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WXJC (AM)
Encyclopedia
WXJC is a radio station
licensed to serve Birmingham, Alabama
. The station is licensed to Kimtron, Inc. and owned by Crawford Broadcasting Company
. It airs a Southern Gospel
music and Talk radio
format.
The station has been assigned the WXJC call letters by the Federal Communications Commission
since July 15, 2004.
. The initial call letters reflected the initials of the station’s original owner, Thomas N. Beech. By 1950, the station changes its call sign to WILD, retaining those call letters until the station was sold in September 1957, when Bartell Broadcasters bought the station and changed the call letters to WYDE. By the late 1950s WYDE was one of three stations in Birmingham playing Top 40 music, along with WSGN
and WVOK.
In 1965 WYDE changed formats, dropping Top 40 and becoming a country music station. Unlike some country music stations, WYDE’s presentation was more polished and urbane. The station’s tagline was WYDE Countrypolitan. For the remainder of the 1960s and throughout most of the 1970s, the station had no direct competition in the format. This changed in 1976 when WVOK-AM dropped its longstanding Top 40 programming and switched to country as well.
By 1977 WYDE had a second and perhaps more serious competitor as a country music station, when WZZK-FM became the first FM station in Birmingham to switch to country music. WYDE retained its format until 1982, when it dropped country to become Birmingham’s first station to exclusively play oldies
from the 1950s through the early 1970s. In 1986 the station was sold and became a Christian music and teaching station. Throughout the remainder of the 1980s and 1990s, the station tried several different formats, including beautiful music
and news-talk in an attempt to gain listeners, and by 1998, the station changed its call letters to WMKI and became a Radio Disney
affiliate.
Crawford Broadcasting
bought WMKI in 1999. Upon assuming control of the station, they changed the station’s format to talk radio, and returned the heritage call sign of WYDE to the station. In 2002, the call signs changed to WDJC-AM, and the station became a Christian teaching and Southern gospel music station. The current call signs were assumed on July 15, 2004.
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 to serve Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. The station is licensed to Kimtron, Inc. and owned by Crawford Broadcasting Company
Crawford Broadcasting
Crawford Broadcasting is a family-owned media company based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. Crawford Broadcasting primarily owns radio stations mostly with Christian and Oldies/Nostalgia formats.-History:...
. It airs a Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel music—at one time also known as "quartet music"—is music whose lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
music and Talk radio
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.
The station has been assigned the WXJC call letters 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...
since July 15, 2004.
History
The station currently known as WXJC-AM signed on in 1946 as WTNB, broadcasting with 5,000 watts daytime power and 1,000 watts at night. It was originally an affiliate of the Mutual Broadcasting SystemMutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
. The initial call letters reflected the initials of the station’s original owner, Thomas N. Beech. By 1950, the station changes its call sign to WILD, retaining those call letters until the station was sold in September 1957, when Bartell Broadcasters bought the station and changed the call letters to WYDE. By the late 1950s WYDE was one of three stations in Birmingham playing Top 40 music, along with WSGN
WAGG
WAGG is a radio station licensed to Birmingham, Alabama. It broadcasts at a daytime power 5,000 watts, and at nighttime, it broadcasts at 1,000 watts. WAGG is a gospel music station that targets Birmingham's African-American population. It is owned by Cox Radio, which also owns six other...
and WVOK.
In 1965 WYDE changed formats, dropping Top 40 and becoming a country music station. Unlike some country music stations, WYDE’s presentation was more polished and urbane. The station’s tagline was WYDE Countrypolitan. For the remainder of the 1960s and throughout most of the 1970s, the station had no direct competition in the format. This changed in 1976 when WVOK-AM dropped its longstanding Top 40 programming and switched to country as well.
By 1977 WYDE had a second and perhaps more serious competitor as a country music station, when WZZK-FM became the first FM station in Birmingham to switch to country music. WYDE retained its format until 1982, when it dropped country to become Birmingham’s first station to exclusively play oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
from the 1950s through the early 1970s. In 1986 the station was sold and became a Christian music and teaching station. Throughout the remainder of the 1980s and 1990s, the station tried several different formats, including beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
and news-talk in an attempt to gain listeners, and by 1998, the station changed its call letters to WMKI and became a Radio Disney
Radio Disney
Radio Disney is a radio network based in Burbank, California and headquartered out of the Disney Channel headquarters on West Alameda Ave., from where it has been based since November 2008. Prior to that, the network was based in Dallas, Texas...
affiliate.
Crawford Broadcasting
Crawford Broadcasting
Crawford Broadcasting is a family-owned media company based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. Crawford Broadcasting primarily owns radio stations mostly with Christian and Oldies/Nostalgia formats.-History:...
bought WMKI in 1999. Upon assuming control of the station, they changed the station’s format to talk radio, and returned the heritage call sign of WYDE to the station. In 2002, the call signs changed to WDJC-AM, and the station became a Christian teaching and Southern gospel music station. The current call signs were assumed on July 15, 2004.