WAMZ
Encyclopedia
WAMZ is a country music
-formatted radio station
located in Louisville, Kentucky
. The station broadcasts on 97.5 FM with an ERP
of 100 kW.
(840). The call sign represented the initials of The Courier Journal
and Louisville Times
, all of which were owned by the Bingham family
. By the following year, W9XEK was taken off the air and WCJT became WHAS-FM. FM was still an infant technology however, and as most early FM owners did in the early 50's, the Binghams returned WHAS-FM's license to the FCC on December 31, 1950. The 99.7 frequency later became the home for WKLO-FM (now WDJX
).
On September 7, 1966, the second WHAS-FM began broadcasting at 97.5 FM with a 100 kW physical plant and an automated Classical music
format. This format lasted until September 3, 1975, when WHAS-FM was renamed WNNS and adopted the NBC Radio Network's "News and Information Service" (NIS) format.
At midnight on January 28, 1977, on the heels of the announcement that NBC's NIS format would be discontinued, the format was changed to automated country, using Drake-Chenault
's "Great American Country" format under the WAMZ callsign. Although automated, the station became the first country FM in Louisville. The first song played on WAMZ was She's Just An Old Love Turned Memory by Charley Pride
.
In 1979, radio personality Coyote Calhoun (best know at the time for his previous air work at Top 40 powerhouse WAKY
) was hired as the program director/morning host. Under his leadership, WAMZ became one of the most-successful country radio stations in the U.S.
WAMZ presently broadcasts in HD Radio
.
WAMZ is owned by Clear Channel Communications
, which acquired it and sister WHAS in 1985.
Country 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...
-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...
located in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. The station broadcasts on 97.5 FM with an ERP
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
of 100 kW.
Station history
Experimental W9XEK began on July 22, 1944 at 45.5 MHz (on the original FM band). A second sister FM station was established on April 20, 1947 on the newer FM band when WCJT started at 99.7 FM as the sister station to WHAS (AM)WHAS (AM)
WHAS, known by the on air branding as "84 WHAS", is an AM radio station broadcasting in Louisville, Kentucky. It is a 50,000 Watt clear channel radio station assigned to frequency 840 kHz. With clear channel status, its nighttime signal can be heard in most of the continental U.S...
(840). The call sign represented the initials of The Courier Journal
The Courier-Journal
The Courier-Journal, locally called "The C-J", is the main newspaper for the city of Louisville, Kentucky, USA. According to the 1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook, the paper is the 48th largest daily paper in the United States and the single largest in Kentucky.- Origins :The...
and Louisville Times
The Louisville Times
The Louisville Times was a newspaper that was published in Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1884 as the afternoon counterpart to The Courier-Journal, the dominant morning newspaper in Louisville and the commonwealth of Kentucky for many years. The two newspapers published a combined edition ...
, all of which were owned by the Bingham family
Barry Bingham, Sr.
George Barry Bingham, Sr., CBE, was the patriarch of a family that dominated local media in Louisville for several decades in the 20th century....
. By the following year, W9XEK was taken off the air and WCJT became WHAS-FM. FM was still an infant technology however, and as most early FM owners did in the early 50's, the Binghams returned WHAS-FM's license to the FCC on December 31, 1950. The 99.7 frequency later became the home for WKLO-FM (now WDJX
WDJX
WDJX is a Contemporary Hit Radio radio station located in Louisville, Kentucky. The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast on 99.7 FM with a effective radiated power of 24 kW.-Station history:...
).
On September 7, 1966, the second WHAS-FM began broadcasting at 97.5 FM with a 100 kW physical plant and an automated Classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
format. This format lasted until September 3, 1975, when WHAS-FM was renamed WNNS and adopted the NBC Radio Network's "News and Information Service" (NIS) format.
At midnight on January 28, 1977, on the heels of the announcement that NBC's NIS format would be discontinued, the format was changed to automated country, using Drake-Chenault
Drake-Chenault
Drake-Chenault Enterprises was a radio syndication company that specialized in automation on FM radio stations. The company was founded in the late-1960s by radio programmer and deejay Bill Drake , and his business partner, Lester Eugene Chenault...
's "Great American Country" format under the WAMZ callsign. Although automated, the station became the first country FM in Louisville. The first song played on WAMZ was She's Just An Old Love Turned Memory by Charley Pride
Charley Pride
Charley Frank Pride is an American country music singer. His smooth baritone voice was featured on thirty-nine number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His greatest success came in the early- to mid-1970s, when he became the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis...
.
In 1979, radio personality Coyote Calhoun (best know at the time for his previous air work at Top 40 powerhouse WAKY
WKRD (AM)
WKRD is a sports talk formatted radio station in the Louisville, Kentucky metropolitan area. It is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications, and is known as My Sports 790...
) was hired as the program director/morning host. Under his leadership, WAMZ became one of the most-successful country radio stations in the U.S.
WAMZ presently broadcasts in HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
.
WAMZ is owned by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
, which acquired it and sister WHAS in 1985.