Technical Profile: WLWI

AM Technical Profile: WLWI

Frequency:: 1440
Format:: Talk, News
Transmitter Location:: [map] [bird's eye] South of the loop and Seth Johnson Estates, along and east of Narrow Lane Road near its intersection with Seibels Road.
Power (ERP):: Day: 5 kW; Night: 1 kW
Antenna:: Day: 1 tower, omnidirectional; Night: 2 towers, three equal lobes: ENE, NW, SW [pattern - PDF]
Other Information:: 0.5 mV/m Daytime Groundwave Service Contour from the FCC's Public Files
[FCC]
[FCCdata.org]; [Radio-Locator]; [Wikipedia]
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[Studio] The Cumulus studios in downtown Montgomery.; // WXFX-HD3 Prattville; Owned by Cumulus Broadcasting LLC
History:: Dating back to around 1930, 1440 kHz was originally WSFA (South's Finest Airport -- a reference to what was then the city's airport, now part of Maxwell AFB); WSFA TV 12 grew out of this station. The radio station may have started in the airport's hotel. Later, radio and TV were sold seperately and this station became WHHY. The significance of those calls isn't really known, but sister stations included WHNY (MCComb, MS), WHSY (Hattiesburg, MS) and WHXY (Bogalusa, LA), all put on the air by Charles Holt of Holt/Robinson. Was top 40 for most of the 60's and 70's, at time complementing WHHY-FM. Simulcasted WHHY-FM for some time in the mid 90's before the FM went to country.; After dismal ratings, the station switched to all news, simulcasting CNN Headline News. Became WLWI-AM when they switched to CNN Headline News audio.; Around June of 2000 this station moved to a talk and news format. Runs CNN Headline News audio overnights until 7am on weekdays, and most weekends.; In June 2011 the station was being rebroadcast on WXFX-HD3, another Cumulus station licensed to Prattville.

In June 2018 the station was granted a construction permit for a new FM translator on 106.3 MHz. The permit expired in June of 2021, unbuilt.