WZZK-FM

WZZK-FM

City	Birmingham, Alabama
Broadcast area	Birmingham and north-central Alabama
Branding	104.7 WZZK
Slogan	Commercial Free Country
Frequency	104.7 MHz (also on HD Radio)
First air date	1948 (as WJLN)
Format	Country HD2: Soft AC (WENN simulcast)
ERP	97,800 watts
HAAT	404 meters
Class	C0
Facility ID	48724
Former callsigns	WJLN (1948-1973)
Owner	Summit Media LLC (SM-WZZK, LLC)
Sister stations	WAGG, WBHJ, WBHK, WBPT, WENN, WPYA
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	wzzk.com

WZZK-FM (104.7 FM) is a country music formatted radio station licensed to Birmingham that serves northern and central Alabama. As of January 3, 2007, WZZK-FM is the flagship station of the Rick and Bubba radio network. It was the first FM station in Birmingham to switch to country music, and throughout much of the 1980s and 1990s was the top-rated radio station in Birmingham.^[1] The station is owned by Summit Media alongside six other stations, and all share studios in the Cahaba neighborhood in far southeast Birmingham. Its transmitter is located atop Red Mountain in Birmingham.

History

The 104.7 frequency was originally put on the air as the sister station of WJLD-AM (1400). It signed on in 1948 as WJLN-FM and originally repeated the rhythm and blues music format of the AM station. By the end of the 1960s, WJLN began playing progressive rock music at night, while continuing the daytime simulcast of WJLD.

In 1973, the call letters of WJLN were changed to WZZK. With the new call letters, WZZK became a full-time album rock station. The station’s main competitor in this format was WERC-FM. However, the station failed to attract a significant listening audience. In 1977, WVOK-FM (K-99) made its on-air debut as an album rock station, forcing WZZK to abandon the format a year later.

In 1978, WZZK changed formats and became Birmingham's first FM country music station, challenging long-time market leader WYDE-AM. Initially, the new WZZK was automated, with no live studio announcers. The station began adding announcers in 1980 and began to assert itself in the Birmingham market. By 1982, the success of WZZK forced WYDE to drop the country music it had had since 1963. Throughout most of the 1980s and 90s, WZZK was ranked no lower than #3 in the Birmingham Arbitron ratings, despite challenges from first WQUS, then from WBMH, later WIKX. Neither station made a significant impact; in fact, the parent company of WZZK bought WIKX in 1991 and changed its format.

In 1985, the first of two AM stations that had the WZZK call letters made its debut. Longtime Top 40 powerhouse WSGN (610) was purchased, and began a simulcast that continued until 1998. The AM station is now one of the more successful urban gospel stations in Birmingham. In 2003, the second WZZK-AM debuted as a classic country station at 1320 AM (now WENN). The second WZZK-AM changed formats in January 2006 and is today an adult hits radio station.

The most serious and successful challenge to WZZK’s dominance came in 1994, when WZBQ, a station licensed to Jasper that had previously targeted the Tuscaloosa area, moved its studios to Birmingham and relaunched itself as WOWC. The new competitor, by then having the new call letters WDXB, gradually began chipping away at WZZK’s audience, and in 2002 began broadcasting from atop Red Mountain in Birmingham, where most of the market’s FM stations have their broadcast towers located. In 2006, WZZK and WDXB were the two dominant country music stations in Birmingham.

On January 2, 2007, it was announced that the popular morning-drive radio team of Rick and Bubba would be moving their show from crosstown rival WYSF to WZZK, effective the next day.

On July 20, 2012, Cox Radio, Inc. announced the sale of WZZK and 22 other stations to Summit Media LLC for $66.25 million. The sale was consummated on May 3, 2013.^[2]^[3]

Programming

Notable programming includes The Rick & Bubba Show with Rick Burgess, Bill "Bubba" Bussey, Calvin "Speedy" Wilburn, Greg Burgess & Don Dailey (News). Other on-air personalities include Tess on mid-days, WZZK DJ PJ on afternoons, Jamie on nights and Ron Foster, Jay Michaels and Adler from the Rick & Bubba Show on weekends.

