WRBO

WRBO (103.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to Como, Mississippi, and serving the Memphis, Tennessee metropolitan area. Owned by Cumulus Media, WRBO has an urban adult contemporary format playing both current and classic R&B music.[1] The station's studios are located at the Memphis Radio Group building in East Memphis, and the transmitter site is in Olive Branch, Mississippi.

WRBO
Broadcast areaMemphis metropolitan area
Frequency103.5 MHz
Branding103.5 WRBO
Programming
FormatUrban adult contemporary
AffiliationsPremiere Networks
Ownership
Owner
WGKX, WKIM, WXMX
History
First air date
1966 (as WNAU)
Former call signs
WNAU (1966–1979)
WOKM (1979–1982)
WOKM-FM (1982–1984)
WWKZ (1984–1998)
Call sign meaning
R&B Oldies
Technical information
Facility ID7075
ClassC1
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT179 meters
Links
WebcastListen Live
Listen Live (iHeart)
Website1035wrbo.com

History

From 1966 to 1998, the 103.5 frequency was licensed to New Albany, Mississippi serving the Tupelo area. The station's call letters were WNAU from 1966 to 1979.[2] In 1979, WNAU's call letters changed to WOKM (later WOKM-FM in 1982). In 1984, the call letters changed to WWKZ, and the station had a Top 40 format branded "KZ-103".[3][4] WWKZ became among the first FM radio stations with studios in Tupelo when it moved there in 1986.[4]

In 1997, Massachusetts-based Barnstable Broadcasting purchased WWKZ from Radio South in Meridian, Mississippi and started plans to move the station to the larger Memphis, Tennessee market.[5] Effective May 1, 1998, WWKZ was re-licensed to Como, Mississippi serving the Memphis area, with call letters WRBO and broadcasting from a transmitter in nearby Olive Branch, Mississippi. Its R&B format branded "Soul Classics" began in June 1998.[3][6][5]

In 2004, Citadel Broadcasting purchased WRBO from Barnstable.[7] Cumulus Media bought Citadel and all its stations in 2011.[8][9]

In 2011, WRBO began phasing in Adult R&B currents while continuing to play classic R&B.

The station currently airs the syndicated Steve Harvey Morning Show and The D.L. Hughley Show. Its main competitor is KJMS, whose Urban AC direction reflects more currents. Because of this shift to Urban AC, Mediabase added WRBO to its Urban AC reporting panel in March 2012.[10]

WRBO was the radio flagship station for Memphis Grizzlies (National Basketball Association) games until the 2010–11 season, after which Entercom-owned WMFS AM and FM picked up the Grizzlies' broadcast rights.[11]

References
  1. "#51 Memphis". Radio Online. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  2. "White's Radio Log" (PDF), Radio-TV Experimenter, vol. 21, no. 2, p. 108, October–November 1966
  3. "Call Sign History".
  4. Elkins, Ashley (October 23, 1996). "Radio stations". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Roswel Tupelo. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  5. "Short takes". The Memphis Flyer. July 10, 1997. Archived from the original on October 7, 1999. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  6. Hanas, Jim (June 11, 1998). "Urban Assault Vehicle". The Memphis Flyer. Archived from the original on October 2, 1999. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  7. "Citadel Broadcasting to Acquire 4 Radio Stations from Barnstable Broadcasting". Citadel Broadcasting. January 29, 2004. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  8. Allison, David (December 1, 2017). "Owner of several Memphis radio stations files Chapter 11 bankruptcy". Memphis Business Journal. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  9. Bond, Paul (March 10, 2011). "Cumulus Media to Buy Citadel Broadcasting in $2.4 Billion Deal". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  10. "Mediabase Makes Panel Changes" from All Access (March 9, 2012)
  11. "Walking In Memphis: Grizzlies Move Radio Broadcasts To ESPN-Affiliated Stations". Sports Business Daily. August 18, 2011. Retrieved May 17, 2018.

34.862°N 89.878°W / 34.862; -89.878

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