WRBJ-FM

Last updated
WRBJ-FM
Broadcast area Jackson, Mississippi
Frequency 97.7 MHz
Branding97-7
Programming
Format Urban contemporary
Ownership
Owner Roberts Broadcasting
History
Former call signs
WRJH (until 2007)
Call sign meaning
Roberts Broadcasting Jackson
Technical information
Facility ID 73959
Class A
ERP 6,000 watts
HAAT 100 meters
Links
Webcast Losten Live
Website thebeatofthecapital.com

WRBJ-FM (97.7 MHz) is an urban contemporary radio station in Jackson, Mississippi and licensed to Brandon, Mississippi. The station is owned and operated by Roberts Broadcasting, former owners of The CW television affiliate WRBJ. Its studios are located at The Roberts Building along State Street in Jackson, just two blocks north of the Mississippi State Capitol building, and the transmitter tower is south of Brandon.

Contents

With the bankruptcy sale of all their other television stations to the Trinity Broadcasting Network and Ion Television, as of February 2014, WRBJ-FM is the only asset remaining with the formerly television-heavy company.

History

20th century

The station was originally paired with WRKN 970 AM in Brandon, Mississippi, with the call letters WRJH (initially standing for Roy and June Harris, who were the original owners). Both stations were promoted as "Gospel 97" for many decades. The callsign also came to mean other things as well (We're Raising Jesus Higher). After Harris died, his wife sold the station to On Top Communications, which purchased it for $1.6 million.

The WRJH callsign took on a different meaning ("We aRe Jackson's Hot 97.7). At approximately the same time, On Top Communications, was in the process of acquiring several other stations, including Urban/Hip Hop stations in New Orleans, Albany, Georgia and Norfolk. When On Top went bankrupt in 2005, most of its stations either switched formats or went silent (as the case with New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina).

A short time later, WRJH was sold at a bankruptcy auction. That was when Roberts Broadcasting bought WRJH for $1,950,000.00, eventually moved its studios into TV station WRBJ's and changed the callsign to WRBJ. [1]

WRBJ's playlist mainly consists of Hip Hop and R&B. Unlike most stations, this one plays smoother music during the workday timeframe while it plays newer music later afternoons into the early evening, thus positioning WRBJ well with its competitors WJMI, WJDX-FM, WRTM-FM and WKXI-FM.

The WRBJ call letters were previously assigned to AM 1580 and FM 92.1 in Saint Johns, Michigan, from the mid-1960s until August 1981. The original WRBJ-AM-FM was owned by Ditmer Broadcasting, which was headed by Robert D. Ditmer.

21st century

In response to the Don Imus controversy, WRBJ's owner, Roberts Broadcasting, took a stand on excessively violent and derogatory hip hop lyrical content. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have long taken a stand against, and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons began to stand up against it, calling on people to accept social responsibility.

In April 2007, inspired by the move, Roberts Broadcasting, after reviewing playlists for content, decided to create a policy to ban the station from playing music that glorifies violence and degrades women. The purpose was to take a stand against racism, self-racism with Blacks using the N-word against each other, and promote pride in the African American community by fighting against the oppressive media. [2] [3] While the revamping of the playlist may not be noticeable to listeners, the owner said that any songs on WRBJ-FM containing content considered offensive (other than censored language) will be removed. And it may go on to drop syndication rights to the Russ Parr Morning Show as well, claiming that the morning jock is a borderline shock jock. [4] This was the first time a radio station owner had done this since Clear Channel banned certain songs from airplay in response to September 11 terrorist attacks.

On March 17, 2008, WRBJ-FM rebranded the station as 97-7 (WRBJ), and began playing fewer hip-hop songs and more R&B music. Russ Parr's morning show has been replaced by that of Rickey Smiley. Upcoming changes for WRBJ-FM include several hours' worth of urban gospel every Sunday, a public affairs program and neo-soul. From September 2008 to April 2013, WRBJ was Jackson's affiliate of Michael Baisden in the afternoons; as of August 2013 it now airs the D.L. Hughley show in Baisden's former slot.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WALR-FM</span> Radio station in Palmetto–Atlanta, Georgia

WALR-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Palmetto, Georgia and serving Metro Atlanta. It is owned by the Cox Media Group and airs an urban adult contemporary radio format. The studios are co-located with other Cox-owned radio stations and WSB-TV in Midtown Atlanta on West Peachtree Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSBB-FM</span> News/talk radio station in Doraville–Atlanta, Georgia

WSBB-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Doraville, Georgia, and serving Metro Atlanta. It is owned by the Cox Media Group. WSBB-FM is simulcast with WSB, both airing a news/talk radio format. On the air, the stations are referred to as "95.5 WSB," only occasionally mentioning the FM station's call sign or the AM station's frequency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUMJ</span> Radio station in Fayetteville, Georgia

WUMJ is a radio station simulcasting an urban adult contemporary format with sister station WAMJ 107.5 FM. Licensed to the suburb of Fayetteville, Georgia, it serves the Atlanta metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1978 under the call sign WKUE-FM. The station is currently owned by Radio One of Atlanta, through licensee Radio One Licenses, LLC. Since 1995, it has always been an urban station taking on three variations of the format due to frequency swaps in 2001 and 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KJR-FM</span> Sports radio station in Seattle

KJR-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Seattle, Washington. The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia. The studios and offices are on Elliott Avenue West in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood northwest of downtown. The transmitter is located on Cougar Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KKSS</span> Rhythmic contemporary hit radio station in Santa Fe, New Mexico

KKSS is a commercial radio station licensed to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and broadcasting to the Santa Fe and Albuquerque metropolitan area. KKSS airs an urban-leaning rhythmic contemporary radio format branded as "Kiss 97.3". Owned by American General Media, its radio studios and offices are in Northeast Albuquerque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KBXX</span> Rhythmic contemporary hit radio station in Houston

KBXX is a commercial radio station in Houston, Texas. It airs a rhythmic contemporary radio format, mostly made up of hip-hop music and R&B. It is owned by Urban One as part of a three-station cluster with KMJQ and KROI. The studios and offices are located in the Greenway Plaza district.

