WGOL
Encyclopedia
WGOL is a radio station
licensed
to serve Russellville, Alabama
, USA. The station is owned by Pilati Investments Corporation.
music format in C-QUAM
AM Stereo
.
In addition to its usual music programming, WGOL carries significant sports programming as a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide Sports Network. This includes Alabama Crimson Tide football
, men's basketball
, women's basketball, baseball
, and the Hey Coach call-in show with Crimson Tide head coaches.
as WWWR.
WWWR made national headlines in early 1950 when a three-foot rattlesnake forced the radio station off the air for "more than an hour." Engineers discovered the snake had "crawled into the tuning unit, shorting the circuit."
In March 1986, SIS Sound of Russellville, Inc. reached an agreement to purchase WWWR from Franklin Broadcasting, Inc. The deal was approved by the Federal Communications Commission
on June 4, 1986, and the transaction was consummated on October 28, 1986. The station's new owners had the FCC assign new call letters WJRD on August 17, 1987.
On November 15, 1997, William A. Grant Jr., the owner of WJRD license holder SIS Sound of Russellville, Inc., died. In March 1998, control of the company passed involuntarily to William A. Grant III and Walter B. Grant. The Federal Communications Commission
approved this transfer on May 21, 1998, and it was formally consummated on the same day. The station was immediately put up for sale.
In June 1998, McCurry Broadcasting Company, Inc. reached an agreement to purchase WJRD from SIS Sound of Russellville, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 29, 1998, and the transaction was consummated on August 12, 1998. The new owners applied for and received new call letters WGOL from the FCC on August 17, 1998.
In December 1999, Wanda Patricia Underwood reached an agreement to purchase WGOL from McCurry Broadcasting Company, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on January 20, 2000, and the transaction was consummated on January 24, 2000.
In April 2005, Pilati Investments Corporation (Karl H. Pilati, president) reached an agreement to purchase WGOL from Wanda Patricia Underwood. The station sold for a reported $171,500. The FCC approved the deal on August 25, 2005, and the transaction was consummated on August 31, 2005.
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...
licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to serve Russellville, Alabama
Russellville, Alabama
Russellville is a city in Franklin County in the U.S. state of Alabama. At the 2000 census, the population of the city was 8,971. The city is the county seat of Franklin County.-History:...
, USA. The station is owned by Pilati Investments Corporation.
Programming
WGOL broadcasts a Classic CountryClassic country
Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country hits from past decades.This genre generally follows one of two formats: those specializing in hits from the 1920s through the early 1970s, and focus primarily on innovators and artists from country music's Golden...
music format in C-QUAM
C-QUAM
C-QUAM is the method of AM stereo broadcasting used in Canada, the United States and most other countries. It was invented in 1977 by Norman Parker, Francis Hilbert, and Yoshio Sakaie, and published in an IEEE journal....
AM Stereo
AM stereo
AM stereo is a term given to a series of mutually incompatible techniques for wireless radio broadcasting stereo audio in the AM band in a manner that is compatible with standard AM receivers...
.
In addition to its usual music programming, WGOL carries significant sports programming as a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide Sports Network. This includes Alabama Crimson Tide football
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
, men's basketball
Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball
The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball program has a history of being among the best of the Southeastern Conference . It trails only Kentucky in basketball wins, SEC tournament titles, and SEC regular season titles in the 12-member conference. The team is coached by head coach Anthony Grant,...
, women's basketball, baseball
Alabama Crimson Tide baseball
The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team represents the University of Alabama in NCAA Division I college baseball. Along with most other Alabama athletic teams, the baseball team participates in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. The team plays its home games on campus at...
, and the Hey Coach call-in show with Crimson Tide head coaches.
History
This station first signed on in 19491949 in radio
The year 1949 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*1 April – The facilities and staff of the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland are transferred to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation....
as WWWR.
WWWR made national headlines in early 1950 when a three-foot rattlesnake forced the radio station off the air for "more than an hour." Engineers discovered the snake had "crawled into the tuning unit, shorting the circuit."
In March 1986, SIS Sound of Russellville, Inc. reached an agreement to purchase WWWR from Franklin Broadcasting, Inc. The deal was approved by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
on June 4, 1986, and the transaction was consummated on October 28, 1986. The station's new owners had the FCC assign new call letters WJRD on August 17, 1987.
On November 15, 1997, William A. Grant Jr., the owner of WJRD license holder SIS Sound of Russellville, Inc., died. In March 1998, control of the company passed involuntarily to William A. Grant III and Walter B. Grant. The Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
approved this transfer on May 21, 1998, and it was formally consummated on the same day. The station was immediately put up for sale.
In June 1998, McCurry Broadcasting Company, Inc. reached an agreement to purchase WJRD from SIS Sound of Russellville, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 29, 1998, and the transaction was consummated on August 12, 1998. The new owners applied for and received new call letters WGOL from the FCC on August 17, 1998.
In December 1999, Wanda Patricia Underwood reached an agreement to purchase WGOL from McCurry Broadcasting Company, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on January 20, 2000, and the transaction was consummated on January 24, 2000.
In April 2005, Pilati Investments Corporation (Karl H. Pilati, president) reached an agreement to purchase WGOL from Wanda Patricia Underwood. The station sold for a reported $171,500. The FCC approved the deal on August 25, 2005, and the transaction was consummated on August 31, 2005.