Technical Profile: WTOF

AM Technical Profile: WTOF

Frequency:: 1110
Format:: Talk, News
Transmitter Location:: [map] [bird's eye] [street view] East of US-31/AL-59 in eastern Bay Minette, on S White Avenue/Nicholsville Street.
Power (ERP):: Day: 10 kW; Critical hours: 2,500 watts
Antenna:: Day: 1 tower, omnidirectional
Other Information:: 0.5 mV/m Daytime Groundwave Service Contour from the FCC's Public Files

[FCC]
[FCCdata.org]; [Radio-Locator]; [Wikipedia]

[Article] Gulf Coast News Today story about the Buddy Tucker stations in Mobile shutting down in November 2020.

Owned by UM Enterprise, LLC

// WJNZ Robertsdale, AL

Silent
History:: WBCA Bay Minette signed on in 1957 at 1150 kHz; Wikipedia lists ownership at this time as Southwest Alabama Broadcasting Company. It was apparently later owned by prominent local politician James Faulkner. The calls stand for "Wonderful Baldwin County Alabama". The station received a power upgrade in 1967 to 10,000 watts, along with a move to the current 1110 kHz frequency.; James Faulkner went on to sit on the board of Faulkner University, to which this station was transferred in 1986.; The station has had a variety of formats over the years: country-oldies, easy listening, contemporary country and adult contemporary. In 1998 it was sold to the owners of Atmore's WYDH; it then began simulcasting their "Eagle 105.9" country format, along with Robertsdale's AM station. As part of this three way simulcast (trimulcast?) the station was a party to several more formats: rhythmic oldies "Boss 1110 AM", classic country, southern gospel… In the summer of 2006 the station started simulcasting WABF Fairhope and their nostalgia format.; The station was acquired in 2006 by Buddy Tucker Associates, who runs WMOB Mobile. A few days after Thanksgiving in 2006, the station changed calls to WTOF (Tower Of Faith) and picked up an all syndicated religious programming format.

Buddy Tucker passed away in mid-December 2017; the stations he ran including this one were operated by his widow, Levaughn Tucker.

The station had been reported off the air as of mid-November 2020; around that time it was also announced that the station, along with WMOB, would cease operations permanently due to Levaughn Tucker's advanced age and inability to see to day-to-day operations, as well as that of veteran station employee Debby Day. A Silent Special Temporary Authority (STA) was not filed until February 2021, however. The station returned to the air briefly in November 2021 to keep the license active.

In April 2022, it was announced that UM Enterprise, LLC (Dave Minard) would be acquiring WTOF And WMOB from Buddy Tucker Associates for just $100. The station filed another Silent STA in June 2022, noting it had been off the air since 5 December 2021 due to “loss of program source”. In December 2022, it was announced the station was being sold to Noah Britt's Tri-City Radio for $25,000. Britt already owns WJNZ in Robertsdale and WPMO in Pascagoula. A resumption of operations was filed with the FCC in December 2022, although the station was not ever observed on the air.

As of June 2023, the deal to sell to Tri-City Radio has yet to be consummated. That same month, the owners filed another Silent STA, citing the loss of the temporary longwire antenna. It appears this is the first filing to mention running with a temporary longwire antenna or that the licensed site was no longer available.

In April 2024, the station filed an application to relocate the WTOF transmitter site to Daphne, to be diplexed with Cumulus' WXQW. Along with this proposed change is a re-licensing to Spanish Fort from Bay Minette. In May 2024 the station filed for an STA to operate from a longwire from the WALA-DT site in Spanish Fort, with 250 watts daytime only. Interestingly, the makes the second longwire in operation at the TV tower site, as WMOB has also been authorized (but not ever noticed on air) from another wire at the site. In mid-June 2024 it was noted the station was on after filing a resumption of operations earlier that month. It was noted to be airing a News/Talk format with adverts claiming to simulcast with WJNZ in Robertsdale. At the time, WJNZ was not actually on the air; on a subsequent attempt to monitor the station, WJNZ was on but this station was not, so it's unclear if the simulcast is meant to be permanent or not.; The station filed a Silent STA in early July 2024 citing tower work at the CP site in Daphne.

Towards the end of August 2024, the FCC requested an amendment (PDF) to the application because the move to Spanish Fort was not permissible under the FCC's rules for inter-urban station moves. Bay Minette is not part of an urbanized area (although it is within the Mobile metro area) so the move and re-license to Spanish Fort would put the station in the Daphne-Fairhope Urbanized Area and thus trigger additional compelling requirements to grant the move.