Broadcast area | Greater Birmingham - Central Alabama |
---|---|
Frequency | 97.7 MHz |
Branding | American Family Radio |
Programming | |
Format | Christian Talk and Teaching |
Ownership | |
Owner | TBTA Ministries |
WJHO, WKRE, WKUA | |
History | |
First air date | May 15, 1953 (as WEZZ) |
Former call signs | WEZZ (1953–1982) WEZZ-FM (1982–2006) WHPH (2006–2018) |
Technical information [1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 61231 |
Class | C3 |
ERP | 13,000 watts |
HAAT | 140 meters (459 feet) |
Transmitter coordinates | 32°58′55″N86°51′02″W / 32.98194°N 86.85056°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | afr.net |
WRYD (97.7 FM) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Jemison, Alabama, and serving Central Alabama including parts of Greater Birmingham. [2] It is owned TBTA Ministries, a non-profit organization based in Tupelo, Mississippi. WRYD is part of the American Family Radio Network, airing a Christian talk and teaching format. [3] The network seeks donations on the air and on its website.
WRYD is a Class C3 FM station. It has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 13,000 watts. The transmitter is off County Route 107 west of Jemison. [4]
The station signed on the air on May 15, 1953 . It was the FM sister station to WKLF 980 AM (now on 1000 AM). The call sign was WEZZ and its original city of license was Clanton, Alabama. [5] It was powered at only 3,000 watts, a fraction of its current output.
In August 2003, the station's longtime owner, Southeastern Broadcasting Company, Inc., reached an agreement to sell WEZZ to Great South RFDC, LLC. [6] The deal was approved by the FCC on October 30, 2003, and the transaction was consummated on November 28, 2003. [7] In January 2007, this station was acquired by Great South Wireless LLC from Great South RFDC LLC as part of a six station deal for a reported total sale price of $100 plus an assumption of certain debts and obligations. [8]
Effective July 23, 2018, TBTA Ministries closed on the purchase of the then-WHPH from Great South Wireless for $525,000. The following day, the new owners changed the station's format from oldies to Christian rock, branded as "Revocation Radio". [9] The call letters were switched to WRYD on July 31, 2018.
On January 30, 2025, WRYD flipped from Christian rock to American Family Radio's format of Christian talk and teaching. [10] Programs are hosted by James Dobson, Jim Daly, David Jeremiah, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth and Adrian Rogers.