Technical Profile: WZEV

FM Technical Profile: WZEV

Station Name:: Gold 90.5
Frequency:: 90.5
Format:: Oldies
Transmitter Location:: Licensed: [map] East of Lineville along the north side of Blake Ferry Road, just east of Spring Hill Road.
Likely actual location: [map] [street view] On a cell tower at the end of Knight Street, southeast of Lineville, next to the old WZZX AM radio tower.
[map] Northeast of Lineville along AL-9, about 1.6 miles from the center of town. (CP)
Power (ERP):: 100 watts
Antenna:: Omnidirectional
Antenna HAAT:: 262 feet
56 feet (CP)
Other Information:: 60 dBu protected contour map, from the FCC.
60 dBu protected contour map, from the FCC. (CP)
More Information:: [FCC]; [FCCdata]; [Radio-Locator]; [Wikipedia]

[Facebook]
Owner:: B Jordan Communications
History:: This station dates back to an initial application for a noncommercial station on 90.5 MHz, licensed to the town of Lineville, filed in February 2008 by B. Jordan Communications. The original application was for 500 watts with a directional antenna from a site just southeast of town on a cell tower next to the old WZZX AM tower at the end of Knight Street, south of Blakes Ferry Road. The FCC granted this application in November 2010. In November 2013, the applicant filed for a modification to move the transmitter site to a rural location along the north side of Blake Ferry Road, just east of Spring Hill Road east of Lineville. This change also included a drop to just 100 watts at an antenna height above average terrain (HAAT) of 262 feet. A license to cover for this facility was granted on 20 December 2013 although it was unclear if the station was actually on the air at the time of the filing. The owner's website initially listed the format as Classic Hits, but as of November 2020 it was listed as Oldies "Gold 90.5".

The station filed a Silent STA (Special Temporary Authority) citing financial issues in April 2017. A Resumption of Operations was filed in December 2017.

The station was granted a Construction Permit in April 2023 to relocate to a short self supported tower along AL-9, about 1.5 miles northeast of Lineville. Although the power would remain 100 watts, the antenna height above average terrain (HAAT) would drop from 262 feet to just 56 feet. Overall coverage would have been reduced, but a stronger signal would have been available within the Lineville town limits. That permit was cancelled in May 2023.

In May 2026, the station was again granted a permit for the same facility as the previously-cancelled one.

Note: It appears the station is operating from an unlicensed location, and has been since it filed the initial license to cover back in 2013. The licensed location is exceedingly rural, with no roads or power lines leading to the licensed spot. It appears to be inaccessible by any method other than on foot. Historical satellite view imagery has not shown any evidence of a tower site constructed here. Instead, Street View from 2024 shows a single bay FM antenna just below a Verizon cellular macro on a cell tower at the end of Knight Street, and this is likely the station's actual transmitter location. The unlicensed site also happens to be the location specified on the original permit. Whether this was a clerical error or a way to skirt FCC channel spacing rules, it's impossible to say, but it's never been caught in all these years.