WDXB
Encyclopedia
WDXB is a Clear Channel Communications
-owned country music
formatted radio station
licensed to Pelham, Alabama
, that serves Birmingham
and north-central Alabama
.
from Premiere Radio Networks
.
and parts of northwest Alabama playing country music. In 1986, WDBB-TV in Tuscaloosa erected a new transmission tower near the border of Jefferson County
and Tuscaloosa County
to enable its signal to cover the Birmingham
area. At that time, WWWB began broadcasting off the new WDBB tower and dropped country music for Top 40. It was at that time that the call letters were changed to WZBQ, and the station was known on the air as "Z-102".
While Z-102 was very successful in the smaller Tuscaloosa market, it did not make a big impact in Birmingham; Birmingham had two other Top 40 stations at the time (WAPI-FM/I-95
and WKXX/Kicks 106)
and Gadsden's WQEN
/Q-104 covered most of the market as well. WZBQ continued with its Top 40 format throughout the rest of the 1980’s and into the early 1990’s. In early 1994 the format was changed to oldies
, and the station was renamed Cool 102.5. In August 1994, new owners dropped the oldies format in favor of country and changed the call letters to WOWC. The station was known on the air as Wow Country 102 and began broadcasting from studios in Birmingham.
Wow Country was the first direct challenge presented to the Birmingham market’s top-rated station, WZZK, in nearly eight years; however, due to signal limitations presented from broadcasting from a tower 30 miles west of Birmingham, WOWC initially enjoyed only marginal success. In 1999, the call letters of the station were changed to WDXB and the station was renamed Dixie 102.5, as more classic country songs were added to the playlist.
Two factors enabled WDXB to become a truly serious competitor to WZZK. First, the station began broadcasting from a tower more centrally located to Birmingham in 2002, enabling its signal to cover the entire market. Then in 2003, the station hired the popular morning-drive team of Patti Wheeler and "Dollar" Bill Lawson, who had been forced out at WZZK earlier that year. In 2005, 102-5 the Bull, as WDXB was known by then, finally passed WZZK in the local Arbitron
ratings. Today, the two stations enjoy a heated rivalry and trade positions in the ratings.
In 2008, WDXB changed its city of license from Jasper to Pelham, Alabama
.
, which broadcast at 1490 kHz from 1948 to 1990. WJOC in Rossville, Georgia
has since assumed the dial position and serves the Chattanooga market with Christian-oriented programming.
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
-owned country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
formatted radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
licensed to Pelham, Alabama
Pelham, Alabama
Pelham is a city and suburb of Birmingham in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 14,369, but has grown to 21,352 recorded by the 2010 census. It was named for famed Confederate American Civil War officer John Pelham...
, that serves Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
and north-central Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.
Programming
Syndicated programming includes After Midnite with Blair Garner hosted by Blair GarnerBlair Garner
Blair Garner is an American radio personality. According to his After MidNite with Blair Garner show website, he purchased his first car at age 12. He is the host of the syndicated radio programs After MidNite with Blair Garner and The Blair Garner Show...
from Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Networks is an American radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of programming...
.
History
Until the mid-1980s, WWWB-FM was a small-market radio station that served only JasperJasper, Alabama
Jasper is a city in Walker County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 14,659. As of 2011 the population had was 13,857. The city is the county seat of Walker County, and once ranked among the world's leading producers of coal....
and parts of northwest Alabama playing country music. In 1986, WDBB-TV in Tuscaloosa erected a new transmission tower near the border of Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Alabama
Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, with its county seat being located in Birmingham.As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 658,466...
and Tuscaloosa County
Tuscaloosa County, Alabama
Tuscaloosa County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.It is named in honor of the pre-Choctaw chief Tuskaloosa. In 2010, the population was 194,656...
to enable its signal to cover the Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
area. At that time, WWWB began broadcasting off the new WDBB tower and dropped country music for Top 40. It was at that time that the call letters were changed to WZBQ, and the station was known on the air as "Z-102".
While Z-102 was very successful in the smaller Tuscaloosa market, it did not make a big impact in Birmingham; Birmingham had two other Top 40 stations at the time (WAPI-FM/I-95
WYSF
WJOX-FM is a radio station licensed to Birmingham. The station airs a sports radio format. WJOX is owned by Cumulus Media. The station was assigned the WJOX-FM call sign by the Federal Communications Commission on February 8, 2010.-Programming:...
and WKXX/Kicks 106)
WBPT
WBPT is a classic hits music-formatted radio station licensed to Homewood, Alabama, that serves the Birmingham and central Alabama area. The station was assigned the WBPT call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on October 17, 2001. Since October 2005, it has used the branding "106.9...
and Gadsden's WQEN
WQEN
WQEN is a radio station licensed to serve Trussville, Alabama, USA. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications...
/Q-104 covered most of the market as well. WZBQ continued with its Top 40 format throughout the rest of the 1980’s and into the early 1990’s. In early 1994 the format was changed to oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
, and the station was renamed Cool 102.5. In August 1994, new owners dropped the oldies format in favor of country and changed the call letters to WOWC. The station was known on the air as Wow Country 102 and began broadcasting from studios in Birmingham.
Wow Country was the first direct challenge presented to the Birmingham market’s top-rated station, WZZK, in nearly eight years; however, due to signal limitations presented from broadcasting from a tower 30 miles west of Birmingham, WOWC initially enjoyed only marginal success. In 1999, the call letters of the station were changed to WDXB and the station was renamed Dixie 102.5, as more classic country songs were added to the playlist.
Two factors enabled WDXB to become a truly serious competitor to WZZK. First, the station began broadcasting from a tower more centrally located to Birmingham in 2002, enabling its signal to cover the entire market. Then in 2003, the station hired the popular morning-drive team of Patti Wheeler and "Dollar" Bill Lawson, who had been forced out at WZZK earlier that year. In 2005, 102-5 the Bull, as WDXB was known by then, finally passed WZZK in the local Arbitron
Arbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
ratings. Today, the two stations enjoy a heated rivalry and trade positions in the ratings.
In 2008, WDXB changed its city of license from Jasper to Pelham, Alabama
Pelham, Alabama
Pelham is a city and suburb of Birmingham in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 14,369, but has grown to 21,352 recorded by the 2010 census. It was named for famed Confederate American Civil War officer John Pelham...
.
Trivia
The call letters WDXB were originally assigned to an AM radio station in Chattanooga, TennesseeTennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, which broadcast at 1490 kHz from 1948 to 1990. WJOC in Rossville, Georgia
Rossville, Georgia
Rossville is a city in Walker County, Georgia, United States. The city of Rossville was named after Cherokee Indian Chief John Ross, who resided there until being forced to relocate with his people to Oklahoma in the Indian Removal. Chief John Ross' log cabin home is still located in the city and...
has since assumed the dial position and serves the Chattanooga market with Christian-oriented programming.