WRBJ-TV is a religious television station licensed to Magee, Mississippi, United States, serving the Jackson, Hattiesburg and Meridian television markets as an owned-and-operated station of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). The station's transmitter is located near Raleigh, Mississippi, in the Bienville National Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDMX</span> Radio station in Dallas, Texas

KDMX is a radio station serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Texas. It is currently owned and operated by iHeartMedia, and airs a hot adult contemporary format. The station's studios are located along Dallas Parkway in Farmers Branch, and the transmitter site is in Cedar Hill.

KZMJ is a radio station serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in Texas. The station airs an urban adult contemporary format. The station is licensed to Gainesville and is owned by Urban One. Co-owned with KBFB and Reach Media, its studios are located in the Stone Tower Building in North Dallas, and its transmitter is located in Collinsville. KZMJ broadcasts in HD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KJLH</span> Radio station in Compton–Los Angeles, California

KJLH (102.3 FM) is an urban adult contemporary radio station licensed to Compton, California and serving the Los Angeles area. KJLH is owned by Taxi Productions, which in turn is owned by musician Stevie Wonder and operates from studios located in Inglewood, with its transmitter situated in a portion of unincorporated Los Angeles County in View Park-Windsor Hills.

WYCZ is a 1,000-watt class B AM radio station licensed to serve the community of White Bluff, Tennessee on a frequency of 1030 kHz. The station reduces power to 250 watts during nighttime operations. Its programming is simulcast on the FM band on the translator station 96.7 W244EK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KVJM</span> Radio station in Hearne, Texas

KVJM is a radio station playing Top 40 (CHR) music broadcasting from Bryan/College Station, Texas, and licensed to Hearne, Texas. Under the branding "103-1 Kiss FM", it is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The station's studios are located at Galleria Village on Briarcrest Drive in Bryan, and its transmitter is located northwest of Bryan in nearby unincorporated Robertson County.

WSRB is an urban adult contemporary radio station serving the Chicago metropolitan area and Northwest Indiana. It is licensed to the Southland suburb of Lansing, Illinois. Weekdays begin with the nationally syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show with local DJs heard the rest of the day. The station is owned by Crawford Broadcasting with studios and offices in Hammond, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWSJ</span> Radio station in St. Johns, Michigan

WWSJ is an AM radio station broadcasting from St. Johns, Michigan on 1580 kHz, featuring a black gospel format. The station transmits with 1,000 watts during the day using a directional antenna that sends the signal primarily to the north and south. At night, it operates with a 3 watts.

WTMP is an AM radio station serving the Tampa Bay, Florida region. The station is licensed to Egypt Lake, Florida and owned by Neal Ardman of NIA Broadcasting, Inc. It also broadcasts on FM translator W271DL on 102.1 MHz in Egypt Lake and just added on October 1, 2022, W225CQ 92.9 MHz in Tampa. WTMP's studios are located on Howard Avenue in West Tampa, and its transmitter is located northwest of downtown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTLZ</span> Radio station in Saginaw, Michigan

WTLZ is a radio station licensed to Saginaw, Michigan broadcasting an urban adult contemporary format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRFQ (FM)</span> Radio station in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

WRFQ is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and serving the Charleston metropolitan area and Lowcountry of South Carolina. It broadcasts a classic rock radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The station airs the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom morning show. The radio studios and offices are on Houston Northcutt Boulevard in Mount Pleasant.

KXSM is a radio station broadcasting a Regional Mexican format as part of the Radio Lazer brand. Licensed to Chualar, California, United States, it serves the Salinas Valley area. The station is currently owned by Lazer Licenses, LLC. Formerly broadcasting at 93.5 MHz, the station changed its frequency to 93.1 MHz in the spring of 2012 so that another Radio Lazer station, KXZM, would be able to move its transmitter and signal nearer to San Jose.

WFQY is a classic hip-hop radio station, licensed to Brandon, Mississippi and serving the Jackson, Mississippi area.

W275BK is a radio station translator in Decatur, Georgia. Owned by Urban One, the station simulcasts an urban oldies music format branded as Classix 102.9, as a relay from HD Radio subchannel WAMJ-HD2 in Roswell, Georgia. WAMJ-HD2 is also simulcast on HD Radio subchannel WUMJ-HD2 in Fayetteville, Georgia.

References

  1. ↑ "Roberts Radio Broadcasting, LLC Purchases WRJH FM in Jackson, MS. | WRBJ | CW34 and HOT 97.7 News". Archived from the original on 2007-11-29. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  2. ↑ "Roberts Broadcasting Owners Take a Stand Against Sexually Explicit & Derogatory Music | WRBJ | CW34 and HOT 97.7 News". Archived from the original on 2007-11-29. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  3. ↑ Black broadcaster bans derogatory messages in wake of Imus affair
  4. ↑ WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS: Local Radio Station Banning Offensive Music

32°10′30″N89°56′10″W / 32.175°N 89.936°W / 32.175; -89.936

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.