, Tennessee. Owned by Flinn Broadcasting, the station covers the Memphis metropolitan area, and is the local affiliate for Fox Sports Radio, the Memphis Redbirds, and Ole Miss Rebels football and basketball. The WHBQ studios and transmitter are located in the city of Memphis. Besides a standard analog transmission, WHBQ is available online. The station is also simulcast over translator W253DF at 98.5 FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKOX (AM)</span> Radio station in Everett, Massachusetts

WKOX is a commercial AM radio station owned by the Delmarva Educational Association. It broadcasts a Spanish Christian format. The station is licensed to Everett, Massachusetts and targets Boston and its suburbs. It broadcasts from radio studios in Medford. The transmitter site is also in Medford at a separate location.

KXCB is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Omaha, Nebraska, the station serves the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It is owned and operated by Steven Seline, through licensee Hickory Radio, LLC. The studios and offices are on Burt Street near North 120th Street and Dodge Road in West Omaha.

WHBQ-FM is a commercial radio station broadcasting a Top 40 (CHR) format. It is licensed to Germantown, Tennessee, and serves Greater Memphis. It is owned by Flinn Broadcasting with studios on Mount Moriah Road in Southeast Memphis. Despite sharing call letters, WHBQ-FM is not co-owned with WHBQ-TV.

WFXJ is a commercial AM radio station in Jacksonville, Florida. It airs a Spanish news/talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. WFXJ is also streamed on accionjacksonville.iheart.com and on the iHeartRadio app.

WYRD, branded as "The Fan Upstate", is a sports-formatted commercial AM radio station, licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to Audacy, Inc. in Greenville, South Carolina, which serves Upstate South Carolina. Studios and transmitter site are located in Greenville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGUE (AM)</span> Radio station in Turrell, Arkansas, serving Memphis, Tennessee

WGUE is a commercial AM radio station in Turrell, Arkansas, serving the Memphis metropolitan area. WGUE is owned by Butron Media Corporation and airs a Regional Mexican radio format. The transmitter is off Legion Road in West Memphis, Arkansas.

WEGR is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Arlington, Tennessee, and serving the Memphis metropolitan area, including sections of Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi. WEGR airs a hot adult contemporary format and calls itself 102.7 Kiss FM. It is owned by iHeartMedia with studios on Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Southeast Memphis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSOL-FM</span> Urban Adult Contemporary radio station in Yulee, Florida, serving Jacksonville, Florida

WSOL-FM is a commercial radio station known as V101.5. It is licensed to Yulee, Florida, and serves the Jacksonville metropolitan area and Southeast Georgia. Owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc., it broadcasts an Urban Adult Contemporary radio format. WSOL-FM's studios are located on Central Parkway in Jacksonville's Southside district. The transmitter is off McKendree Road in Kingsland, Georgia, a couple of miles from the Georgia-Florida border.

WORL is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Orlando, Florida, United States. It serves Central Florida, including the Greater Orlando radio market. It airs a conservative talk radio format and is known as "AM 950 and FM 94.9 The Answer." WORL is owned by the Salem Media Group with studios and offices on Lake View Drive in Altamonte Springs.

WFSX was a commercial radio station licensed to Fort Myers, Florida. Last Owned by Sun Broadcasting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLTG</span> Radio station in Panama City, Florida

WLTG is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish Christian format. Licensed to Upper Grand Lagoon, Florida, United States, the station serves the Panama City area. WLTG has the distinction of being one of the radio stations with the lowest daytime power of any licensed AM station in the USA. It is one of few radio stations with a daytime power less than 250 watts. The station is currently owned by Laurie Broadcasting, Inc.

WUSY is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Tennessee, and serving the Chattanooga metropolitan area. The station airs a country music radio format. Local DJs staff the station by day, with the syndicated Cody Alan Show heard overnight.

WMSO is a regional Mexican format broadcast radio station licensed to Southaven, Mississippi, serving Metro Memphis. WMSO is owned and operated by Flinn Broadcasting.

WSMM is a commercial radio station licensed to Maryville, Tennessee, and serving the Knoxville metropolitan area. It is owned by Loud Media.

WMPS – branded as Sunny 1210 & 103.1 – is a commercial radio station licensed to Bartlett, Tennessee, and serving the Memphis metropolitan area. Owned by Flinn Broadcasting, it airs an adult standards and soft oldies radio format. The studios are on Mount Moriah Road Extension at Ridgeway Road in Memphis.

KDCO is a noncommercial AM radio station licensed to Denver, Colorado. The station is owned by El Sembrador Ministries and carries its ESNE Radio network, featuring Spanish-language Catholic radio programming.

WIVG is a radio station licensed to Tunica, Mississippi, serving the Memphis, Tennessee area with EMF's Air1 worship music format. Owned by Flinn Broadcasting, the station's studios are located in Southeast Memphis, and the transmitter site is in Coldwater, Mississippi near Arkabutla Lake.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "NPR Revisits WHER – The World's First All-Girl Radio Station". NPR. October 25, 1999. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WOWW". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ "WOWW Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  4. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/WOWW
  5. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/W249BN
  6. ↑ "Tenn. Radio Pioneer 'Janie Joplin' Has Died", All Things Considered . NPR. April 5, 2007. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Dye, Robert W. (2017). Memphis: Birthplace of Rock and Roll . Arcadia Publishing. p. 71. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  8. ↑ History Cards for WOWW, fcc.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  9. ↑ Alternative Returns to Memphis Radioinsight - April 10, 2013
  10. ↑ Guess What’s New In Memphis
  11. ↑ "Guess-FM Memphis Relocates". January 2, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Guess Where Guess FM Moved in Memphis", RadioInsight. August 14, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  13. ↑ B96 Memphis Moves To 97.7 Radioinsight - May 13, 2022
  14. ↑ Flinn Flips Two in Memphis With LMA Radioinsight - July 5, 2023

WHER

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.