WPID
Encyclopedia
WPID is a radio station
licensed
to serve Piedmont, Alabama
, USA. The station, established in 1953, is currently owned by Piedmont Radio Company.
network, Dick Bartley
's Rock'n'Roll's Greatest Hits, Dick Bartley's American Gold, and American Top 20 with Casey Kasem.
Each Friday night in high school football
season, WPID broadcasts each Piedmont High School football game live. Other sporting events that WPID carries include opening day baseball for the Piedmont Parks and Recreation Department and occasional high school basketball games. WPID was an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves
Radio network from 1986 through 2006 but dropped the broadcasts for of lack of support.
daytime-only station on 1280 kHz licensed to Piedmont Radio Station, Inc. This company, owned and operated by Cary L. Graham, was part of the Cary L. Graham Stations Group along with WETO in Gadsden and WANA in Anniston.
Graham sold WPID to Terrence J. Gladden in 1965. Alex Allen Carwile acquired WPID on April 21, 1977, and operated the station with a country & western music format.
In May 1984, Alex Allen Carwile, doing business as Radio Station WPID, reached an agreement to sell this station to David Brent Morrison and Jimmy Wayne Kennedy, jointly doing business as Piedmont Communications Company. The deal was approved by the FCC on June 15, 1984, and the transaction was consummated the next day.
In November 1993, Piedmont Communications Company agreed to transfer the broadcast license
for WPID to Piedmont Radio Company, a sole proprietorship owned by Jimmy Wayne Kennedy. The deal was approved by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) on December 27, 1993, and the transaction was consummated on January 1, 1994.
disc jockey Rhubarb Jones got his first job in radio at WPID. Jones would later go on to be named Medium Market Broadcast Personality of the Year by the Country Music Association Awards
in 1983, Large Market Broadcast Personality of the Year by the Country Music Association Awards in 1987, and Disc Jockey of the Year by the Academy of Country Music in 1983. Alabama
lead singer Randy Owen
sang at Jones' 1988 wedding to Charm Baker.
Bill "Bubba" Bussey, now co-host of The Rick and Bubba Show, once worked part-time at WPID while he was also directing newscasts at WJSU-TV in nearby Anniston, Alabama
.
was not received by the Commission. As a result, WPID's license was cancelled and its callsign deleted from the FCC database on March 17, 2005. WPID temporarily ceased operation when the licensee, Piedmont Radio Company, was informed of the Commission's actions. The station received special temporary authority to resume broadcasting on April 13, 2005. WPID continued to operate in this fashion until January 31, 2007, when its belated license renewal application was finally approved by the FCC and the WPID callsign fully restored to the FCC database.
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 Piedmont, Alabama
Piedmont, Alabama
Piedmont is a city in Calhoun and Cherokee counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population was 5,120 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. Many surrounding communities utilize the 36272 ZIP code, including Spring Garden, Rock Run,...
, USA. The station, established in 1953, is currently owned by Piedmont Radio Company.
Programming
WPID broadcasts an adult contemporary music format. Along with its usual music programming, WPID is the Piedmont affiliate of the Fox News RadioFox News Radio
Fox News Radio is an American radio network programmed by Fox News Channel.- History :In 2003, Fox News began syndicating one minute radio updates to radio stations via syndication service Westwood One. On June 1, 2005, Fox News Radio employed 60 people and provided five minute newscasts at the top...
network, Dick Bartley
Dick Bartley
Dick Bartley, a popular American radio disc jockey since 21 June 1969, hosts several popular syndicated radio shows of the oldies/classic hits genre, including the current Classic Countdown since 1991 and the Saturday night call-in request show Rock & Roll's Greatest Hits since 1982...
's Rock'n'Roll's Greatest Hits, Dick Bartley's American Gold, and American Top 20 with Casey Kasem.
Each Friday night in high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
season, WPID broadcasts each Piedmont High School football game live. Other sporting events that WPID carries include opening day baseball for the Piedmont Parks and Recreation Department and occasional high school basketball games. WPID was an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
Radio network from 1986 through 2006 but dropped the broadcasts for of lack of support.
History
This station began broadcasting in 1953 as a 1,000 wattWatt
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:...
daytime-only station on 1280 kHz licensed to Piedmont Radio Station, Inc. This company, owned and operated by Cary L. Graham, was part of the Cary L. Graham Stations Group along with WETO in Gadsden and WANA in Anniston.
Graham sold WPID to Terrence J. Gladden in 1965. Alex Allen Carwile acquired WPID on April 21, 1977, and operated the station with a country & western music format.
In May 1984, Alex Allen Carwile, doing business as Radio Station WPID, reached an agreement to sell this station to David Brent Morrison and Jimmy Wayne Kennedy, jointly doing business as Piedmont Communications Company. The deal was approved by the FCC on June 15, 1984, and the transaction was consummated the next day.
In November 1993, Piedmont Communications Company agreed to transfer the broadcast license
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...
for WPID to Piedmont Radio Company, a sole proprietorship owned by Jimmy Wayne Kennedy. The deal was approved by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal 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...
(FCC) on December 27, 1993, and the transaction was consummated on January 1, 1994.
Former on-air staff
Longtime country musicCountry 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...
disc jockey Rhubarb Jones got his first job in radio at WPID. Jones would later go on to be named Medium Market Broadcast Personality of the Year by the Country Music Association Awards
Country Music Association Awards
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...
in 1983, Large Market Broadcast Personality of the Year by the Country Music Association Awards in 1987, and Disc Jockey of the Year by the Academy of Country Music in 1983. Alabama
Alabama (band)
Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...
lead singer Randy Owen
Randy Owen
Randy Owen is an American country music artist. He is known primarily for his role as the lead singer of Alabama, a country rock band which saw considerable mainstream success throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Although Alabama only records new albums on occasion, Owen himself has maintained a career...
sang at Jones' 1988 wedding to Charm Baker.
Bill "Bubba" Bussey, now co-host of The Rick and Bubba Show, once worked part-time at WPID while he was also directing newscasts at WJSU-TV in nearby Anniston, Alabama
Anniston, Alabama
Anniston is a city in Calhoun County in the state of Alabama, United States.As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 24,276. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 23,741...
.
Licensing issues
Due to an apparent widespread glitch in the FCC's CDBS electronic filing system, WPID's December 2003 application for renewal of its broadcast licenseBroadcast 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...
was not received by the Commission. As a result, WPID's license was cancelled and its callsign deleted from the FCC database on March 17, 2005. WPID temporarily ceased operation when the licensee, Piedmont Radio Company, was informed of the Commission's actions. The station received special temporary authority to resume broadcasting on April 13, 2005. WPID continued to operate in this fashion until January 31, 2007, when its belated license renewal application was finally approved by the FCC and the WPID callsign fully restored to the FCC database.