WCMT (AM)

For the FM radio station in South Fulton, Tennessee, United States, see WCMT-FM.
WCMT
City Martin, Tennessee
Broadcast area Jackson TN area
Branding Talk and News You can Use"
Frequency 1410 kHz
First air date 1957
Format News Talk Information
Power 700 watts day
58 watts night
Class D
Facility ID 67054
Transmitter coordinates 36°21′45.00″N 88°50′57.00″W / 36.3625000°N 88.8491667°W / 36.3625000; -88.8491667
Affiliations CBS Radio, Premiere Radio Networks, Westwood One
Owner Thunderbolt Broadcasting Company
Website www.wcmt.com

WCMT (1410 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Martin, Tennessee, USA, the station serves the Northwest Tennessee and Southwest Kentucky radio market from Paducah, Kentucky to Jackson, Tennessee. The station is currently owned by Thunderbolt Broadcasting Company and features programing from CBS Radio, Premiere Radio Networks and Westwood One.[1]

WCMT-AM began broadcasting June 16, 1957 when J. T. Sudbury of Blytheville, Arkansas placed WCMT on the air. It has remained in the same location since the station began broadcasting. WCMT's early success is attributed to the late Dwight A. "Duke" Drumm who arrived on the scene in 1959 and worked for twenty years doing practically every job in the station. Herb Cathey was a long time air personality who also served as an engineer for the station.

In 1968 Drumm convinced Sudbury to add an FM station to the airwave and WCMT-FM (then 101.7) joined WCMT-AM. The station later upgraded its power and changed frequency and is now on 101.3 FM.

In 1994, Thunderbolt Broadcasting purchased 95.1 WGNN, formerly WJZK, and changed the call letters to WCDZ-FM. The studios were moved from Dresden, Tennessee to the Martin studios.

In December 2005 Thunderbolt Radio purchased Twin States Broadcasting owner oh 104.9 KYTN FM and 105.7 WQAK FM.

WCMT AM expanded its night time coverage by adding 99.7 FM and 100.5 FM.

Programming

Programming includes: Local News, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Dave Ramsey, Jim Bohannon, George Noory, Art Bell, America in the Morning, First Light, Warren Eckstein, Dr. Joy Browne, and Good Times in the Morning a local "town hall" meeting every morning from 6-9am.

WCMT's Good Times in the Morning program can be heard on 1410 WCMT as well as WCMT FM 101.3 and 100.5 and 103.3. WCMT's call letters stand for "Weakley County Martin, Tennessee" and the station is also known as "The Voice of Weakley County."

Paul Freeman Tinkle, Thunderbolt Broadcasting president began his career at WCMT as the janitor of the radio station in 1970 while he was a sophomore at Martin High School (now Westview High School.) A short time later he became a board operator when another announcer couldn't come work. He later worked in Union City and McKenzie, Tennessee and Mayfield and Paducah, Kentucky before returning in 1981 where he later became a partner in Thunderbolt Broadcasting.

Cindy Stewart Prince has worked at the station since 1979 and serves as assistant to the president. Tinkle's son, Jordan Tinkle, now working at stations in Nashville, began his start at WCMT at the age of 10 working as a "take out the trash" boy and became a board operator a short time later. He is also believed to have been the youngest person to work press row providing color and stats on a TSSAA state tournament basketball game. He now serves as a producer of Nashville's number one sports talk show.

1410 WCMT is an "award-winning" news and sports station and has received every Associated Press award in Tennessee including "Station of the Year." Local news can be heard around the clock while national news is heard hourly.

WCMT is owned by Thunderbolt Broadcasting and is located at 1410 North Lindell Street in Martin, Tennessee and also owns and operates WCMT-FM and WCDZ-FM with studios co-located with WCMT. Thunderbolt Broadcasting also own WQAK-FM and KYTN-FM in Union City, Tennessee. WCMT simulcasts (duplicates)its programming on 100.5 FM.

WCMT is a member of the International Broadcaster's Idea Bank, the National Association of Broadcasters, the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters and the Kentucky Broadcaster's Association and a number of chamber of Commerce associations in the Ken Tenn area. Paul Tinkle is an NAB radio board member representing Arkansas and Tennessee. Tinkle also serves on the Tennessee Associated Press Board of Directors and the Tennessee Association of Broadcaster's Board of Directors

In 2005, WCMT was named an NAB "Crystal" award winner for community service and is a recipient of the Weakley County Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year. Paul Tinkle was named Weakley Countian of the Year by the Weakley County Chamber of Commerce.

References

External links

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