WYAM is a Spanish language

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 Variety

Variety (radio)

The term variety as a radio format is loosely defined as a format that plays music across numerous genera.Freeform variety is associated with a wide range of programming including talk, sports, and music from a wide spectrum. This format is usually found on smaller, non-commercial...

 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

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 Hartselle, Alabama

Hartselle, Alabama

Hartselle is the second largest city in Morgan County, Alabama, United States, about south of Decatur, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, and the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2006 census estimates, the population of the city is 13,479. Hartselle was...

. The station primarily serves the Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....

, area. It is owned by Decatur Communications Properties, LLC.

Due to FCC

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...

 regulations, the station must sign-off at sunset, to protect Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

's WLS

WLS (AM)

WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....

. The WYAM transmitter is located about 1 mile south of the Tennessee River

Tennessee River

The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...

 adjacent to I-65

Interstate 65 in Alabama

Interstate 65, beginning in Mobile at an interchange with Interstate 10, meanders across of the Alabama countryside linking six of the state's ten largest cities. The highway links together many important roadways that make commerce inside and outside of the state's boundaries possible...

. FCC sunset is at various times, yet this transmitter is normally on 24 hours a day.

Programming

The station is one of three in the area that broadcast in Spanish. The others are WKAC

WKAC

WKAC is a radio station in Athens, Alabama, USA, broadcasting on the 1080 kHz frequency. The station is owned by Limestone Broadcasting Company, Inc. It primarily serves the Huntsville, Alabama, market.-Programming:...

 (1080 AM) in Athens

Athens, Alabama

Athens is a city in Limestone County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 18,967. According to the 2009 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 24,234...

 (which broadcasts part-time in English) and WJHX

WJHX

WJHX is a radio station licensed to the community of Lexington, Alabama, USA. The station is owned by Bar Broadcasting, Inc...

 (620 AM) in Lexington

Lexington, Alabama

Lexington is a town in Lauderdale 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 840.-Geography:...

.

The station is also an affiliate of the American Family Radio

American Family Radio

American Family Radio is a network of more than 180 radio stations broadcasting Christian-oriented programming to over 40 states.-Overview:AFR was launched by Rev...

 network.

WYAM is a former affiliate of the now-defunct Outdoor Sports Radio Network. The station carried limited OSRN programming, including Gary Sohmers' "Calling All Collectors" on Saturday mornings.

WYAM also has a television department, WYAM TV51, which airs live programming and satellite programming from around the country, offers video editing services, and ad buys for commercials advertising.

History

The station has previously aired Gospel music

Gospel music

Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....

 and 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....

 formats. Until June 1, 1994, the station's call sign was WHRT.

Another station in the Huntsville market, WTAK-FM

WTAK-FM

WTAK-FM is a classic rock formatted radio station licensed to Hartselle, Alabama, and owned by Clear Channel Communications. It serves Huntsville, Alabama, and the central Tennessee Valley area...

, was assigned the WYAM call letters from November 15, 1991, until July 6, 1993.

Ownership

In September 1999, WYAM was sold to Priority Communications LLC (Danis L. Willingham and James D. Early, members) by WAJF Inc. (d/b/a Grass Roots American Inc.) for a reported sale price of $75,000. In September 2003, Priority Communications consummated its transfer of the WYAM license to Decatur Communications Properties LLC, the station's current owner.