WLAY-FM
Encyclopedia
WLAY-FM is a radio station
licensed
to serve Littleville, Alabama
, USA. The station is owned by URBan Radio Broadcasting
and is part of a six-station cluster operated by URBan in northwestern Alabama
and southern central Tennessee
.
WLAY-FM broadcasts a country music
format to the greater Florence
/Muscle Shoals, Alabama
, area. Programming includes the syndicated Rick and Bubba Show in the morning, mid-days with Kelli Karlson, afternoons with Kevin Whorton and nights with Whitney Allen. The current Program and Music Director for the radio station is Brian Rickman.
issued the original construction permit
for a new FM station in Russellville, Alabama
, to broadcast with 3,000 watt
s of effective radiated power
at 97.7 MHz on March 10, 1986
. The new station was assigned the call letters WZMX by the FCC on June 6, 1986. In June 1986, Rambo Broadcasting reached an agreement to assign the permit for this station to Mountain Top Broadcasting, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on August 25, 1986, and the transaction was consummated on September 22, 1986. WZMX received its license to cover
from the FCC on November 4, 1987.
In April 1990, David E. Morrow agreed to transfer control of this station's licensee to James Michael Self. The deal was approved by the FCC on June 25, 1990, and the transaction was consummated on the same day. The station's callsign was changed to WSHK on July 13, 1990.
In November 1997, D. Mitchell Self Broadcasting, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station to US South Broadcasting Company, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on January 15, 1998, and the transaction was consummated on February 20, 1998. The new owners had the FCC change the call letters to WKGL on July 27, 1998.
In November 1998, US South Broadcasting Company, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station to Cumulus Broadcasting through their Cumulus Licensing Corp. subsidiary. The three-station deal was publicly valued at $6.3 million. The deal was approved by the FCC on December 31, 1998, and the transaction was consummated on March 1, 1999.
In August 2000, Cumulus Broadcasting's subsidiary Cumulus Licensing Corp. reached an agreement to sell this station and four others in the area to Clear Channel Communications
through their Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses, Inc., subsidiary. This deal was part of a larger exchange of 45 Cumulus-owned stations for 4 Clear Channel-owned stations and an unspecified amount of cash for a total deal value of $52 million. The deal was approved by the FCC on December 19, 2000, and the transaction was consummated on January 18, 2001.
On April 21, 2003, the station's call letters were changed to WMXV and the station adopted a "V103.5" branding. In October 2004, Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station to URBan Radio Broadcasting
subsidiary Urban Radio Licenses, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on December 21, 2004, and the transaction was consummated on May 13, 2005.
While the sale was pending, Clear Channel applied to the FCC to change WMVX's community of license from Russellville to Littleville, Alabama
, and the broadcast frequency from 97.7 MHz to 103.5 MHz. (This was part of a multi-station frequency swap by Clear Channel that saw the 97.7 MHz frequency reassigned to WKXM-FM
in Winfield, Alabama
.) The application proposed a technical change only as no move of the transmitter site was requested or required. The station was granted a construction permit on January 19, 2005. The station received its license to cover this change on January 25, 2007.
URBan Radio Broadcasting
had the FCC change the station's call letters to WJOR-FM on March 3, 2006, before having the FCC change it again one week later on March 10, 2006, to the current WLAY-FM.
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
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to serve Littleville, Alabama
Littleville, Alabama
Littleville is a town in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Florence - Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Statistical Area known as "The Shoals". As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 978.-Geography:...
, USA. The station is owned by URBan Radio Broadcasting
Urban Radio Broadcasting
URBan Radio Broadcasting, LLC, is an American media company that specializes in radio stations. The markets where they own radio stations include Toledo, Ohio, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Tupelo, Mississippi, Columbus, Mississippi, Meridian, Mississippi, and Alexandria, Louisiana...
and is part of a six-station cluster operated by URBan in northwestern 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...
and southern central Tennessee
Tennessee
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...
.
WLAY-FM broadcasts a 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...
format to the greater Florence
Florence, Alabama
Florence is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the northwestern corner of the state.According to the 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 36,721....
/Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846. The city is included in The Shoals MSA. It is famous for its contributions to American popular music.-Geography:Muscle Shoals is located...
