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WMLB (AM)
Encyclopedia
WMLB AM 1690, "The Voice of the Arts", is a radio station
licensed to Avondale Estates, Georgia
, and serves most of the metro Atlanta
radio market. WMLB transmits on 1690 kHz with 10,000 watt
s daytime power and 1,000 watts at night. The station broadcasts an eclectic
radio format
, playing classical music, folk music
, jazz
, show tune
s, comedy
bits, and some rock and roll
. WMLB's sister station
is talk radio
station WCFO AM, "News Talk 1160." The WMLB broadcast callsign was assigned to the station at 1160 kHz before being transferred to 1690 kHz in 2006 by its present owner JW Broadcasting.
in south Georgia, with a tourist information format in 2003, identifying as "Wild Adventures Radio" and simulcast
ing WDDQ FM of the same format. The station was moved to the Atlanta
radio market in 2004 when the license was transferred to serve the Avondale Estates community. When the station was moved to the Atlanta area, its radio transmitter was co-located with station WATB's transmitter and WSWK's signal was diplexed on to one of WATB's antenna towers. At that time, the station signed on in the Atlanta market with a country and western format, but by September 2004 the station flipped radio formats to become a talk radio
station and joined the Air America Radio
radio network. The format change came with a change to the WWAA callsign.
Later in 2004, the station's transmitter was moved to a new dedicated facility off of Cheshire Bridge Road in Atlanta
with a new single-tower antenna
. In June 2006, JW Broadcasting, owners of station WMLB (then assigned to 1160), took ownership of WWAA (formerly an Air America Radio network affiliate
).. JW Broadcasting dropped the WWAA callsigns and then transferred the WMLB callsigns to 1690 kHz. The callsign change brought with it the eclectic radio format previously heard on 1160. One radio program from the Air America Radio network
remained on the station, The Al Franken Show
, until Al Franken
's last radio show in February 2007.
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 Avondale Estates, Georgia
Avondale Estates, Georgia
Avondale Estates is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,960 at the 2010 census.Avondale Estates was founded in 1924 by George Francis Willis, who purchased the entire village of Ingleside to create a planned community. The city was named after Stratford-upon-Avon,...
, and serves most of the metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta
The Atlanta metropolitan area or metro Atlanta, officially designated by the US Census Bureau as the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metro area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ninth-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States...
radio market. WMLB transmits on 1690 kHz with 10,000 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 daytime power and 1,000 watts at night. The station broadcasts an eclectic
Eclecticism in music
Eclecticism is used to describe a composer's conscious use of styles alien to his nature, or from one or more historical styles. The term is also used pejoratively to describe music whose composer, thought to be lacking originality, appears to have freely drawn on other models .-Sources:* Kennedy,...
radio format
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
, playing classical music, folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, show tune
Show tune
A show tune is a popular song originally written as part of the score of a "show" , especially if the piece in question has become a "standard", more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context...
s, comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
bits, and some rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. WMLB's sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
is talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
station WCFO AM, "News Talk 1160." The WMLB broadcast callsign was assigned to the station at 1160 kHz before being transferred to 1690 kHz in 2006 by its present owner JW Broadcasting.
History
The radio station originally signed on with the callsign WSWK from the city of AdelAdel, Georgia
Adel is a city in Cook County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,344. The city is the county seat of Cook County. The original name of the city was Puddleville. The city's first postmaster, Joel "Uncle Jack" Parrish, wanted to change the name of the city...
in south Georgia, with a tourist information format in 2003, identifying as "Wild Adventures Radio" and simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
ing WDDQ FM of the same format. The station was moved to the Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
radio market in 2004 when the license was transferred to serve the Avondale Estates community. When the station was moved to the Atlanta area, its radio transmitter was co-located with station WATB's transmitter and WSWK's signal was diplexed on to one of WATB's antenna towers. At that time, the station signed on in the Atlanta market with a country and western format, but by September 2004 the station flipped radio formats to become a talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
station and joined the Air America Radio
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
radio network. The format change came with a change to the WWAA callsign.
Later in 2004, the station's transmitter was moved to a new dedicated facility off of Cheshire Bridge Road in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
with a new single-tower antenna
Mast radiator
A mast radiator is a radio mast or tower in which the whole structure itself functions as an antenna. This design is commonly used for transmitting antennas operating at low frequencies, in the VLF, LF and MF ranges, in particular those used for AM broadcasting. The metal mast is electrically...
. In June 2006, JW Broadcasting, owners of station WMLB (then assigned to 1160), took ownership of WWAA (formerly an Air America Radio network affiliate
Network affiliate
In the broadcasting industry , a network affiliate is a local broadcaster which carries some or all of the television program or radio program line-up of a television or radio network, but is owned by a company other than the owner of the network...
).. JW Broadcasting dropped the WWAA callsigns and then transferred the WMLB callsigns to 1690 kHz. The callsign change brought with it the eclectic radio format previously heard on 1160. One radio program from the Air America Radio network
Radio network
There are two types of radio networks currently in use around the world: the one-to-many broadcast type commonly used for public information and mass media entertainment; and the two-way type used more commonly for public safety and public services such as police, fire, taxicabs, and delivery...
remained on the station, The Al Franken Show
The Al Franken Show
The Al Franken Show was the flagship talk show of the former talk radio network, Air America Radio. Hosted by Al Franken, it featured commentary and interviews arguing for left-wing positions on the issues of the day, and comically poking fun at the George W. Bush Administration. The show began as...
, until Al Franken
Al Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
's last radio show in February 2007.