WYDE (AM)
| Broadcast area | Birmingham metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1260kHz(HD Radio) (digital only) |
| Programming | |
| Format | Southern GospelandChristian radio |
| Affiliations | Motor Racing Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Crawford Broadcasting Company |
| WDJC-FM,WXJC,WXJC-FM,WYDE-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1953 (as WCRT) |
Former call signs | WLGD (2006–2007) WYDE (2003–2006) WLGS (1999–2003) WDJC (1994–1999) WCEO (1991–1994) WCRT (1953–1991) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 34822 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 5,000wattsday 41 watts night |
| Translator(s) | 95.3 W237EK (Birmingham) |
| Repeater(s) | 92.5WYDE-FM(Cordova) 93.7WDJC-HD3(Birmingham) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | wyderadio |
WYDE(1260kHzHD Radio) is acommercialAMradio station.The station is owned by theCrawford Broadcasting Companyand airs aSouthern Gospelradio formatwith someChristian talk and teachingprograms. It issimulcastwithWYDE-FM92.5MHzinCordova.
Thetransmitteris located near the eastern edge of downtown Birmingham, and itsstudiosare inHomewood.By day, it transmits with 5,000watts,but at night, to avoid interfering with other stations onAM 1260,it greatly reduces power to 41 watts. Programming is also heard onFM translator95.3W237EK.[2]The station is also heard on co-owned 93.7WDJC-FM-HD4.WYDE broadcasts in theHD Radioformat[3]and converted to all-digital on September 1, 2023.[4]
Station history
[edit]The station broadcasting at 1260 AM in Birmingham signed on in 1953 asWCRT,carrying aMiddle of the Roadformat. Due toFederal Communications Commission(FCC) restrictions, WCRT was adaytimerand was required tosign offat sunset. The owners of WCRT were also instrumental in the launch ofWCFT-TV 33 inTuscaloosa;hence the similarity in thecall signs.In 1961 WCRT launched a companion FM station. Initially, WCRT-FM was a simulcast of its AM partner. In the 1970s the FM station relaunched aseasy listeningWQEZ; today that station is heritageadult contemporarystationWMJJ.
During the 1970s, WCRT was anadult standardsstation that used the syndicatedMusic of Your Lifeformat. In 1982, sister station WQEZ-FM was sold, and by 1983, the owners of WCRT were looking to get out of the radio business. Later that year, the station was sold to a group of Christian businessmen who planned to drop adult standards in favor ofcontemporary Christianmusic. Before the sales transaction could be completed, a fire destroyed the station’s studios and offices, and WCRT was forced off the air for several months.
In August 1983, WCRT returned to the air with the new on-air name "Love 1260" and the new contemporary Christian music format. A weak signal that did not reach the suburbs at night, the waning popularity of AM radio, and competition from WDJC-FM were among several reasons why Love 1260 was not particularly successful. Less than three years later, Love 1260 dropped contemporary Christian music in favor of an adult contemporary format.
In 1986, WCRT dropped adult contemporary music in favor of an all-oldiesformat. It continued with this format until 1991, when it dropped music programming in favor of an all business news format and new call lettersWCEO.The business news format continued until 1994, when Crawford Broadcasting Company, the owners of WDJC-FM, bought the station and launched a “Christian country’ music format on the station, which was relaunched asWDJC.Later in the 1990s, the station changed formats again, this time to black gospel music, placing it in direct competition with format leaderWAGGand several other stations. In late 1997 this format was dropped and the on air moniker "Radio Bible University" was adopted. The station was brokered out to Christian preaching and teaching programs, along with some local talk shows. The "Dixie Gospel Caravan with Wayne Wallace" was rebroadcast from sister station WDJC-FM every evening on WDJC due to its low power.
In 1999, 1260 AM in Birmingham returned to its roots. Christian programming was dropped, and the station once again became anadult standardsstation with the call lettersWLGS.Known on the air as“Legends 1260”,the station achieved moderate ratings success. By 2001, the station added someoldiesmusic to its playlist, and by 2002, it had segued into a full-fledged oldies station. In 2003, the station dropped the oldies format and became a full-time simulcast partner of WYDE-FM, rebroadcasting the FM station's conservativetalk radioformat. The simulcast continued for the next three years.
In October 2006, WYDE changed its call letters toWLGD,and returned to the music format it had employed in the early 2000s (decade). Once again, the station was known on the air as "Legends 1260" and was an adult standards station, focusing primarily on vocal music from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Long-time Birmingham radio veterans Burt and Kurt, formerly ofWSGN,WMJJ-Magic 96.5andWODL-Oldies 106.9,headlined the new station's morning show.
In July 2007, the station changed it calls once again back to WYDE and began simulcasting the new Classic Hits station WYDE 101.1 FM with Burt and Kurt in the morning drive spot. The classic hits format was dropped in early 2009 for a return totalk radio.
On November 5, 2018 WYDE changed its format from talk to Christian inspirational music,simulcastingWYDE-FM92.5 FMCordova.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Facility Technical Data for WYDE".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^Radio-Locator.com/W237EK
- ^https://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=20HD Radio Guide for Birmingham, Alabama
- ^"Crawford Will Flip an Alabama AM to All-Digital".Radio World.22 August 2023.Retrieved2023-08-22.
- ^Alabama Broadcast Media Page
External links
[edit]- Facility details for Facility ID 34822 (WYDE)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- WYDEinNielsen Audio's AM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 141481 (W237EK)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- W237EKat FCCdata.org