WPPT (AM)

WPPT (1230 AM) was an American radio station formerly licensed to serve the community of Talladega, Alabama. The station, established in 1945, was last owned by Birmingham Christian Radio, Inc.

WPPT
Broadcast areaTalladega, Alabama
Frequency1230 kHz
Programming
FormatDefunct
Ownership
OwnerBirmingham Christian Radio, Inc.
History
First air date
1945 (as WHTB)
Former call signs
WHTB (1945-1959)
WNUZ (1959-2012)
WPPT (2012)
Technical information
Facility ID54472
ClassC
Power1,000 watts (unlimited)
Transmitter coordinates
33°25′16″N 86°07′13″W

Programming

WPPT broadcast a Gospel music format to the Anniston, Alabama, area.[1] The station aired a mix of local and syndicated programming.[2]

History

WHTB era

This station first signed on in 1945 as WHTB, broadcasting with 250 watts of power at 1230 kHz under the ownership of Voice of Talladega, Inc.[3] That company, 80% owned by the Talladega Publishing Company which published the Talladega Daily Home and the weekly Talladega News, signed on WHTB-FM as a sister station in 1953.[4]

WNUZ era

WHTB was sold to Radio Alabama, Inc., on June 1, 1959.[5] The new owners had the call letters changed to WNUZ shortly after they acquired the station.[5][6] In 1968, the station upgraded its daytime signal to 1,000 watts.[7]

After more than 37 years of continuous ownership, Radio Alabama, Inc., reached an agreement in March 1997 to sell this station to Birmingham Christian Radio, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on May 13, 1997, and the transaction was consummated on September 10, 1997.[8]

Falling silent

Beginning in October 2005, WNUZ began experiencing a series of technical issues that kept the station from broadcasting for months at a time in 2005 and 2006.[2][9] The station fell silent again in July 2007 and stayed off the air for more than six months due to new technical issues with the transmitter.[10]

On August 22, 2008, WNUZ "suffered direct lightning strikes" during Tropical Storm Fay which resulted in "the complete destruction of the station's transmitter" and caused unspecified damage to other electrical broadcast equipment at the station.[11] The station applied to the FCC for authority to stay silent while their engineers repaired or replaced the damaged gear and evaluated the station's other equipment. On December 24, 2008, WNUZ was granted permission to remain off the air until no later than June 22, 2009.[11][12] The station resumed normal broadcast operations on August 19, 2009.

WPPT era

On March 5, 2012, the station's call sign was changed to WPPT.[6] On April 6, 2012, the FCC cancelled WPPT's license,[13] because the station did not apply for renewal.[14]

References
  1. "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  2. Norwood, Chris (March 4, 2007). "Locally operated radio stations competing with technology". The Daily Home.
  3. "Directory of Standard Broadcasting Stations of the United States". Broadcasting-Telecasting 1948 Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1948. p. 75.
  4. "Directory of AM and FM Radio Stations in the U.S.". 1958 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1958. p. A-235.
  5. "Directory of AM and FM Radio stations in the U.S.". 1960 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1960. p. A-109.
  6. "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  7. "Directory of AM and FM Radio stations in the U.S.". 1968 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1968. p. B-7.
  8. "Application Search Details (BAL-19970328EA)". FCC Media Bureau. September 10, 1997.
  9. "Application Search Details (BLSTA-20051017ADE)". FCC Media Bureau. October 21, 2005.
  10. "Application Search Details (BLSTA-20070720AAW)". FCC Media Bureau. July 23, 2007.
  11. "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA (BLSTA - 20080825ABB)". FCC Media Bureau. August 25, 2008.
  12. "Application Search Details (BLSTA-20080825ABB)". FCC Media Bureau. December 24, 2008.
  13. "Broadcast Actions" (PDF). FCC Media Bureau. April 11, 2012.
  14. "In re: WPPT(AM), Talladega, AL, Facility ID No. 54472". FCC. Retrieved 20 September 2020.


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