Tag Archives: newstalk

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.

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.