WJOX

Infobox Radio station


name = WJOX


branding = "JOX 94.5"
slogan = "Your Sports Authority"
frequency = 94.5 MHz HD Radio
city = Birmingham, Alabama
area = Central Alabama
airdate = January 1 1947 as "WAFM-FM" on 93.3 FM; adopted current call letters in July 2008
format = Sports
erp = 100,000 watts
haat = 309 meters
class = C0
facility_id = 16901
owner = Citadel Broadcasting
former_callsigns = WAPI-FM (1978-1994) WMXQ (1994-1996) WYSF (1996-2008)
sister_stations = WAPI, WSPZ, WUHT, WWMM, WZRR
webcast = [http://citadelcc-WJOX-FM.wm.llnwd.net/citadelcc_WJOX_FM Listen Live]
website = http://www.joxfm.com
callsign_meaning = "Jocks"|

WJOX (94.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to Birmingham. The station airs a sports radio format. WJOX is owned by Citadel Broadcasting. The station was assigned the WJOX call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on July 31, 2008.cite web |url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=16901&Callsign=WJOX |work=FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database |title=Call Sign History]

The station is an affiliate of ESPN Radio, and is the Birmingham area basketball affiliate of the Auburn Network. WJOX became the flagship station of the "Paul Finebaum Radio Network", which is syndicated throughout Alabama and adjoining states, in 2007. WJOX is an affiliate of the Tennessee Titans radio network. [ cite web|url=http://www.titansradio.com/stationsal.html|title=Titans Radio in Alabama|work=Titans Radio] The station is also an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves radio network, the largest radio affiliate network in Major League Baseball. [ cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/atl/schedule/affiliates.jsp|title=Affiliate Radio Stations|work=The Official Site of the Atlanta Braves] WJOX is part of the UAB Blazers ISP Sports Network and airs call-in shows featuring head football coach Neil Callaway during the football season and head basketball coach Mike Davis during basketball season. [cite news | first = Steve | last = Irvine | title = Blazers sign on with Citadel Broadcasting | url = http://www.al.com/birminghamnews/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1186130756174320.xml&coll=2 | work = The Birmingham News | location = Birmingham, Alabama | date = 2007-08-03 | accessdate = 2008-01-03 | quote = The Blazers ISP Sports Network has signed a three-year deal with Citadel Broadcasting to serve as the flagship radio stations for UAB football and men's basketball. [...] The Blazers All-Access call-in shows featuring head football coach Neil Callaway in the fall will air Thursday nights at 6 o'clock and will be broadcast on FM-94.5.]

From 1999 until 2006, it was the flagship station of the Rick and Bubba radio network, and it carried John Tesh's syndicated nighttime radio show and Tesh's segments during a mid-day show until May 25, 2007.

History

The forerunner of WYSF debuted on New Year's Day 1947 as WAFM on 93.3 FM. It was a sister station to WAPI-AM; WAPI-TV Channel 13 (now WVTM) was launched in 1949. All three broadcast properties were owned by Advance Publications, the parent company of "The Birmingham News". In the early 1970s, WAPI-FM played "solid gold" music (an early version of the adult contemporary format). In 1978, the station became an easy listening music station, calling itself "Beautiful 94", moving it in competition with WQEZ (now WMJJ).

Federal Communications Commission rules enacted in the late 1970s forced Advance Publications to sell its TV and radio properties in Birmingham. In 1980, Channel 13 and was sold to Times-Mirror Broadcasting, while the radio stations were sold to Dittman Broadcasting, owners of WABB and WABB-FM in Mobile. In 1981, Beautiful 94 switched formats, and became Birmingham's second album rock station with the new name 95 Rock.

During the mid-1980s, the Top 40 format, which had disappeared from radio dials in many cities, regained popularity. Birmingham had one Top 40 station, WKXX (now WBPT). In 1984, the album rock format was dropped in favor Top 40, first calling itself 95 FM. By the end of the year, WAPI-FM was re-launched as I-95, calling itself "Birmingham's Hit Rock". Within a year, I-95 had replaced WKXX as the dominant Top 40 station in Birmingham.

I-95 continued to enjoy dominant ratings throughout the remainder of the 1980s, using the slogan "Birmingham’s All-Hit I-95" for the remainder of that decade, and as "The Station in the 90's" into the 1990s. However, the nationwide decline in popularity of the Top 40 format affected I-95. In 1994, the station changed call letters to WMXQ ("Mix 94.5") and became a hot adult contemporary music station. Mix 94.5 was no more successful than I-95 had been in its latter stages, so in October 1996, the station once again changed formats and became a soft adult contemporary station with the new name "Soft Rock 94.5". The call letters were changed to its current WYSF in November of the same year. Television ads for the new station featured actress Teri Garr.

In 1999, the morning drive team of Rick and Bubba moved from crosstown station WQEN to WYSF, where they remained until December 2006 when they departed for country music station WZZK. In 2001, the station renamed itself Y-94.5, with no real change in its music. In reaction to a steep drop in ratings after the departure of Rick and Bubba, the station changed formats at 5:00 p.m. on May 25, 2007. [cite news |work=The Birmingham News |title=WYSF changing formats |url=http://www.al.com/business/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/business/1180081446240450.xml&coll=2 |date=2007-05-25] The station dropped its soft adult contemporary format and replaced it with a hot adult contemporary format, changing the on-air name of the station to The New 94-5 FM.

On July 4, 2008, the station dropped its hot adult contemporary format and began stunting in anticipation of a new format. [cite news |work=Radio Online |title=WYSF/Birmingham Flips to Stunt Mode, Robison Exits |url=http://news.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/$rol.exe/headline_id=n18144 |date=2008-07-07] The station began playing country music at approximately 9:25 p.m. on the 4th of July and continued doing so for the next two days. The station then began simulcasting co-owned sports radio station WJOX as a temporary measure until the format change is complete.cite news |work=The Birmingham News |first=Stan |last=Diel |url=http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1215764141143110.xml&coll=2 |title=Birmingham's WYSF-FM appears ready to change formats |date=2008-07-11] As of July 22nd the website joxfm.com shows Sports Radio as the new format. There are also billboards in the Birmingham area advertising JOX94.5 as the new home of Sports Radio for Birmingham.

References

External links

* [http://www.joxfm.com WJOX official website]
*FMQ|WJOX
*FML|WJOX
*FMARB|WJOX