WTBF (AM)
| City | Troy, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Branding | SportsStation WTBF |
| Frequency | 970 kHz |
| Translator(s) | 96.3 W242DA (Troy) |
| First air date | 1947 |
| Format | Sports |
| Power | 5,000 watts (day) 45 watts (night) |
| Class | D |
| Facility ID | 68179 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 31°50′07″N 85°55′58″W / 31.83528°N 85.93278°WCoordinates: 31°50′07″N 85°55′58″W / 31.83528°N 85.93278°W Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed. |
| Affiliations | Westwood One Sports |
| Owner | Troy Broadcasting Corp. |
| Sister stations | WTBF (FM) |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wtbfradio.com |
Search WTBF (AM) on Amazon.
WTBF-AM (970 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a sports format. Licensed to Troy, Alabama, United States, the station is currently owned by Troy Broadcasting Corp. and features programming from Westwood One Sports.[1] WTBF-AM breaks away from the Westwood One Sports programming for high school football, Troy University Trojans women's basketball, Auburn University Tigers football, and Atlanta Braves baseball.
History of Troy Broadcasting Corporation
WTBF-AM began broadcasting in 1947, playing a wide variety of music during the day, from MOR to country music, and the occasional Talk program.
WTBF signed on at noon on February 25, 1947, with the roll of the timpani leading into "The Star-Spangled Banner", played by the Troy High School Band. That drum roll was played by the future Mrs. Ann Gilchrist (wife of owner Joe Gilchrist). The station was then signed on for the very first time by Samuel F. (Sam) Townsend, who in 1949 purchased AM radio station WCNU in Crestview, Florida and relocated to Troy. The original calls were to be WTBC, for Troy Broadcasting Corporation, but those letters were already taken, so they settled on WTBF.
For the first few years, WTBF was at 1490 on the dial before moving to 970 in the 1950s. Bob "Pappy" Tolbert, Jess Jordan, and Joe Gilchrist did wild morning shows before the genre was popularized. Joe interviewed pigs who lived at the transmitter site; Pappy gave away junk records with crazy trivia questions. Birthdays, anniversaries, giveaways, obituaries, weather, local news (bake sales, gospel sings, barbecues, yard sales, etc.) are part of the Morning Show to this very day.
On July 16, 1969, Joe Gilchrist did a live remote of the Apollo 11 launch from Cape Canaveral.
WTBF programming through the years
At night, the programming targeted teens and college students. By 1970, the tempo was more Top 40 feeling with MOR music. From 1973 to 1978, the station played country during the day. From 1978 to 1985, it was all AC during the day. From 1985 to 1988, they went back to a hodgepodge of music. All during these periods, WTBF was still Top 40 at night, and some during the weekends. At night the program was called "Night Flight". In 1988, the late night AC stopped and WTBF went country all the way.
In October 1994, WTBF made an unusual move and started "Night Visions", a modern rock program airing at 8:00 on weeknights. That became a revival of "Night Flight" by 1996; it lasted until 2003. There was a night of R&B and Blues, 70s music, 80s music, jazz, classic rock and even contemporary Christian. This interesting arrangement continued off and on, between 1998 and 2000, before ending altogether.
On January 13, 2015, WTBF changed their format from talk/personality to sports, with programming from CBS Sports Radio.
References
- ↑ "WTBF Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
External links
- Query the FCC's AM station database for 68179
- Radio-Locator Information on 68179
- Query Nielsen Audio's AM station database for 68179
- Facility Details for Facility ID:201052 (W242DA), Licensing and Management System Admin, FCC
- Radio-Locator information on W242DA
Template:Sports Radio Stations in Alabama
This article "WTBF (AM)" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:WTBF (AM). Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