, area. Programming includes the syndicated Rick and Bubba Show in the morning, mid-days with Kelli Karlson, afternoons with Kevin Whorton and nights with Whitney Allen. The current Program and Music Director for the radio station is Brian Rickman.
History
The Federal Communications CommissionFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
issued the original construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
for a new FM station in Russellville, Alabama
Russellville, Alabama
Russellville is a city in Franklin County in the U.S. state of Alabama. At the 2000 census, the population of the city was 8,971. The city is the county seat of Franklin County.-History:...
, to broadcast with 3,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s of effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
at 97.7 MHz on March 10, 1986
1986 in radio
The year 1986 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.-Events:*January 18 – The syndicated "American Country Countdown" expands from three to four hours. Much like "American Top 40" had more than seven years earlier, several new features are added, including a weekly recap of three...
. The new station was assigned the call letters WZMX by the FCC on June 6, 1986. In June 1986, Rambo Broadcasting reached an agreement to assign the permit for this station to Mountain Top Broadcasting, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on August 25, 1986, and the transaction was consummated on September 22, 1986. WZMX received its license to cover
Broadcast license
A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...
from the FCC on November 4, 1987.
In April 1990, David E. Morrow agreed to transfer control of this station's licensee to James Michael Self. The deal was approved by the FCC on June 25, 1990, and the transaction was consummated on the same day. The station's callsign was changed to WSHK on July 13, 1990.
In November 1997, D. Mitchell Self Broadcasting, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station to US South Broadcasting Company, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on January 15, 1998, and the transaction was consummated on February 20, 1998. The new owners had the FCC change the call letters to WKGL on July 27, 1998.
In November 1998, US South Broadcasting Company, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station to Cumulus Broadcasting through their Cumulus Licensing Corp. subsidiary. The three-station deal was publicly valued at $6.3 million. The deal was approved by the FCC on December 31, 1998, and the transaction was consummated on March 1, 1999.
In August 2000, Cumulus Broadcasting's subsidiary Cumulus Licensing Corp. reached an agreement to sell this station and four others in the area to Clear Channel Communications
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...
through their Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses, Inc., subsidiary. This deal was part of a larger exchange of 45 Cumulus-owned stations for 4 Clear Channel-owned stations and an unspecified amount of cash for a total deal value of $52 million. The deal was approved by the FCC on December 19, 2000, and the transaction was consummated on January 18, 2001.
On April 21, 2003, the station's call letters were changed to WMXV and the station adopted a "V103.5" branding. In October 2004, Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station to URBan Radio Broadcasting
Urban Radio Broadcasting
URBan Radio Broadcasting, LLC, is an American media company that specializes in radio stations. The markets where they own radio stations include Toledo, Ohio, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Tupelo, Mississippi, Columbus, Mississippi, Meridian, Mississippi, and Alexandria, Louisiana...
subsidiary Urban Radio Licenses, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on December 21, 2004, and the transaction was consummated on May 13, 2005.
While the sale was pending, Clear Channel applied to the FCC to change WMVX's community of license from Russellville to Littleville, Alabama
Littleville, Alabama
Littleville is a town in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Florence - Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Statistical Area known as "The Shoals". As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 978.-Geography:...
, and the broadcast frequency from 97.7 MHz to 103.5 MHz. (This was part of a multi-station frequency swap by Clear Channel that saw the 97.7 MHz frequency reassigned to WKXM-FM
WKXM-FM
WKXM-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Winfield, Alabama, USA. The station is owned by Ad-Media Management Corp.WKXM-FM broadcasts an oldies music format which features programming from ABC Radio.-History:...
in Winfield, Alabama
Winfield, Alabama
Winfield is a city in Marion county in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population was 4,540 at the 2000 census, the second largest city in Marion County.-History:...
.) The application proposed a technical change only as no move of the transmitter site was requested or required. The station was granted a construction permit on January 19, 2005. The station received its license to cover this change on January 25, 2007.
URBan Radio Broadcasting
Urban Radio Broadcasting
URBan Radio Broadcasting, LLC, is an American media company that specializes in radio stations. The markets where they own radio stations include Toledo, Ohio, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Tupelo, Mississippi, Columbus, Mississippi, Meridian, Mississippi, and Alexandria, Louisiana...
had the FCC change the station's call letters to WJOR-FM on March 3, 2006, before having the FCC change it again one week later on March 10, 2006, to the current WLAY-FM.