WTBF-FM

WTBF-FM
City	Brundidge, Alabama
Broadcast area	Troy, Alabama
Frequency	94.7 MHz
First air date	1947
Format	Talk/Personality/Classic Hits
ERP	14,500 watts
HAAT	132 meters
Class	C3
Facility ID	68181
Transmitter coordinates	31°50′7.00″N 85°55′58.00″W / 31.8352778°N 85.9327778°W Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed.; ;
Affiliations	Classic Hits (Westwood One)
Owner	Troy Broadcasting Corp.
Sister stations	WTBF (AM)
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	wtbfradio.com

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WTBF-FM (94.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting an oldies music format. Licensed to Brundidge, Alabama, United States, the station is physically located in Troy, Alabama. The station is currently owned by Troy Broadcasting Corp.

WTBF-FM currently airs Westwood One's Classic Hits format, and breaks away for a local weekday morning show, high school sports, two locally-produced sports talk shows, and Troy University Trojans football, baseball, and men's basketball broadcasts.

WTBF was previously located on the Troy University campus by the lagoon, from 1947 to 1997. This original site was torn down in February, 2008. On June 18, 1997, Joe Gilchrist flipped the switch at the transmitter site. Larry Wells was operating with one CD player at what staffers called "Skylab", the old studios, and Jim Roling and Doc Kirby were waiting at the brand new studios at 67 West Court Square in downtown Troy. At 3:00 p.m., Larry faded the music, Joe flipped the switch, and Jim and Doc signed on from the new location.

Current In-house Programming

WTBF produces the following in-house programming:

The Morning Show: Since 1947, WTBF has produced this weekday morning show every weekday without preemption covering local news and sports, interviewing guests, and playing music.
The Ralph Black Coaches Connection: A roundtable of local high school football aficionados discuss the week's games, make their predictions, and interview coaches from the 11 teams that WTBF covers.
On the Bookshelf: WTBF Operations and Program Manager Doc Kirby interviews authors from around the world about their new books.

Notable WTBF Personnel

Jess Jordan and Bob "Pappy" Tolbert were the mainstays of WTBF Radio during its first 30 years. Their voices were very familiar to listeners in Pike County, and both were extremely active in the Troy community.

Joe Gilchrist was the original engineer, and his family still co-owns the station, along with the families of Asa Dudley and Jim Roling. Jim Roling worked there as a teenager in the 1950s and 1960s, left for South Carolina, then returned in 1980 and bought out one of the original owners. Jim hosted "The Morning Show" after returning in 1980 until semi-retirement in 2007, and is a well-known icon in Pike County.

David "Doc" Kirby has been the Program Director since 1974, with one break from 1985 to 1986 when he was a band director at a local school and was replaced by then Morning Show co-host, Joey Meredith. Since 1986, Doc has produced a weekly interview program called "On The Bookshelf," which is syndicated on the Alabama Radio Network.

Other long-term employees have included Ralph Black, who worked there from the late 1970s until the mid-1980s, when he started the Troy State Sports Network. He was the voice heard on every Troy Trojans sports broadcast. Ralph was bought out by the college in 2002, and replaced by Barry McKnight. Ralph came back to WTBF in 2002, and became the host of "The Morning Show" in 2007 until his death in 2020.

Many WTBF staffers have gone on to greener pastures—Tonya Terry (WSFA-TV), Michael Buchanan (the Auburn Network & play by play voice of the LaGrange High Grangers), Chris Ingram (Washington, DC radio), and Russell Wells (program director at WSVH in Savannah, GA).

References

External links

Template:Montgomery radio Template:Oldies Radio Stations in Alabama

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