Tag Archives: format

WENN goes Neo-Soul

The radio carousel has apparently decided to visit more than one station here in Birmingham, AL this month, bringing a change to both AM and FM dials and a return of a respected set of call letters.

WENN-FM station logoWhile the effort to Save Live 100.5 has grown to more than 17,000 people on Facebook, the call letters WENN have apparently returned to the FM dial at a new address. The format change for the AM signal from news/talk to neo-soul and new FM simulcast of that new format takes place as people gathered downtown today for the first day of the annual A.G. Gaston Conference, named for the prominent African American businessman, Demopolis native and incidentally a former owner of the call letters.

Birmingham’s Neo-Soul Station 101.9 FM is also currently streaming on the Internet and appears to be owned by Cox Radio. The station is currently running an automated playlist without on-air personalities, though one would assume that will change in the near future.

11K strong and growing effort to Save Live 100.5

Save Live 100.5Since our last post about the return of the radio carousel to Birmingham, AL for Live 100.5 FM, more than 11,000 more people have joined the group on Facebook set up to attempt to save the radio station from a pending format change (though as of this post less than 1,200 have signed an online petition asking for Citadel Broadcasting to change its mind). It’s been helped along by pleas on Twitter courtesy of artists like Sara BareillesIngrid Michaelson, and Pete Yorn .

The URL for the new station, an FM-simulcast of WAPI-AM, has already been secured (incidentally one day after parent company Citadel Broadcasting presented its reorganization plan to creditors due to its bankruptcy filing back in December). It also already established its own presence on Facebook via a regular personal profile.

Fans of the station’s current format will want to know that a concert has been organized for this Wednesday, February 17 beginning at 8 p.m. at WorkPlay on Birmingham’s Southside. The music venue has shared its thoughts about the situation on its website as of this afternoon. The lineup for the show includes Will Hoge, Matthew MayfieldThe Enemy Lovers and DJ CO CO with proceeds benefiting the Jimmie Hale Mission and the Greater Birmingham Humane Society.

There also appears to be a group organizing to be at the start line and then along the Mercedes Marathon route tomorrow (Sunday) morning holding up signs to inform more people about the situation at the radio station.

The word on the street is that Live 100.5 FM will cease original programming in its current format when tomorrow’s broadcast of Reg’s Coffee House is finished at 2 p.m. CT.

The Radio Carousel returns, unfortunately, for Live 100.5

UPDATE, 2.14.2010: A newer post includes more information, including background and plans for a concert later this week.

Live 100.5‘s days may be numbered. Former station program director Dave Rossi hinted at what many local alternative music fans are talking about today yesterday via his Facebook status:

“The corporate sharks are circling and the end is near for yet another great radio station….or so I hear.”

A new Facebook group, Save Live 100.5, seems to have confirmed it with their creation earlier today. It currently has 850 members as of the initial posting of this piece.

Citadel Broadcasting, the station’s owner and the nation’s third largest owner of radio stations, filed for bankruptcy protection in late December. There is no official word as of yet, though advertisers with the station have stated on the Facebook group page that they’ve already been informed of the format change.

The station’s lineup includes Reg’s Coffee House, hosted by Scott Register. The station launched in August 2008 and then Terminal contributor Whitney Sides Mitchell had some fun covering its launch for us.

Y94.5, we hardly knew thee…

Y94.5 FM logo - courtesy of MySpace profileYou can definitely tell that we took the weekend off when we miss a Radio Carousel story! The switch apparently took place shortly after Y94.5‘s simulcast of this year’s Thunder on The Mountain festivities. BTW, the website’s currently under construction. There is speculation all over the web as to what’s going to happen next. Wikipedia is currently saying that it’s gone country (though they’re currently simulcasting WJOX today) and Alabama Media Buzz is suggesting that it could be switching to an adult contemporary hits format.

The good news is that no matter what, we can count on Reg broadcasting next Sunday (at least that’s the word from the man himself courtesy of his Facebook account.

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