WSPZ
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| City of license | Birmingham, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Birmingham |
| Branding | Jox 690 |
| Slogan | The Sports Monster |
| First air date | 1947 as WVOK |
| Frequency | 690 KHz |
| Format | Sports |
| ERP | 50,000 watts daytime, 500 watts nighttime |
| Class | B |
| Callsign meaning | unknown |
| Owner | Citadel Communications |
| Website | www.wjox690.com |
WSPZ is an AM radio station licensed to Birmingham, Alabama. Its daytime power is 50,000 watts and at nighttime it broadcasts at 500 watts. Calling itself "The Sports Monster", it is an all-sports station. Until December 1, 2006, the station's call sign was WJOX. It is the Birmingham affiliate of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide Sports Network (football only), the Auburn Network (basketball only}, Tennessee Titans Radio, the Atlanta Braves Radio Network, and ESPN Radio. WSPZ and its FM simulcast partner, WJOX-FM (formerly WRAX) feature locally hosted call-in shows from 6:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. WSPZ is owned by Citadel Communications. Other Birmingham area stations owned by Citadel include WTUG-FM (92.9), WYSF-FM (94.5), WZRR-FM (99.5), WJOX-FM (100.5), WUHT-FM (107.7), and WAPI-AM (1070).
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[edit] History
The station that now broadcasts from 690 AM in Birmingham signed on in 1947 as WVOK. It was the first radio station in Birmingham to broadcast at 50,000 watts. Due to Federal Communications Commission restrictions, the station broadcast only during daytime hours. It was not until the early 1980s that WVOK was able to broadcast 24 hours a day.
Throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s, WVOK was a Top 40 station calling itself “The Mighty 690” with a signal that covered almost all of north and central Alabama, as well as parts of Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee. Rather than attempting to compete with crosstown station (and market leader) WSGN, WVOK targeted listeners in the rural areas of the states its signal reached. One of the most popular promotions of WVOK was their “Shower of Stars” concert series. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, these concerts brought such performers as the Rolling Stones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Neil Diamond and the Beach Boys to Birmingham.
In 1977, WVOK dropped Top 40 music and became a country station using the nickname OK 69. At about the same time, sister station WVOK-FM (now WZRR) signed on with an album rock format. Country music on WVOK-AM continued until 1985, when it became an oldies station. In 1989, oldies were dropped, and the station began playing classic country music.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, several AM stations in Birmingham debuted afternoon sports talk call-in shows. Eli Gold had a successful show on WERC (960 AM), and local sportswriter Paul Finebaum had debuted a popular show on WAPI (1070 AM). In 1990, Herb Winches, a former TV sports anchor on WBRC and WVTM, joined WVOK with his own sports talk show. Because Winches’ show was fairly successful, and because, by the 1990s, there were few AM radio stations that were successful playing music, station management made the decision to launch an all-sports station in 1992. The legendary WVOK call letters were dropped, and the station became known as WJOX.
[edit] Move to FM
On November 29, 2006, WJOX began simulcasting on the 100.5 FM frequency of sister station WRAX. On December 1, the AM station changed its call letters to WSPZ, and the WJOX call sign moved to the FM station.
[edit] Weekday Program Schedule
- 6:00-10:00 a.m.: The Opening Drive, with Tony Kurre, former University of Alabama quarterback Jay Barker, and former Auburn University placekicker Al Del Greco
- 10:00 a.m.-noon: Middays with Matt, featuring former WVTM sports anchor and former UAB broadcaster Matt Coulter
- 12:00-1:00 p.m.: The JOX Roundtable w/ Lance Taylor roundtableradio.com
- 1:00-3:00 p.m.: Dunaway & Brown, with Ryan Brown and WVTM's (NBC) Jim Dunaway, NBC 13 Website
- 3:00-6:00 p.m.: The Big Time, with Herb Winches, Birmingham News sports columnist Ray Melick, and former WBMA sportscaster Kelly Hunter
[edit] External links
- Official Website of WSPZ
- Official Website of The Roundtable
- Query the FCC's AM station database for WSPZ
| AM Radio stations serving the Birmingham / Tuscaloosa / Anniston/ Gadsden area (Arbitron #57) | |
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WAGG 610 | WSPZ 690 | WURL 760 (St. Clair Co.) | WXJC 850 | WATV 900 | WERC 960 | WCOC 1010 (Jasper) | WAPI 1070 | WAYE 1220 | WLYJ 1240 (Jasper) | WLGD 1260 | WPSB 1320 | WIXI 1360 (Jasper) | WBYE 1370 (Shelby Co.) | WJLD 1400 | WFHK 1430 (Pell City) | WZGX 1450 | WRLM 1480 | WQCR 1500 (Shelby Co.) | WRSM 1540 (Jasper) | WCRL 1570 (Blount Co.) | |
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WTSK 790 | WBIB 1110 | WJRD 1150 | WTBC 1230 | WWPG 1280 | WACT 1420 | |
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WZZX 780 | WEIS 990 | WHOG 1120 | WNUZ 1230 | WYEA 1290 | WFEB 1340 | WHMA 1390 | WDNG 1450 | WANA 1490 | WVOK 1580 | |
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WAAX 570 | WCKS 810 | WJBY 930 | WMGJ 1240 | WPID 1280 | WGAD 1350 | WZTQ 1560 | |
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