WLDX

WLDX
City Fayette, Alabama
Slogan "Fayette's News, Sports, and Information Leader"
Frequency 990 AM (kHz)
First air date September 3, 1949
Format Country
Power 1,000 watts (day)
42 watts (night)
Class D
Facility ID 60505
Transmitter coordinates 33°41′06″N 87°49′16″W / 33.68500°N 87.82111°W / 33.68500; -87.82111
Former callsigns WWWF (1949–1987)[1]
Affiliations ABC Information Network
Owner Dean Broadcasting, Inc.
Webcast Listen Live
Website wldx.com

WLDX (990 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Fayette, Alabama, US. The station is owned by Dean Broadcasting, Inc.

WLDX broadcasts a full-service country music format.[2] Sports programming on the station includes University of Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball as a member of the Crimson Tide Sports Network[3] plus Fayette County High School football. News programming is provided by FOX News Radio and the Alabama Radio Network. The tradio program "Switch and Swap" has been a constant fixture on the station since it first signed on in 1949.[4]

History

This station began broadcasting as WWWF on September 3, 1949, with a 1,000 watt daytime-only signal. The station was licensed to Bankhead Broadcasting Company, Inc., whose sole owner was Walter Will Bankhead.[5] Bankhead's first station, WWWB in Jasper, Alabama (1240 AM, now WJLX) which he put on the air in 1946, was named for his initials. Sister station WWWR in Russellville, Alabama (920 AM, now WGOL) which also went on the air in 1949, was named for "Walter Will's Russellville". WWWF was similarly chosen as the callsign to mean "Walter Will's Fayette".[6]

In the 1960s, WWWF broadcast a format called "Something for Everyone" featuring country in the morning, a half-hour of Gospel music at midday, easy listening until mid-afternoon, then rock music for the rest of the day. In the 1980, WLDX changed their format to country music full-time.

Gorman Jackson "Jack" Black was the station's original program director[5] and became the general manager in 1954.[7] Black also founded the weekly Fayette Country Broadcaster newspaper and served as its editor and publisher from 1962 to 1982.[8] An Alabama native and University of Alabama graduate, Black remained as general manager of WWWF until the station was sold in 1986.[9]

In March 1986, Bankhead Broadcasting Fayette, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station to W. A. Grant Jr. and Eloise Thomley doing business as SIS Sound of Fayette, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on June 4, 1986, and the transaction was consummated on October 28, 1986.[10] Under the new ownership, the station was assigned the current WLDX call letters by the FCC on June 22, 1987.[1]

In September 1996, SIS Sound of Fayette, Inc., contracted to sell this station to co-owner Eloise Thomley and her husband Wayne, as owners of Thomley Broadcasting Co., Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on October 23, 1996, and the transaction was consummated on November 5, 1996.[11] Eloise Thomley served as general manager from 1986 until May 31, 2005.

In April 2005, Thomley Broadcasting Co., Inc. (Eloise F. Thomley, president/director) agreed to sell this station to Dean Broadcasting, Inc. (J. Wiley Dean, president) for a reported sale price of $450,000.[12] The deal was approved by the FCC on June 1, 2005, and the transaction was consummated on the same day.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  2. ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  3. ↑ "Football Radio Network". RollTide.com - The Official Web Site of the University of Alabama Athletics. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
  4. ↑ "History of WLDX". WLDX official website. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
  5. 1 2 "Directory of the AM and FM stations of the United States". 1953 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1953. p. 68.
  6. ↑ Herman, Orval A. (January 22, 1951). "WWWF QSL Card" (PDF).
  7. ↑ "Directory of AM and FM stations and Market Data of the United States". Broadcasting-Telecasting 1955 Yearbook-Marketbook Issue. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1955. p. 69.
  8. ↑ Florence, Rebecca (September 1, 2004). "Fayette Business, Arts Pioneer and UA Alum Jack Black Dies". The University of Alabama News.
  9. ↑ "Fayette County Obituaries". Daily Mountain Eagle (Jasper, AL). September 1, 2004.
  10. ↑ "Application Search Details (BAL-19860304EG)". FCC Media Bureau. October 28, 1986.
  11. ↑ "Application Search Details (BAL-19960910GQ)". FCC Media Bureau.
  12. ↑ "Deals - 5/2/2005". Broadcasting & Cable. May 2, 2005.
  13. ↑ "Application Search Details (BAL-20050412AFM)". FCC Media Bureau. June 1, 2005.
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