WNZZ

WNZZ
City of license Montgomery, Alabama
Broadcast area Montgomery, Alabama
Branding America's Music 950
Frequency 950 AM (kHz)
First air date May 8, 1953 (as WRMA)
Format Adult Standards
Power 1000 watts (day)
45 watts (night)
Class D
Facility ID 12321
Transmitter coordinates 32°25′17″N 86°09′52″W / 32.42139°N 86.16444°W / 32.42139; -86.16444
Former callsigns WRMA (1953-1977)
WLSQ (1977-1987)
WREZ (1987-1988)
WSYA (1988-1995)[1]
Owner Cumulus Media
(Cumulus Licensing, LLC)
Sister stations WHHY-FM, WLWI, WLWI-FM, WMSP, WMXS, WXFX
Webcast Listen Live
Website wnzz950.com

WNZZ (950 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Montgomery, Alabama, USA. The station, originally launched in 1953, is currently owned by Cumulus Media and the broadcast license is held by Cumulus Licensing, LLC.[2] The WNZZ studios are located on the 3rd floor of The Colonial Financial Center in downtown Montgomery, and the transmitter tower is in Montgomery's northeast side.

Programming

WNZZ broadcasts an adult standards music format.[3] The beautiful music is only interrupted for news from WSFA-TV and Alabama Radio Network.

History

This station began regular broadcast operation on May 8, 1953, licensed as WRMA. Owned by the Southland Broadcasting Company, WRMA began as a 1,000 watt daytime-only station broadcasting on 950 kHz.[4] On December 1, 1957, WRMA was acquired by WRMA Broadcasting Company, Inc.[5] William O. Jones, doing business as W.O. Jones, Inc., purchased WRMA in 1969.[6] On March 24, 1977, the station was acquired by the Brien Broadcasting Corporation.[7] The new owners had the station's callsign changed to WLSQ.

Brien Broadcasting Corporation owner Cleveland J. "Cleve" Brien died in April 1986.[8] The station applied for a new callsign and was assigned WREZ on March 16, 1987.[1]

On June 4, 1987, after clearing probate and other legal hurdles, an application was made to the FCC to transfer control of licensee Brien Broadcasting Corporation to the estate of Cleve J. Brien with Sara M. Brien serving as administratrix. The transfer was approved by the FCC on June 29, 1987.[9] One day later, on June 5, 1987, the Brien Broadcasting Corporation announced an agreement to sell WREZ to Montgomery Broadcasting Limited Partnership. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 17, 1987.[10]

This change would also prove short-lived as on August 4, 1987, the Montgomery Broadcasting Limited Partnership applied to transfer the broadcast license for WREZ to Don McCoy's U.S. Broadcasting Limited Partnership.[11][12][13] The transfer was approved by the FCC on August 14, 1987, and the transaction was consummated on October 14, 1987.[11] The new ownership had the FCC change the station's call letters to WSYA on September 14, 1988.[1]

In October 1993, U.S. Broadcasting Limited Partnership contracted to sell this station to Colonial Broadcasting Company, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on December 28, 1993, and the transaction was consummated on January 31, 1994.[14] In September 1994, Colonial Company, Inc., agreed to transfer control of station licensee Colonial Broadcasting Company, Inc., to Robert E. Lowder. The deal was approved by the FCC on December 8, 1994, and the transaction was consummated on March 8, 1995.[15]

In March 1995, Robert E. Lowder agreed to transfer control of licensee Colonial Broadcasting Company, Inc., to Republic Corporation. The deal was approved by the FCC on April 4, 1995, but the transaction was never consummated and Lowder retained control of the licensee.[16] In anticipation of the completed sale, the station had switched to its current call sign, WNZZ, on April 17, 1995.[1] In January 1998, Robert E. Lowder reached a new agreement to transfer control of the licensee to Cumulus Media through their Cumulus Holdings, Inc., subsidiary. The deal was approved by the FCC on March 10, 1998.[17]

In a series of internal corporate moves, the license was transferred through several holding companies before winding up with Cumulus Licensing in December 1998. This final deal was approved by the FCC on December 12, 1998, and the transaction was consummated on December 31, 1998.[18]

Cumulus Licensing announced in November 2007 that it would assign the licenses for 19 stations to a trust company, Stratus Radio, to comply with FCC ownership regulations. This trust was to be an independent trustee whose sole mission was to sell off the stations to new owners and, while the sales were pending, to run the stations independently of Cumulus Media.[19] The deal was approved by the FCC on May 15, 2008, but the transfer application was dismissed at the request of Cumulus Licensing LLC.[20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  2. ↑ "Cumulus Media Expands Montgomery, Alabama Radio Group; Deal Includes Option to Buy Stations". Business Wire. August 18, 1998. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  4. ↑ 1954 Broadcasting Yearbook
  5. ↑ 1968 Broadcasting Yearbook
  6. ↑ 1973 Broadcasting Yearbook
  7. ↑ 1979 Broadcasting Yearbook
  8. ↑ "Social Security Death Index Search Results". Ancestry.com. Retrieved March 1, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Application Search Details (BTC-19870604HR)". FCC Media Bureau. June 29, 1987.
  10. ↑ "Application Search Details (BAL-19870605HO)". FCC Media Bureau. July 17, 1987.
  11. 1 2 "Application Search Details (BAL-19870724HW)". FCC Media Bureau. October 14, 1987.
  12. ↑ Farber, Erica (November 21, 2003). "Publisher's Profile: Don McCoy". Radio & Records.
  13. ↑ McCoy, Don. "Life Story". Don McCoy's Magic House. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
  14. ↑ "Application Search Details (BAL-19931014GL)". FCC Media Bureau. January 31, 1994.
  15. ↑ "Application Search Details (BTC-19940919GK)". FCC Media Bureau. March 8, 1995.
  16. ↑ "Application Search Details (BTC-19950314GF)". FCC Media Bureau. April 4, 1995.
  17. ↑ "Application Search Details (BTC-19980115GI)". FCC Media Bureau. March 10, 1998.
  18. ↑ "Application Search Details (BAL-19981210GP)". FCC Media Bureau. December 31, 1998.
  19. ↑ "Deals". Broadcasting & Cable. November 12, 2007.
  20. ↑ "Application Search Details (BALH-20071102ARN)". FCC Media Bureau. May 15, 2008.

External links

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