WCOA
Encyclopedia
WCOA is a radio station
serving the Pensacola, Florida
, area with a News
/Talk
format. This station is under ownership of Cumulus Media
.
City Clerk John E. Frenkel Sr, who used the moniker Breezy Boy from the Gulf, hosted the first program. It featured local talent, city officials and representatives of area military bases. The grand finale was a rendition of a song called Down Pensacola Way that was penned especially for the big unveiling. According to letters and calls, over 700 people listened to the first broadcast.
When the city government changed form in 1931, WCOA was purchased by John C. Pace and the studios were moved to the San Carlos Hotel where they remained until 1949.
When the Hindenburg airship crashed in 1937, radio stations all over the country broadcast live coverage of the tragedy, but WCOA was the only one who recorded it. Engineers left the tape rolling from the previous show and inadvertently archived a powerful moment in world history.
WCOA operated for many years as an affiliate of NBC. The programming featured middle of the road music, news and sports. The station's popularity grew. In 1956 when WCOA celebrated 30 years on the air, congratulatory telegrams were received from musicians such as Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra.
The station changed ownership, location and network affiliation several more times over the years. In 1991, the programming switched to a news-talk format.
WCOA also has a place in the Congressional Record, recognizing the 80th anniversary of WCOA.
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...
serving the Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, area with a News
All-news radio
All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcast of news.All-news radio is available in both local and syndicated forms, and is carried in some form on both major US satellite radio networks...
/Talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
format. This station is under ownership of Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
.
History
On Feb. 3, 1926 hundreds of people gathered in Plaza Ferdinand in downtown Pensacola to hear the first sounds of radio in Northwest Florida. At precisely 8:30 p.m. WCOA went on the air, and the broadcast was piped over a large horn on top of City Hall. Locals who owned receivers could tune in to the 250-watt signal that was broadcast from two 100-foot towers located behind City Hall.City Clerk John E. Frenkel Sr, who used the moniker Breezy Boy from the Gulf, hosted the first program. It featured local talent, city officials and representatives of area military bases. The grand finale was a rendition of a song called Down Pensacola Way that was penned especially for the big unveiling. According to letters and calls, over 700 people listened to the first broadcast.
When the city government changed form in 1931, WCOA was purchased by John C. Pace and the studios were moved to the San Carlos Hotel where they remained until 1949.
When the Hindenburg airship crashed in 1937, radio stations all over the country broadcast live coverage of the tragedy, but WCOA was the only one who recorded it. Engineers left the tape rolling from the previous show and inadvertently archived a powerful moment in world history.
WCOA operated for many years as an affiliate of NBC. The programming featured middle of the road music, news and sports. The station's popularity grew. In 1956 when WCOA celebrated 30 years on the air, congratulatory telegrams were received from musicians such as Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra.
The station changed ownership, location and network affiliation several more times over the years. In 1991, the programming switched to a news-talk format.
WCOA also has a place in the Congressional Record, recognizing the 80th anniversary of WCOA.