WROX (AM)

WROX (1450 kHz) is an oldies AM radio station in Clarksdale, Mississippi. It is a class C station operating with 1,000 watts. The WROX studio and business office is located at 628 DeSoto Avenue, one block from the famous 'Crossroads' in Clarksdale.

WROX
Broadcast areaCoahoma County, Mississippi
Frequency1450 kHz
Programming
FormatOldies
AffiliationsFox News Radio
Ownership
Owner
  • Terry Ballard
  • (WROX, LLC)
History
First air date
June 5, 1944
Call sign meaning
sounds like "rocks"
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID11611
ClassC
Power1,000 watts unlimited
Transmitter coordinates
34°12′40″N 90°34′42″W
Translator(s)97.5 W248CL (Clarksdale)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
WebsiteWROX Online
WROX Building
Original WROX building at 257 Delta Avenue in Clarksdale
Location257 Delta Ave., Clarksdale, Mississippi
Coordinates34°12′5″N 90°34′29″W
NRHP reference No.02000854[2]
Added to NRHPAugust 9, 2002

WROX is noted for having had the first black radio announcer in Mississippi, Early Wright, also known as "The Soul Man" and "Brother Early Wright." Wright hosted a show on WROX for over 50 years.[3] Notable blues musicians who hosted programs or performed on air at WROX include Ike Turner, Robert Nighthawk, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Raymond Hill, and Doctor Ross.[4]

History

WROX started transmitting on June 5, 1944, operating from 321 Delta Avenue with 250 watts and owned by Robin Weaver, Sr.[5] It moved to 257 Delta Avenue in July 1945.[6] For 40 years, the station was located inside the Alcazar Hotel until moving out in the 1990s.[7][4]

WROX Studios

Since 2005, the station has been located at 628 Desoto Avenue in Clarksdale, one block from the famous 'Crossroads.'

In 1947, station manager Preston "Buck" Hinman hired Early Wright as the first black radio announcer in Mississippi. Musicians Wright hosted on WROX included Sonny Boy Williamson II, Sam Cooke, B.B. King, Little Milton, Pinetop Perkins, Elvis Presley, Charley Pride, Bobby Rush, Rufus Thomas, and Muddy Waters. In the 1940s, Ike Turner became a disc jockey at WROX and hosted his own show called "Jive Till Five."[4] Turner later played live broadcasts with his band, the Kings of Rhythm. Raymond Hill, called "chief of the hepcats," who was a saxophonist in Turner's band also had a show.

The station's power was increased to 1,000 watts in 1964, using a RCA BTA-1R transmitter.[8] The AM transmitter was updated with a Broadcast Electronics AM-1A transmitter in 2006. The FM simulcast on 105.7 FM was set up in 2010.[8] The FM translator later moved to 97.5.

The 257 Delta Avenue location was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, and in 2012 a Mississippi Blues Trail marker was placed there.[4][2] In 2004, Clarksdale businessman Kinchen "Bubba" O’Keefe opened a WROX Museum.[4]

On November 17, 2020, all broadcast and business operations of WROX Radio were suspended.[9] In a request to remain silent, the station explained that a lender had foreclosed on the property.[10] The station returned to the air on August 16, 2021, and the station and its transmitter were then sold to Contemporary Communications, LLC effective November 20, 2021.[11] Contemporary then entered in January 2022 into an agreement to sell WROX and its translator to WROX, LLC, headed by Terry Ballard, for $150,000.[12] The sale was consummated on May 23, 2022.

References
  1. "Facility Technical Data for WROX". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. Cheseborough, Steve. Blues Traveling, The Holy Sites of Delta Blues. 3rd ed. University Press of Mississippi, 2009. ISBN 978-1-60473-124-8. p. 93.
  4. "WROX - Clarksdale". Mississippi Blues Commission. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  5. FCC History Cards for WROX
  6. Audra Leslie Brecher (August 2001). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: WROX Building" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-11-06. Photos
  7. Wilkerson, Lyn (2010). Slow Travels-Mississippi. Lyn Wilkerson. ISBN 978-1-4523-3229-1.
  8. "WROX History". WROX Radio. Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  9. "97.5 WROX and AM 1450". Wroxradio.com. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  10. "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". Federal Communications Commission. December 28, 2020.
  11. Venta, Lance (September 3, 2021). "Station Sales Week Of 9/3: Family Life Ministries Buys Two & Sells One". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  12. "Assignment (LMS #180323)". FCC Licensing and Management System. January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to WROX Radio.

W248CL in the FCC FM station database

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