WFOM (AM)
Encyclopedia
WFOM AM, "1230 The Fan 2", is an Atlanta AM
radio station
broadcasting on a frequency of 1230 kHz. The radio station
is licensed to the city of Marietta, Georgia
, and currently is an ESPN Radio
affiliate. WFOM, along with WCNN
and WIFN, are owned by Dickey Broadcasting. The broadcast facilities are in Buckhead
, even though the signal is weak in that area. The station is also the home for Kennesaw State University
basketball.
WFOM was known around Marietta, Georgia
and Cobb County
for its Top 40 format during the 1960s & 1970s. Despite a rather inferior signal, WFOM regularly placed within the top-five of rated Atlanta-area stations, Metro-wide. The Top 40 success of the station, which included prominence in the music industry, influenced Jerry Crowe, the radio executive co-owner in co-creating Video Concert Hall
, precursor to MTV
. (Crowe purchased the station from the estate of Jimmy Davenport, who was a leading Rock promoter in the South throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. Among other events, the crew convinced Wolfman Jack to stop by during a visit to Atlanta, where he did one live afternoon airshift in 1973.) WFOM ended its somewhat unique format in June 1983. The last song that was played on that format, was Barbara Mandrell
's "In Times Like These". The next morning, WFOM started playing contemporary Christian
music format. WFOM was known for breaking many new artists to the Atlanta-area audience over many years, including instrumental California-based surf acts, prior to the Beach Boys in 1963. WFOM was way ahead of its Atlanta-based competitors in adding many Soul tunes to its playlist in the mid to late 1960s, by acts such as the Chambers Brothers, Dyke & the Blazers and Johnny Nash. Also added were notable Album/Progressive rock cuts by Deep Purple, Janis Joplin, Vanilla Fudge, Jimi Hendrix and others, while the station maintained a "typical" Top 40-AM presentation style. WFOM was by far the first Metro station to air "The Ballad of John & Yoko" (1969), "Time" by the Chambers Bros. (August 1968), "Oh Well" by the pre-pop Fleetwood Mac and "No Time" by the Guess Who (both, late 1969), as well as cuts by groups such as Blondie (late-1978) and Culture Club (mid-1982).
When Dickey acquired the station in the mid 1990s, the format changed to a quick information format specifically for Cobb County, Georgia
. After that failed, the station became a simulcast of WCNN's sports format. In 2004, WFOM switched to a simulcast of WALR's talk format. In 2005, when WALR flipped to Spanish sports, the talk format remained on WFOM. In 2007 WALR briefly simulcast WFOM once again, only to drop the simulcast for sports as a Fox Sports Radio affiliate.
Jack Hurst (Sports, former Atlanta Falcons Announcer)
Stan Mason (Kerry Fink)
Dale Deason
Keith Connors (WIDE107/Y106,B98.5FM. now in Tampa/St Pete at MAGIC 94.9)
Dennis Allen (Stage)
Larry Shierbecker
Connie Prichard
Tony Lype
Dain Schult
Scott Evans
Big Hugh “Baby” Jarrett
Garry Kinsey
Mike Adams
Bob Middleton
Pete Owen
BOOMER (Steve Sutton)
Red Jones
Pepper Martin (Sports)
Jack Jackson (Jack Geisler)
Pat Kelly
David Lloyd
Randy K. Riggs
John L. Callihan
Mark Shierbecker
Scott Richards (Rick Ruhl)
Jon Kirby
Don Yow (Sunday Night Talk Show)
Darlene Wofford
Mark McCain
Ross Brittian
John Drake
Vicki Kay
Herb Emory
John Long
Gary Pearcey
Bill Duncan
Rebecca Stevens
Vic Jester
Greg McClure
Wolfman Jack (visiting DJ, one show)
David Raye (Ray Beadles)
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...
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...
broadcasting on a frequency of 1230 kHz. The 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...
is licensed to the city of Marietta, Georgia
Marietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...
, and currently is an ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
affiliate. WFOM, along with WCNN
WCNN (AM)
WCNN is an AM station broadcasting on a frequency of 680 kHz and serving the Atlanta-area radio market with a sports radio format. The station is commonly known by the on-air branding as "680 the Fan"...
and WIFN, are owned by Dickey Broadcasting. The broadcast facilities are in Buckhead
Buckhead (Atlanta)
Buckhead is the uptown district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, comprising approximately the northern one-fifth of the city. Buckhead is a major commercial and financial center of the Southeast, and it is the third-largest business district in Atlanta, behind Downtown and Midtown...
