WATV (900 kHz) is an AMradio station licensed to Birmingham, Alabama. It transmits on 900 AM as well as FM translator W235BS 94.9 FM. The daytime power of WATV is 845 watts, and during nighttime, it transmits with 158 watts. WATV is an urban contemporary music station, specializing in soul, R&B, disco, and early hip-hop from the 1970s through today. Community issues are also often discussed on the air that pertain to the African American community. It is owned by Courtney French.
The station currently known as WATV signed on in 1946 as WKAX.[2] It took its present callsign in 1958, as a CBS-affiliated, dual talk/MOR-formatted station. Prior to then, the callsign of the station was WLBS. Due to the restrictions of the Federal Communications Commission, the station originally broadcast only during daylight hours. In 1976, the owner of WENN, the top-rated urban-formatted station in Birmingham, died. WENN was then bought by local businessman A. G. Gaston, who immediately fired Joe Lackey, the station manager; all of the disc jockeys quit in protest. Lackey was then given a job managing WATV, a radio station located on the 20th floor of the Thomas Jefferson Hotel where he brought all the former WENN personalities with him. Lackey and the ex-WENN jocks immediately changed the station's format from talk and middle of the road music to soul and disco music. Despite operating with a relatively weak AM signal and broadcasting only from sunrise until sunset, WATV immediately became the top-rated radio station in Birmingham. During the 1980s, the station's format evolved from soul music to the forerunner of today's urban adult contemporary format.
Eventually the station was forced to move to 3025 Ensley Avenue, where the studios remain to this day.
In 2002, the station's owners, the Rev. Dr. Erskine Ramsay Faush Sr and Shelley Stewart, both longtime radio personalities in the Birmingham area, sold the station to MCL/MCM-INC, a subsidiary of Sheridan Broadcasting.
On September 14, 2006, Sheridan Broadcasting restructured its radio stations, and WATV was put under the control of MCL/MCM Alabama, LLC.
watv, watv, radio, station, licensed, birmingham, alabama, transmits, well, translator, w235bs, daytime, power, watv, watts, during, nighttime, transmits, with, watts, watv, urban, contemporary, music, station, specializing, soul, disco, early, from, 1970s, th. WATV 900 kHz is an AM radio station licensed to Birmingham Alabama It transmits on 900 AM as well as FM translator W235BS 94 9 FM The daytime power of WATV is 845 watts and during nighttime it transmits with 158 watts WATV is an urban contemporary music station specializing in soul R amp B disco and early hip hop from the 1970s through today Community issues are also often discussed on the air that pertain to the African American community It is owned by Courtney French WATVBirmingham AlabamaFrequency900 kHzBrandingV 94 9ProgrammingFormatUrban contemporaryAffiliationsCompass Media NetworksUnited Stations Radio NetworksOwnershipOwnerCourtney French Courtney French Broadcasting HistoryFirst air date1946 as WKAX 1 Former call signsWKAX 1946 1951 WLBS 1951 1958 Call sign meaningThe V stands for varietyTechnical informationFacility ID5356ClassDPower845 watts day158 watts nightTransmitter coordinates33 32 11 N 86 53 03 W 33 53639 N 86 88417 W 33 53639 86 88417Translator s 94 9 W235BS Birmingham LinksWebcastListen LiveWebsitemyv949 com Contents 1 History of WATV 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksHistory of WATV editThe station currently known as WATV signed on in 1946 as WKAX 2 It took its present callsign in 1958 as a CBS affiliated dual talk MOR formatted station Prior to then the callsign of the station was WLBS Due to the restrictions of the Federal Communications Commission the station originally broadcast only during daylight hours In 1976 the owner of WENN the top rated urban formatted station in Birmingham died WENN was then bought by local businessman A G Gaston who immediately fired Joe Lackey the station manager all of the disc jockeys quit in protest Lackey was then given a job managing WATV a radio station located on the 20th floor of the Thomas Jefferson Hotel where he brought all the former WENN personalities with him Lackey and the ex WENN jocks immediately changed the station s format from talk and middle of the road music to soul and disco music Despite operating with a relatively weak AM signal and broadcasting only from sunrise until sunset WATV immediately became the top rated radio station in Birmingham During the 1980s the station s format evolved from soul music to the forerunner of today s urban adult contemporary format In 1994 WATV dropped urban AC for ABC Radio Networks Urban Gold 3 Eventually the station was forced to move to 3025 Ensley Avenue where the studios remain to this day In 2002 the station s owners the Rev Dr Erskine Ramsay Faush Sr and Shelley Stewart both longtime radio personalities in the Birmingham area sold the station to MCL MCM INC a subsidiary of Sheridan Broadcasting On September 14 2006 Sheridan Broadcasting restructured its radio stations and WATV was put under the control of MCL MCM Alabama LLC See also editWNET Channel 13 a Newark New Jersey television station which formerly held the WATV callsign References edit 1949 Broadcasting Yearbook PDF 1948 Broadcasting Yearbook PDF Stark Phyllis January 15 1994 Vox Jox Billboard Vol 106 no 3 External links editFCC History Cards for WATV WATV official website WATV in the FCC AM station database WATV in Nielsen Audio s AM station database W235BS in the FCC FM station database W235BS at FCCdata org Radio TV page of Birmingham Rewound Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title WATV AM amp oldid 1170772716, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
