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WEUP (AM)
Encyclopedia
WEUP is an urban contemporary gospel
formatted radio station
that serves Huntsville, Alabama
, and the majority of the Tennessee Valley
in North Alabama
, United States
. WEUP is dubbed "Huntsville's Heritage Station" because it was the first in the region to broadcast an urban format. It has an urban contemporary
sister station called WEUP-FM
.
WEUP is simulcast on WEUV
(1190 AM) in Moulton, Alabama
. The WEUP call letters were on the 1600 AM signal from 1958 until a 2006 re-alignment with co-owned WEUV (originally 1700 AM) and WHIY (originally 1190 AM).
1600 kilohertz (kHz) AM
station owned by Leroy and Viola Garrett, who became the first African-American owners of a radio station in the state of Alabama
. WEUP first broadcast from a pink trailer in the grounds of Syler Tabernacle Church in Huntsville, before moving to its present studios on Jordan Lane. The station's format was a mixture of gospel music
, sermons, news, and R&B, everyday from sunrise to 6 p.m.
Listeners of 1600 AM were able to hear a viable mix of gospel and soul music as well as news and public affairs catering to the interests of the Tennessee Valley's black population.
The Garretts made history when they testified before a congressional
committee in 1963, the outcome of which resulted in the change of a Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) law regulating 24-hour broadcasts in the 1960s. That same year WEUP began 24-hour broadcasts, yet another milestone for urban radio.
The station celebrated its 50th anniversary by hosting a Blues Festival on August 16, 2008, at Kalea Park in Meridianville, Alabama
. The festival featured national, regional, and local blues artists performing live.
, (just north of the Alabama border) and brought WEUP onto the FM broadcast airwaves.
They operated WEUP & WEUZ-FM under the parent company name of Broadcast One. They continued to expand the station's audience by acquiring WHIY (then at 1190 AM) and WXKI (103.1 FM, now WEUP-FM), both licensed to Moulton
in 1989. WEUV
(then at 1700 AM) was later added to the group of stations that are part of the WEUP broadcast family.
of Northern Alabama. Batts was honored as a civic leader and for his contributions to free enterprise and the community.
Urban contemporary gospel
Traditional black gospel is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
formatted radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
that serves Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
, and the majority of the Tennessee Valley
Tennessee Valley
The Tennessee Valley is the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and is largely within the U.S. state of Tennessee. It stretches from southwest Kentucky to northwest Georgia and from northeast Mississippi to the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina...
in North Alabama
North Alabama
North Alabama is a region of the U.S. state of Alabama, generally considered to include 12 counties: Cherokee, Colbert, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, Morgan, and Winston, with a combined population of 958,247, or 20.84% of the state's population as...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. WEUP is dubbed "Huntsville's Heritage Station" because it was the first in the region to broadcast an urban format. It has an urban contemporary
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
sister station called WEUP-FM
WEUP-FM
-External links:*...
.
WEUP is simulcast on WEUV
WEUV
WEUV is an urban contemporary gospel formatted radio station licensed to Moulton, Alabama, that serves Huntsville, Alabama, and northwest Alabama, United States.Its programming is a simulcast of sister station WEUP...
(1190 AM) in Moulton, Alabama
Moulton, Alabama
Moulton is a city in Lawrence County, Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 3,260. The city is the county seat of Lawrence County.-Geography:Moulton is located at ...
. The WEUP call letters were on the 1600 AM signal from 1958 until a 2006 re-alignment with co-owned WEUV (originally 1700 AM) and WHIY (originally 1190 AM).
History
WEUP began broadcasting on March 20, 1958, on an 100-wattWatt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
1600 kilohertz (kHz) AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
station owned by Leroy and Viola Garrett, who became the first African-American owners of a radio station in the state of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. WEUP first broadcast from a pink trailer in the grounds of Syler Tabernacle Church in Huntsville, before moving to its present studios on Jordan Lane. The station's format was a mixture of gospel music
Urban contemporary gospel
Traditional black gospel is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
, sermons, news, and R&B, everyday from sunrise to 6 p.m.
Listeners of 1600 AM were able to hear a viable mix of gospel and soul music as well as news and public affairs catering to the interests of the Tennessee Valley's black population.
The Garretts made history when they testified before a congressional
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
committee in 1963, the outcome of which resulted in the change of a Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) law regulating 24-hour broadcasts in the 1960s. That same year WEUP began 24-hour broadcasts, yet another milestone for urban radio.
The station celebrated its 50th anniversary by hosting a Blues Festival on August 16, 2008, at Kalea Park in Meridianville, Alabama
Meridianville, Alabama
Meridianville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Madison County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the community is 6,021....
. The festival featured national, regional, and local blues artists performing live.
Ownership
Viola Garrett decided to sell the station in 1987 after the death of her husband, Leroy. Later that year, Hundley Batts, Sr. and Dr. Virginia Caples, another married couple, assumed the ownership and operation of WEUP. They also acquired another station, WEUZ-FM (92.1 FM), licensed to Minor Hill, TennesseeMinor Hill, Tennessee
Minor Hill is a city in Giles County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 537 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Minor Hill is located at ....
, (just north of the Alabama border) and brought WEUP onto the FM broadcast airwaves.
They operated WEUP & WEUZ-FM under the parent company name of Broadcast One. They continued to expand the station's audience by acquiring WHIY (then at 1190 AM) and WXKI (103.1 FM, now WEUP-FM), both licensed to Moulton
Moulton, Alabama
Moulton is a city in Lawrence County, Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 3,260. The city is the county seat of Lawrence County.-Geography:Moulton is located at ...
in 1989. WEUV
WEUV
WEUV is an urban contemporary gospel formatted radio station licensed to Moulton, Alabama, that serves Huntsville, Alabama, and northwest Alabama, United States.Its programming is a simulcast of sister station WEUP...
(then at 1700 AM) was later added to the group of stations that are part of the WEUP broadcast family.
Awards
In November 2007, WEUP owner Hundley Batts was recognized as one of five 2008 Northern Alabama Business Hall of Fame Laureates by Junior AchievementJunior Achievement
Junior Achievement or JA or JA Worldwide is a non-profit youth organization that was founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and senator Winthrop M. Crane. JA focuses on educating kids in K-12 about the free enterprise system...
of Northern Alabama. Batts was honored as a civic leader and for his contributions to free enterprise and the community.