:PS-TUSCALOOSA'S NEWS AND INFORMATION 1059WRTR
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Text-Tuscaloosa's News and Information 1059WRTR
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PI-WRTR-FM
[Wikipedia]
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[Studio] Street View imagery of the iHeartMedia studios in downtown Tuscaloosa.
This station was put on the air by Frank E. Holladay, Joseph W. Carson and John S. Primm (as New South Radio) in the summer of 1966 as a simulcast companion to their Easy Listening AM WACT. The station originally transmitted from the AM site, which at the time was located at the intersection of Fosters Ferry Road and US-11 (now 15th Avenue, near Stillman College) with just 1.5 kW from an antenna height of 400 feet HAAT (height above average terrain) on 105.5 MHz. The original studios were in a small office complex at the corner of 6th Street and 27th Avenue near downtown Tuscaloosa. Of note, the WACT call sign was for the University of Alabama's sports nickname, the Alabama Crimson Tide.
By the mid-70's, the station was noted in the Broadacsting Yearbook to be doing Country, but more specifically at this point the AM was doing Classic Country while this station did more Contemporary Country. Together they became a rather successful country duo in the market. In June 1979, the station and its AM sister moved to their current location at 3800 11th Avenue, with both transmitters and studios at the same spot.
This station, along with the AM companion, were sold to Taylor Broadcasting in October 1989 for $2.25 million.
In 1993 the station got a boost in power to a full Class A facility with 6 kW. The stations were acquired by Capstar Broadcasting in 1997; as a stunt, Gadsden-based morning team "Rick and Bubba" staged a mock takeover of the stations, leading this station dropping its longtime country format for what seemed like an endless loop of Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Eventually, the format flipped to Rock, re-branding as WRTR (for Roll Tide Roll) in March 1997. Note that Capstar would eventually become Clear Channel, who in turn would eventually become iHeart Radio.
In March 2003, the station was granted a permit to move to a new transmitter site, boost power to 25 kW, change from 105.5 to 105.9 MHz and re-license from Tuscaloosa to Brookwood. This was part of a much wider regional shuffle of stations — six in total! — to allow for iHeart Radio's 105.9 MHz station in Birmingham to move to 105.5 MHz, boost power and cover more of that market. Testing of this new facility, which was located near the intersection of Alabama Avenue Northeast and 40th Avenue Northeast in Holt, was observed on 29 August 2005 with the station temporarily relaying WENN-FM's Hallelujah FM Gospel format. A license to cover for the new facility was granted shortly thereafter, with the "official" flip occurring on the first of September and the Rock format returning to the air.
It was observed in May 2009 that the station had dropped the Rock format to briefly simulcast sister AM News/Talk WACT, identifying on air as "Talk Radio 105-9". A few months later in July it was reported that the station was simulcasting WERC in Birmingham, although that was either a case of mistaken identity or a short-lived experiment, as by late September it was noted to be running a slightly different program schedule to WERC.
The station was granted a minor modification permit in May 2015, to move to the currently-licensed site (above), a few miles south of the previous site in Holt. The technical parameters were similar, with only a slightly stronger null to the east in the directional antenna system. That facility signed on in late September 2015, and a license to cover was filed in early October 2015.