Technical Profile: WXRR

FM Technical Profile: WXRR

Station Name:: Rock 104
Frequency:: 104.5
Format:: Classic Rock
Transmitter Location:: [map] [street view] Near the intersection of Morriston Road and Pumping Station Road northeast of Hattiesburg.
Power (ERP):: 100 kW
Antenna:: Omnidirectional
Antenna HAAT:: 981 feet
Other Information:: 60 dBu protected contour map, from the FCC.; (inactive as of 2021)

:
PS-[artist/song] ROCK104
Time-Present
Text-ROCK104 (various messages) Call/Text (601) 545-ROCK
PTY-Rock
PI-WXRR-FM

AUX: 6.4 kW @ 738 feet. 60 dBu protected contour map, from the FCC.
More Information:: [FCC]; [FCCdata.org]; [Radio-Locator]; [Wikipedia]

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[Picture] Image of an Insignia HD portable showing the RDS decode of the Radio Text and PS (call sign) fields. From October 2015.
[Picture] Image of a Radio Shack DX-398 display showing the RDS PS (station name) field. From October 2015
[Picture] Screenshot of the FM spectrum from an SDRplay on Windows, showing the RDS Text, PS, PI and PTY fields. From May 2016.
[Picture] Image of the RDS display from a Hyundai OEM stereo, showing the PTY (format), PS (call sign) and Radio Text fields. From December 2022.

// W249AO Hattiesburg
Owner:: Blakeney Communications
History:: This station dates back to an original construction permit issued to The Hub City Broadcasting Company (Charles M. Holt) for a new FM station that was originally to be on 103.7 MHz. When the application was granted in February 1965, the frequency was updated to 104.5 MHz; power listed was 50 kW ERP (Effective Radiated Power) from the WHSY AM 950 transmitter site, which was listed as "300 yards outside city limits" of Hattiesburg. It appears that at this time the WHSY AM tower was at the east end of Alcorn Avenue, southeast of downtown. The specified FM transmitter was listed as a Gates FM10B feeding a Gates Cycloid FMA-6A six section antenna mounted at approximately 130 feet HAAT (Height Above Average Terrain). The station went through several extensions as well as an authorization to run an SCA (Secondary Communications Authority) on 67 kHz before a license to cover was filed in the spring of 1967. The station signed on under the WHSY-FM calls, and had a Progressive Rock format as "Y-104".

The station retained the progressive rock format until sometime in the early 80's, when it flipped to a Top 40 format. By 1984, the station had signed on an upgraded signal with 100 kW, although it's unclear if this change happened at the currently-licensed site listed above, as there's a gap in FCC records during the time period. The station was granted a construction permit in 1987 to raise antenna height to 984 feet, but it appears that may have never been built out, as an extension was filed a few later, with no license to cover ever filed for that change. In the late 80's, the format appears to have changed to Adult Contemporary, taking the format that had previously been on sister station WHSY AM.

In August 1994, Blakeney Communications bought the station and its AM sister from the original owners for $450,000. In April 1995, they flipped the station to a Classic-leaning Rock format as "Rock 104". That same year, a permit was granted for 100 kW from the currently-licensed transmitter site, but at an antenna height of 479 feet; a license to cover for that was granted in April 1996. The station was granted another permit to go back to 984 feet in August 1997 and a license to cover for that change was granted in February 1995.

In 2006, an auxiliary antenna permit was granted for 64 kW from a lower height on the existing licensed tower. In 2018, this aux site would be used to broadcast an HD signal at 4% of analog power. The HD signal was used to feed a translator, but that was later moved to co-owned WKZW and HD was discontinued on this station in 2018.