AM Technical Profile: WIEZ

[ Home | Statewide: AM | FM | LPFM | Translators | TV | LPTV | LDTV ]
[ Metros: Birmingham | Mobile | Montgomery | Huntsville | Columbus, GA | Dothan | Tuscaloosa | The Shoals ]


Frequency:
1490

Format:
Rhythmic CHR

Transmitter Location:
[map] [street view] Appears to be located behind the studios for WYAM-LP channel 51 in Decatur.

Power (ERP):
Day & night: 1 kW

Antenna:
Day & night: 1 tower, omnidirectional

Other Information:
0.5 mV/m Daytime Groundwave Service Contour from the FCC's Public Files

[FCC]
[FCCData.org]
[Radio-Locator]

[Facebook]

[Wikipedia]

[Studio] Street View imagery of the station's studios on Holmes Avenue, under I-565 in Huntsville.

[Website] The site that hosts the station's former Oldies music format, which continues to stream online only.

Owned by MKRadio1, LLC

// W234DN Athens (Decatur)
History:
Came on the air as WAJF in 1953, likely with 250 watts as the result of WHBS-AM in Huntsville moving from 1490 to 1550 kHz for more power. The station kept those same calls until they changed to WDPT (Decatur Pro Talk) in November 2006. Before the flip to "Pro Talk", they were religious talk, as "The Word".  The station's ownership, WAJF Inc., sold the station to Christian Voice of Central Ohio, Inc., in February 2007, who put on a conservative Christian leaning talk format known as "ProTalk".  At some point after the flip the station began simulcasting on WTKI in Huntsville.
 
It was reported in early February 2009 that both WTKI and WDPT were shut down by the owners, citing the downturned economy as a reason they could no longer operate.
 
Aside from the minimal required on-time to satisfy the FCC, this station along with WTKI remained silent until the end of November 2009.  Reports of 80's music, Fox Sports talk and conservative talk along with teasers mentioning something about a "buzz" on the frequency indicated a new format would be coming soon.  At the tail end of December 2009 the license was transferred to Focus Radio Corporation, who began an LMA with both WEKI and WTKI still simulcasting.
 
The stations returned to the airwaves in late winter of 2010 with talk programming.  Around early March of 2010 WTKI picked up their first FM translator, W225AH in Huntsville.  In late March 2010, it was discovered that WEKI had picked up an FM translator, this time in Decatur, W232BX.  After many years of running a simulcast, the stations stopped, but still ran mostly-similar programming and both kept the "Talk Radio For Real Life" slogan.  WEKI won a permit to construct a new FM translator on 105.3 MHz in Athens, in January 2018.  The permit was modified for 105.5 MHz in July 2018 after Huntsville's WTKI was granted a permit for a translator 105.3 MHz in that city.

In early March 2018 the call sign changed from WEKI to WIEZ; the station dropped the talk programming at this time and began stunting with a wide variety of music, with an announcement that “Something big is happening Thursday.”  On Thursday 8 March, the station flipped to oldies as "Oldies 94.7".  In February 2019 the station was granted a permit to move the translator on 105.5 to 94.7 in Athens as W234DN, while the existing 94.7 translator will move to a different frequency and pick up WDJL out of Huntsville as a parent.  W234DN filed a license to cover in late April 2019.

In March 2019, ownership of the station was sold by FRC to MKRadio1, LLC (Joshua Bohn) for $131,500. The majority of that cost was to be negated by Bohn's relinquishing his shares of FRC.

The station began stunting on 13 September 2021, pending a format change.  First, they played The Beatles' Abbey Road in its entirety, then began by looping The Troggs' Wild Thing, then later Wild Thing by Tone Loc.  Towards the end of September it flipped to a Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio format as "Wild 94.7".

The station was reported off air in mid-August 2024.  It was reported back on by early November 2024.