WKXM (AM)

WKXM

Winfield, Alabama
Frequency	1300kHz
Programming
Format	Defunct
Ownership
Owner	Ad-Media Management Corp.
Sister stations	WKXM-FM
History
First air date	August 23,1965
Last air date	August 2,2012
Former call signs	WEZQ (1965-March 30, 1990) WXDX (March 30-July 1, 1990)
Technical information
Facility ID	434
Class	D
Power	5,000watts(day) 30 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates	33°55′52″N87°48′36″W

WKXM(1300AM) was an Americanradio stationlicensedto serve thecommunityofWinfield, Alabama.The station, established in 1965, was last owned by Ad-Media Management Corp. The station fell permanentlysilenton August 2, 2012.

Programming

Before it fell silent, the station broadcast asports/talk radioformat as a full-time affiliate ofESPN Radio.

History

This station signed on the air in 1965 asWEZQbroadcasting with 1,000wattsof power on 1300kHzunder the ownership of John D. Self.WEZQ aired acountry & westernmusic format from its 1965 sign-on into the 1980s.

In June 1989, John Self made a deal to sell this station to James Boyd Pate. The deal was approved by the FCC on August 3, 1989, and the transaction was consummated on November 3, 1989.In January 1990, James Boyd Pate applied to transfer the license for this station to Ad-Media Management Corporation, a company he controlled. The transfer was approved by the FCC on February 12, 1990.The new owner had the FCC change the station's assigned call letters toWXDXon March 30, 1990, as a complement to its under-construction FM sister station, then known as WXZX, but these would prove short lived as the station switched again to the currentWKXMcall letters on July 1, 1990.(Three months later, the FM sister station would switch its callsign to match asWKXM-FM.)

In November 1991, James Boyd Pate reached an agreement to sell Ad-Media Management Corporation, the licensee for WKXM, to Harper-Mainord Broadcasting. The deal was approved by the FCC on December 30, 1991, and the transaction was consummated on December 31, 1991.

In July 1995, Harper-Mainord Broadcasting made a deal to turn sole control of Ad-Media Management Corporation to Jack Mainord. The deal was approved by the FCC on September 29, 1995, and the transaction was consummated on November 1, 1995.

Jack Mainord died on April 21, 1998, so after routine legal issues were resolved an application was made in September 1998 to transfer control of WKXM licensee Ad-Media Management Corporation to Melba F. Mainord, the executrix of his estate. The deal was approved by the FCC on October 15, 1998.

In March 2000, Melba F. Mainord made a deal to sell Ad-Media Management Corporation to B. Maxine Harper. The deal was approved by the FCC on April 24, 2000, and the transaction was consummated on May 1, 2000.

Falling silent

WKXM's broadcast facilities were struck by lightning on July 4, 2012, and the station began operating with reduced power on backup equipment. On August 1, 2012, the station's longtimebroadcast engineerdied unexpectedly and, lacking the equipment and personnel to continue operating, the station fellsilenton August 2, 2012.

On November 22, 2012, the station applied forspecial temporary authorityto remain silent while working with the insurance company to repair the damaged broadcast equipment. The FCC granted this authority on January 17, 2013.Under the terms of theTelecommunications Act of 1996,as a matter of law a radio station'sbroadcast licenseis subject to automatic forfeiture and cancellation if they fail to broadcast for one full year.

WKXM resumed operations on June 24, 2013, but fell silent again on June 27, 2013.The station once again applied to the FCC for authority to remain silent.

On September 9, 2014, the FCC notified Ad-Media Management Corp. that unless it could show that WKXM had broadcast between June 27, 2013, and June 28, 2014, that its license was cancelled. On October 17, 2014, Ad-Media Management Corp. replied that the "economic realities of operating the station [...] without an FM translator" and the costs to repair the station to full operating capacity prevented them from completing the repairs and returning to service. The FCC deleted the station's call sign on October 21, 2014.

External links

• FCC Station Search Details: DWKXM(Facility ID: 434)
• FCC History Cards for WKXM(covering 1961-1979 as WEZQ)