Technical Profile: WZZA

AM Technical Profile: WZZA

Frequency:: 1410
Format:: Classic R&B, Blues, Jazz, Hip-Hop
Transmitter Location:: [map] [street view] South of US-72 on Woodmont Drive, south of Tuscumbia.
Power (ERP):: Day: 500 watts; Night: 51 watts
Antenna:: 1 tower
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] Street View imagery of the station's studio and tower site on Woodmont Drive in Tuscumbia.

// W246BS Florence (W300EK, CP)

Owned by Muscle Shoals Broadcasting
History:: This station dates back to an original construction permit issued to Carl and Harold A. Pugh (Tuscumbia Broadcasting System) for a new 500 watt daytime only station on 1410 kHz. The original call sign assigned was WCHP, but when the station signed on in 1960 it was WRCK, with studios and transmitter at the same site the station uses today. The first transmitter was a Gates BC 500 T. (It's unknown what the format was prior to the 1970's, but with those call letters, was it Rock music?)

The license was transferred to Ervin Parks, Jr. in 1964; he in turn partnered with Robert Warren Kicker (as Radio Station WRCK) to take ownership in 1965. The station spawned an FM companion, WRCK-FM, in 1969, which would become today's WBTG-FM.

By 1970, the Broadcasting Yearbook listed this station as having a Country music format. The license was transferred to Wein Broadcasting Corporation in 1973, who flipped it to a black-oriented community format as WZZA. The license was transferred to Muscle Shoals Broadcasting, Inc. (Robert and Odessa Bailey) in 1977. An early voice in the black community, the "Soul of the Shoals" has been in the Bailey family ever since.

In mid-December 2023 it was announced that Benny Carle Broadcasting was selling the translator for their talk station WBCF to Tori Bailey for $85,000. Later that month, the parent station changed to WZZA.

After the switch, an application was filed to move the translator to the WZZA transmitter site, with 250 watts on 107.9 MHz. That permit was granted in mid-January 2024. In mid-June 2024 an application was filed to modify the permit to move the transmitter to a site off Hawk Pride Mountain Road, southwest of the Shoals, with 250 watts at a much greater height than before. That change was granted in early July 2024.