References

↑ "Birmingham 12+ Metro Share" (PDF). Radio’s On-Line Library.
↑ https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/59007/cox-puts-clusters-up-for-sale/
↑ https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/80882/cox-sells-stations-in-six-markets-to-two-groups/

External links

Query the FCC's FM station database for WZZK

Radio-Locator information on WZZK

Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WZZK

Radio stations serving the Birmingham, Alabama market

by FM frequency	88.1 88.1 88.5 89.5 89.9 90.3 91.1 91.9 92.5 93.7 94.5 94.9 95.7 96.1 96.5 97.3 97.7 98.3 98.7 99.1 99.5 100.1 100.5 101.1 101.5 102.1 102.5 103.1 103.7 104.1 104.7 105.1 105.5 106.5 106.9 107.3 107.7

by AM frequency	610 690 760 850 900 960 1070 1220 1240 1260 1320 1360 1400 1430 1450 1480 1500 1540 1570

NOAA Weather Radio frequency	162.425 162.550

by call sign	KIH54 K-Love W235BS W252BE W256CD W261BX W271BN W276BQ W281AB W286BK W293CM W297BF WAGG WAPI WATV WAY-FM Network WAYE WBFR WBHJ WBHK WBHM WBPT WCRL WDJC-FM WDXB WENN WERC WERC-FM WFHK WGIB WHPH WIXI WJLD WJLX WJOX WJOX-FM WJQX WKDG WKRE WLJR WMJJ WMMA WNG606 WPYA WQCR WQEM WQEN WSJL WUHT WURL WVSU-FM WXJC WXJC-FM WYDE WYDE-FM WZGX WZRR WZZK-FM

Defunct	WCOC (1010 AM) WBYE (1370 AM) WJSR (91.1 FM)

Alabama radio markets Birmingham Dothan Florence-Muscle Shoals Huntsville Mobile Montgomery Tuscaloosa Other Alabama radio regions Anniston Auburn Columbus, Georgia Gadsden Meridian, Mississippi See also List of radio stations in Alabama

Radio stations serving the Tuscaloosa, Alabama area

By FM frequency	88.5 88.9 90.7 91.5 92.1 92.9 93.7 94.1 94.5 95.3 96.5 96.9 97.5 98.1 98.7 99.1 99.5 100.1 100.5 100.9 101.7 102.1 102.5 102.9 103.3 103.7 104.3 104.7 105.1 105.9 106.3 106.9 107.3 107.7 107.9

By AM frequency	690 790 1110 1150 1230 1280 1340 1420

NOAA Weather Radio frequency	162.400

by call sign	W221DB W245BR W248BO W261BT W265CG W271AM W292DU W297BJ W300AE KIH60 WACT WALJ WBEI WBHK WBIB WBPT WDXB WFFN WGIB WJOX WJOX-FM WJQX WJRD WKUA WLXQ WMFT WMHZ WMJJ WMXB WNPT-FM WQEN WRTR WTBC WTSK WTUG-FM WTUS-LP WTXT WUAL WUHT WVUA-FM WWPG WZBQ WZRR WZZK-FM

Defunct	WUAC-LP (103.3 FM)

Alabama radio markets Birmingham Dothan Florence-Muscle Shoals Huntsville Mobile Montgomery Tuscaloosa Other Alabama radio regions Anniston Auburn Columbus, Georgia Gadsden Meridian, Mississippi See also List of radio stations in Alabama Columbus-Starkville-West Point Radio

Country radio stations in the state of Alabama

Stations	WAAO-FM – Andalusia WALQ - Carrville WAMI-FM – Opp WBAM-FM – Montgomery WBMH – Grove Hill WBZR-FM – Atmore WCKA – Jacksonville WCKF – Ashland WDJR – Hartford WDRM – Decatur WDXB – Pelham/Birmingham WDXX – Selma WECB – Headland WEIS – Centre WELB – Elba WELR-FM – Roanoke WERH-FM – Hamilton WFFN – Coaling/Tuscaloosa WFHK – Pell City WFMH-FM – Hackleburg WGOL – Russellville WHMA-FM – Hobson City WHSL – Lisman WINL – Linden WIXI – Jasper WJDB-FM – Thomasville WKDG – Sumiton WKEA-FM – Scottsboro WKGA – Goodwater WKKR – Auburn WKNU – Brewton WKSJ-FM – Mobile WKUL – Cullman WLAY-FM – Littleville WLDX – Fayette WLMA - Alexander City WLWI-FM – Montgomery WOPP – Opp WPIL – Heflin WPPG – Repton WQAH-FM – Addison WQSB – Albertville WQSI – Tuskegee WQZX – Greenville WRAB – Arab WRLD - Valley/Columbus, GA WRMG – Red Bay WSMX-FM – Goshen WSTH-FM – Alexander City WTBC – Tuscaloosa WTDR – Gadsden WTDR-FM – Talladega WTID – Thomaston WTVY-FM – Dothan WTWX-FM – Guntersville WTXT – Fayette/Tuscaloosa WVSA – Vernon WVVL – Elba WWFF – New Market/Huntsville WWIC – Scottsboro WXFL – Florence WZOB – Fort Payne WZZK-FM – Birmingham

See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Alabama

Coordinates: 33°29′06″N 86°48′25″W / 33.485°N 86.807°W / 33.485; -86.807

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