, even though the signal is weak in that area. The station is also the home for Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw State University, also referred to as KSU, Kennesaw, or Kennesaw State, is a public, coeducational, comprehensive university that is part of the University System of Georgia. The university's main campus is located in Kennesaw, Georgia, United States, approximately north of Atlanta...
basketball.
WFOM was known around Marietta, Georgia
Marietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...
and Cobb County
Cobb County, Georgia
Cobb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta, which is located in the center of the county. The county was named for Thomas Willis Cobb, who in the early 19th century was a United States representative and senator from Georgia...
for its Top 40 format during the 1960s & 1970s. Despite a rather inferior signal, WFOM regularly placed within the top-five of rated Atlanta-area stations, Metro-wide. The Top 40 success of the station, which included prominence in the music industry, influenced Jerry Crowe, the radio executive co-owner in co-creating Video Concert Hall
Video Concert Hall
Video Concert Hall was an early U.S. television network launched on November 1, 1979, on the USA Network and on Showtime, featuring an unhosted rotation of music videos. Often credited as being the precursor to MTV, Video Concert Hall was reportedly the most popular programming on QUBE, a cable...
, precursor to MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. (Crowe purchased the station from the estate of Jimmy Davenport, who was a leading Rock promoter in the South throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. Among other events, the crew convinced Wolfman Jack to stop by during a visit to Atlanta, where he did one live afternoon airshift in 1973.) WFOM ended its somewhat unique format in June 1983. The last song that was played on that format, was Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...
's "In Times Like These". The next morning, WFOM started playing contemporary Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
music format. WFOM was known for breaking many new artists to the Atlanta-area audience over many years, including instrumental California-based surf acts, prior to the Beach Boys in 1963. WFOM was way ahead of its Atlanta-based competitors in adding many Soul tunes to its playlist in the mid to late 1960s, by acts such as the Chambers Brothers, Dyke & the Blazers and Johnny Nash. Also added were notable Album/Progressive rock cuts by Deep Purple, Janis Joplin, Vanilla Fudge, Jimi Hendrix and others, while the station maintained a "typical" Top 40-AM presentation style. WFOM was by far the first Metro station to air "The Ballad of John & Yoko" (1969), "Time" by the Chambers Bros. (August 1968), "Oh Well" by the pre-pop Fleetwood Mac and "No Time" by the Guess Who (both, late 1969), as well as cuts by groups such as Blondie (late-1978) and Culture Club (mid-1982).
When Dickey acquired the station in the mid 1990s, the format changed to a quick information format specifically for Cobb County, Georgia
Cobb County, Georgia
Cobb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta, which is located in the center of the county. The county was named for Thomas Willis Cobb, who in the early 19th century was a United States representative and senator from Georgia...
. After that failed, the station became a simulcast of WCNN's sports format. In 2004, WFOM switched to a simulcast of WALR's talk format. In 2005, when WALR flipped to Spanish sports, the talk format remained on WFOM. In 2007 WALR briefly simulcast WFOM once again, only to drop the simulcast for sports as a Fox Sports Radio affiliate.
Former on-air staff
Barry Chase and Scott WoodsideJack Hurst (Sports, former Atlanta Falcons Announcer)
Stan Mason (Kerry Fink)
Dale Deason
Keith Connors (WIDE107/Y106,B98.5FM. now in Tampa/St Pete at MAGIC 94.9)
Dennis Allen (Stage)
Larry Shierbecker
Connie Prichard
Tony Lype
Dain Schult
Scott Evans
Big Hugh “Baby” Jarrett
Garry Kinsey
Mike Adams
Bob Middleton
Pete Owen
BOOMER (Steve Sutton)
Red Jones
Pepper Martin (Sports)
Jack Jackson (Jack Geisler)
Pat Kelly
David Lloyd
Randy K. Riggs
John L. Callihan
Mark Shierbecker
Scott Richards (Rick Ruhl)
Jon Kirby
Don Yow (Sunday Night Talk Show)
Darlene Wofford
Mark McCain
Ross Brittian
John Drake
Vicki Kay
Herb Emory
John Long
Gary Pearcey
Bill Duncan
Rebecca Stevens
Vic Jester
Greg McClure
Wolfman Jack (visiting DJ, one show)
David Raye (Ray Beadles)