WMCJ

WMCJ
City Cullman, Alabama
Branding Sports 1340
Frequency 1460 kHz
First air date March 25, 1950
Format Sports (WFMH simulcast)
Power 5000 watts (day)
500 watts (night)
Class B
Facility ID 70451
Transmitter coordinates 34°10′44″N 86°51′58″W / 34.17889°N 86.86611°W / 34.17889; -86.86611
Former callsigns WFMH (1950-2002)[1]
Owner Walton E. Williams III
(sale to Jimmy Dale Media pending consummation)
Sister stations WFMH (AM)

WMCJ (1460 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Cullman, Alabama, USA. The station is owned by Walton E. Williams III but a sale to Jimmy Dale Media was approved by the FCC in October 2008 and is, as of January 30, 2009, pending consummation.

WMCJ broadcasts a sports format, simulcasting WFMH 1340 AM.[2]

History

This station began broadcast operations as WFMH, transmitting with 1,000 watts of daytime-only power on an assigned frequency of 1300 kHz, on March 25, 1950.[3] The station was licensed to The Voice of Cullman and was owned in part and operated by B.C. Eddins.

In 1955, the station moved to the current 1460 kHz to accommodate a power increase to 5,000 watts, still restricted to daytime operations.[4] In 1959, the station expanded to 24-hour broadcasting with the addition of a 500 watt nighttime signal.[5]

After more than 46 years of continuous ownership, The Voice of Cullman applied in May 1996 to transfer the broadcast license for WFMH to Eddins Broadcasting Co., Inc., a company wholly owned by B.C. Eddins. The deal was approved by the FCC on June 24, 1996, and the transaction was consummated on June 30, 1996.[6] B.C. Eddins died on August 26, 1996, at the age of 81 and control of Eddins Broadcasting passed to his heirs.[7]

In April 2002, Eddins Broadcasting Co., Inc., contracted to sell this station to Queen of Peace Radio, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on May 10, 2002, and the transaction was consummated on July 1, 2002.[8] The new owners had the FCC assign this station the current WMCJ call letters on September 20, 2002.[1]

In March 2005, Queen of Peace Radio, Inc. (J. Christopher Williams, president) agreed to sell WMCJ to Williams Communications Inc. (Walton E. Williams Jr., president/director) for a reported sale price of $75,000.[9] The deal was approved by the FCC on June 20, 2005, and the transaction was consummated on July 8, 2005.[10] At the time of the sale, the station aired a Catholic radio format.

In May 2008, Williams Communications, Inc., applied to the FCC to transfer the license for this station to Walton E. Williams III. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 1, 2008, and the transaction was consummated on the same day.[11]

This change would prove short-lived as in mid-August 2008, Walton E. Williams III reached an agreement to sell WMCJ and sister station WFMH to Jimmy Dale Media LLC.[12] The two stations sold for a reported total of $375,000.[13] At the time of the sale, the station aired a Gospel music format.[14] The deal was approved by the FCC on October 6, 2008, but as of January 30, 2009, the consummation of this transaction was still pending.[15]On December 1, 2012 WMCJ went silent. On April 1, 2013 WMCJ returned to the air simulcasting sports-formatted WFMH 1340 AM.

References

  1. 1 2 "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  2. ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  3. ↑ "Directory of AM, FM, and TV Stations of the United States". Broadcasting-Telecasting 1951 Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1951. p. 70.
  4. ↑ "Directory of AM and FM stations and Market Data of the United States". Broadcasting-Telecasting 1956 Yearbook-Marketbook Issue. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1956. p. 51.
  5. ↑ "Directory of AM and FM Radio stations in the U.S.". 1960 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1960. p. A-108.
  6. ↑ "Application Search Details (BAL-19960517GS)". FCC Media Bureau. June 30, 1996.
  7. ↑ "Social Security Death Index Search Results". Ancestry.com. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Application Search Details (BAL-20020401AAF)". FCC Media Bureau. July 1, 2002.
  9. ↑ "Deals - 5/16/2005". Broadcasting & Cable. 2005-05-16.
  10. ↑ "Application Search Details (BAL-20050331AEH)". FCC Media Bureau. July 8, 2005.
  11. ↑ "Application Search Details (BAL-20080519AAT)". FCC Media Bureau. July 1, 2008.
  12. ↑ "Radio deals and moves". Radio-Info.com. August 25, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Transactions 9-25-08". Radio Business Report. September 2, 2008.
  14. ↑ "Deals - 9/1/2008". Broadcasting & Cable. September 1, 2008.
  15. ↑ "Application Search Details (BAL-20080820ABS)". FCC Media Bureau. October 6, 2008.
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