WQBC

WQBC
City Vicksburg, Mississippi
Broadcast area Jackson, Mississippi Metropolitan Area
Frequency 1420 kHz
First air date February 18, 1928[1]
Format Silent
Power 1,000 watts day
500 watts night
Class B
Facility ID 60000
Transmitter coordinates 32°20′44.00″N 90°52′2.00″W / 32.3455556°N 90.8672222°W / 32.3455556; -90.8672222Coordinates: 32°20′44.00″N 90°52′2.00″W / 32.3455556°N 90.8672222°W / 32.3455556; -90.8672222
Callsign meaning We Quote Better Cotton
Owner Michael M. Davis[2]
(Costar Broadcast Group Inc.)

WQBC is an AM broadcasting station licensed on 1420 kHz at Vicksburg, Mississippi. It was licensed on February 18, 1928, and makes the claim of being the oldest operating radio station is Mississippi and one of the few remaining stations that still have their original call signs.[1] It has been silent since March 12, 2010.[3]

Well-known alumni of WQBC include Blues extraordinaire Willie Dixon, and his Jubilee Singers, Adrian Cronauer, the inspiration for Good Morning, Vietnam; and Woodie Assaf, longest-serving weatherman in the United States, who began his broadcasting career at WQBC in the 1940s, before moving to 620 WJDX (AM) in Jackson, Mississippi and serving at its sister station WLBT TV 3 from sign-on in December 1953.[1][4]

History

The station was built and first operated by engineer I.R. Jones, and was originally licensed for Utica, Mississippi. It 1931, it was bought by the Cashman family, owners of the Vicksburg Evening Post, and moved to Vicksburg. When Federal Communications Commission rules banned cross ownership of newspapers and broadcast stations in the same area, WQBC was sold a Mr. Frank Hollifield, then to a Mrs. Elizabeth Owens. Mr. Bill Stanford bought the station in 1987.[1] The station was later owned by Michael Corley.[1]

Today WQBC radio is owned by Costar Broadcast Group a Chicago IL based multi-media communications firm. The company's President is Michael M. Davis a native son of Lorman, Mississippi- the site of Alcorn State University, the first African-American land grant institution in the United States

The station lost the lease on its tower site and went silent on March 12, 2010[3] while the sale to Michael M. Davis was pending.[2] It received an extension to remain silent on November 18, 2010, pending studies for a new construction permit.[5]

On June 1, 2016 WQBC went silent.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "About Us". Vicksburg, Mississippi: WQBC. Retrieved 2011-01-25.
  2. 1 2 Davis, Michael M. (2010-04-30). "FCC 314: Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License (File No. BAL-20100301AAA)". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2011-01-25.
  3. 1 2 Davis, Mike (2010-03-12). "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA (File No. BLSTA-20100312AAD)". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2011-01-25.
  4. ↑ Kelly, Johnny (2009-11-15). "Woodie Assaf, longest serving TV weatherman in the nation is dead at the age of 92". Examiner.com.
  5. ↑ "Application Search Details: BLESTA-20100909ABL". Federal Communications Commission. 2010-11-18. Retrieved 2011-01-25.
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