WKOR-FM

Infobox Radio station
name = WKOR-FM


city = Columbus, Mississippi
area = Columbus-Starkville-West Point
slogan =
branding = "K94.9todayscountryfavorit"
frequency = 94.9 MHz
repeater =
airdate =
share = 7.0
share as of = Fa'07
share source = R&Rcite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Columbus-Starkville-West Point Market Ratings | date= | url=http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRRatings/DefaultSearch.aspx?MarketName=Columbus-Starkville-West%20Point&MarketRank=%20 | work =Radio & Records | pages = | date = | language = ]
format = Country music
power =
erp = 50,000 watts
haat = 150.0 meters
class = C2
facility_id = 24531
coordinates = coord|33|28|38.00|N| 88|16|25.00|W|region:US_type:city
callsign_meaning = King of Rock [ cite web|url=http://www.oldradio.com/archives/nelson/origins.call-list.html |title=Call Letter Origins |work=Radio History on the Web ]
former_callsigns = WXZD (1990-1990)
WKIR (1990-1993)
owner = Cumulus Media
licensee = CUMULUS LICENSING LLC
sister_stations =
webcast = [http://www.k949.net listen live]
website = [http://www.k949.net k949.net]
affiliations = ABC Radio

WKOR (94.9 FM), known as "K94.9", is a country music radio station based in Columbus, Mississippi. WKOR is owned by Cumulus Licensing LLC. WKOR serves East Central Mississippi and parts of West Central Alabama with an ERP of 50,000 Watts. Cities in the primary coverage area are Columbus, West Point, and Starkville, Mississippi.

History

WKOR's AM station has been around for many years. Aside from a series of late night broadcasts for testing purposes, WKOR (980 kHz) went on the air for the first time at Noon July 9, 1968. First DJs were Program Director Bill Tanner (who went on to Y-100 in Miami and KLVE in Los Angeles), Butch Luke (former Mississippi State football player and later continued as a big local personality) and Jon Robin (from WACR in Columbus). The station, known then as "The Voice Of The Golden Triangle," was Top 40. First GM was former TV newsman Lep Boyd (He later ran an airplane banner service in the Carolinas) and the sales manager was Lew Sadler. The owner was C.K. "Ken" Irby.

Later DJs included Giles K. Ward (Louisville, MS), Stan Ryder (Later worked for Peavey, the guitar amp people), J. Mark Shands (a Starkville High student who also used the name Terry McGrew at first and went on to WJDX-WZZQ/Jackson, Y-100/Miami, WRNO/New Orleans, Power 96/Miami and DMX MUSIC/Los Angeles), Tom Collins, Grady Moates (Who was also station engineer while at WKOR and is now a nationally known audio and broadcast engineer) and Larry London (Who became a well known newsman in Jackson). Other former KOR talents included Dontan Smith, Bill Evans (now a meteorologist at WABC-TV in New York City), Glen James, Larry Blakeney, John "Boogie" Bailey, Fred Wilson, Rob Grayson, and news director Jodi Roberts, now heard on WWMS-FM in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Don R. Vaughan, Ph.D. in Mass Communication, and former air talent, has written "The Big 98, WKOR: A Pop Cultural Phenomenon".

The station studio was located at 201 Lampkin Street in Starkville. Sometime in the distant past, the WKOR-AM station building was a doctor's office which was next door to a funeral home. Word is that bodies were sometimes stored in the basement of the doctor's office, which is where the WKOR control room was later located! Many former WKOR-AM staffers report tales of ghosts and strange noises in the night there in the old WKOR building back in the 60's, 70's and 80's. One former program director, Dennis Hudson (Who became a well known TV newsman in the area), said he thought the ghost was the old doctor who once worked there.

After the National Anthem, the first song KOR played was The Horse by Cliff Nobles & Co. Other first songs include Sky Pilot by Eric Burdon & The Animals, MacArthur Park by Richard Harris, Grazing in the Grass by Hugh Masekela, Don't Take It So Hard by Paul Revere & The Raiders, Some Things You Never Get Used To by The Supremes, Indian Lake by The Cowsills, People Got To Be Free by The Rascals, Angel Of The Morning by Merilee Rush, Sunshine Of Your Love by Cream, Stoned Soul Picnic by 5th Dimension, and Here Comes The Judge by Pigmeat Markham. Early in WKOR's life the station received a gold single award for Hooked On A Feeling by BJ Thomas, which was displayed in the station lobby for many years.

In the early days of the station, WKOR had a huge old style mobile home, known as the "KOR Caravan" for remote broadcasts, the first being at Woolco in the Gateway Shopping Center. On a Saturday afternoon in October 1968 the caravan was in the town of Maben. Butch Luke got so many groupies into the back of the caravan that it stood up on its end! Bill Tanner was on the air when suddenly all he could see was the sky! J. Mark Shands rushed back to the main studio in Starkville and nervously went on the air, his first time.

WKOR had listener reports as far away as Memphis, back in 1968. It is the station that ended WSSO's radio monopoly in Starkville and was the first media in the area dedicated to the young people.

At last report WKOR was an ESPN affiliate. It has also been reported that the station is regularly off the air due to technical problems.

References

External links

*FM station data|WKOR