Technical Profile: WAMI-FM

FM Technical Profile: WAMI

Station Name:: Classic Country 102.3
Frequency:: 102.3
Format:: Classic Country
Transmitter Location:: [map] [street view] Just west of US 331, at the intersection of Alford Road and North Main Street just north of Opp. Co-located with WOPP.
Power (ERP):: 3.4 kW
Antenna:: Omnidirectional
Antenna HAAT:: 292 feet
Other Information:: 60 dBu protected contour map, from the FCC.
More Information:: [FCC]; [FCCdata]; [Radio-Locator]; [Wikipedia]

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[Studio] Google Street view of the station's last known studio location.
Owner:: Covington Media
History:: This station dates back to an original construction permit issued to The Opp Broadcasting Company, Incorporated, in August 1972, for a new FM station on 102.3 MHz in Opp. The permit was originally for 3 kW at a height above average terrain (HAAT) of 279 feet from the company's WAMI-AM towers just north of town on US-331. A license to cover for the facility was filed in October 1973, indicating they were using a CCA FM-5000-DS transmitter, feeding a two bay CCA FMC-LP-2 antenna. The format was block programming consisting of Country, Gospel, Easy Listening and Contemporary Pop music. The call sign has always been WAMI-FM, with the call sign meaning “Where Agriculture Meets Industry”.

The format changed to all Easy Listening in 1986. By 1990, the station was listed in the Broadcasting Yearbook as simulcasting the AM again, with their Country music format.

The station was granted a boost in power from 3 kW to 3.4 kW in 1990, however due to a scarcity of records from this period it's unclear when exactly that change happened, but it was likely quick. FCC records show a change of tower coordinates, as well. They list a site just west of where the North Main Street Extension dead-ends right near US-331, approximate 3,000 feet northwest of the original- (and currently-) licensed site. It's unclear if a tower was actually built here, or this is just a coordinates error, but historical satellite imagery from 1997 shows no evidence of a tower at this spot. It's all woods behind a residence. But both WAMI-FM and WAMI (AM) were shown with this coordinates, so either option is plausible.

In August 2004, the station was granted a permit to move to a site a few miles west of Opp on US-84, with a boost to 6 kW, but it was cancelled later in November 2004 with no reason given.; In 2007, the station received a permit to boost power all the way to 100,000 watts. According to sources, this was done on behalf of the owners while the station was under a Local Marketing Agreement (LMA). The permit would have also relocated the station to a transmitter site north of Georgiana, and re-license it to Fort Deposit. Because of the power boost and move, it would have also required WYVC in Camden to change to 93.9 MHz. Interestingly, the owners of WYVC, Down Home Broadcasting, didn't understand the need to move and thought they could also operate on 102.3 MHz at the same time without issue. The permit expired or was rescinded in early 2013.

In November 2019 it was reported the station was being purchased by Covington Media for $220,000. They had been operating the station under a Local Marketing Agreement (LMA) since mid-October. Covington Media's principal operator (Robert Boothe) also runs Opp's AM station WOPP.

Although the license for WOPP AM was turned in to the FCC in October 2024, it was reported in February 2025 that the AM station was still on the air and still simulcasting WAMI-FM, complete with promos mentioning WOPP and WAMI. It was then discovered that WOPP's license cancellation was rescinded, so the station wasn't deleted after all. As of August 2025 it's noted that the FM is no longer identifying AM sister station WAMI. It was off the air in May due to transmitter issues.

In late March 2026 a transfer of control of Covington Media was filed. Covington is half owned by Robert Boothe (himself half a part of E&R Broadcasting, which owned WOPP AM) and Christopher Harper. As part of the transfer, Boothe will sell his half of Covington Media to Harper for $190,000. In a separate filing, the two parties will again exchange $190,000 for WOPP, which will a) bring that station under Covington Media's ownership and b) require that station to relocate on the WAMI-FM tower. The FCC granted that move for WOPP in August 2026.