WLRM
Encyclopedia
WLRM is an American radio station
licensed
to serve the community of Millington, Tennessee
, USA. The station was established in 1962 as "WGMM", originally licensed only for limited daytime-only operation. Upgraded to 24-hours operation in 1984, the station has broadcast a variety of formats over the past 50 years, including country & western, Gospel music
, and talk radio
. WRLM is currently owned by F.W. Robbert Broadcasting and the broadcast license
is held by CPT & T Radio Station, Inc.
to the Memphis metropolitan area
. Some of its programming is derived from WWCR
, World Wide Christian Radio. In addition to its usual religious programming, the station is flagship station
for the weekly white-supremacist radio program The Political Cesspool
.
s of power, WGMM was originally owned and operated by Radio Millington, Inc. Al McClain served as general manager
, commercial manager, and program director
with Web Anderson as promotions manager, Bob Trantham as news director
, Emmett Kozel as chief engineer
, and Mary Nell Thomas as traffic manager. By 1965, Bill Thomas was brought in to be the program director and Emmett Kozel added news director duties to his engineering role.
A shift in personnel in 1965 saw Joe C. Matthews take over as president and general manager with Bill Thomas elevated to station manager. Lee Cash was named as program director and Ed Freeman became WGMM's chief engineer. The station also added five hours of "specialty" programming featuring country & western music. By 1968, the station was playing a 100% country & western format. At the same time, Chad Lassiter took over the general manager role and R.L. Merry became the program director. As the decade came to a close, William M. Brown became WGMM's general manager, program director, and news director with Sidney Williams as chief engineer.
changed to "WTNN". With Gary Acker as president of the company, Franklin Davis was named general manager, commercial manager, and promotions manager. Rick Stafford was hired as news director and Sidney Williams stayed on as chief engineer. By 1973, Charlie C. Freeman became both program director and promotions manager with Terry Rutherford taking over as chief engineer. The station maintained it country & western format.
On August 27, 1973, the broadcast license
for WTNN was transferred to The Moore Company with Gary Acker remaining as company president. This shift marked a format flip to Gospel music
with Steve L. Williams becoming general manager, commercial manager, promotions manager, and news director for the station. Rick Smith was named program director and Dave Church became the chief engineer. This lineup of key personnel and the Gospel format remained steady through the end of the 1970s.
(FCC) accepted the filing on April 2, 1982, and approved the deal on June 2, 1982. Charles Trub served in dual roles as president and general manager with Penny Peck as operations director and Dave Church stayed on as chief engineer. The format was flipped back to country & western music.
In November 1982, the new owners applied for a construction permit
to shift from daytimer to 24-hour operation with 2,500 watt
s of signal power during the day and 1,000 watts at night from a modified antenna system. The Commission granted the permit on June 21, 1983. Along with this, they requested a new call sign
for the station and were assigned "WMPS" on July 18, 1983. After nearly four months of testing, WMPS began licensed
24-hour operations on February 29, 1984.
L&M Media, Inc., applied to the FCC to transfer WMPS to the U.S. Radio Corporation in November 1986. The Commission approved the deal on December 19, 1986, and the transaction was formally consummated on January 21, 1987. WMPS was flipped to a talk radio
format. Facing financial difficulties, the WMPS license was involuntarily transferred from U.S. Radio Corporation to trustee Von A. Harshman in September 1988. The FCC was informed on September 27, 1988, and the Commission approved the transfer on October 3, 1988. In August 1989, trustee Harshman applied to transfer the station to Good News Broadcasting Company. The FCC approved the sale on October 31, 1989, and the deal was formally consummated on January 25, 1990.
. David Grayson Life Changing Ministries tried to transfer the license to Abundant Grace Fellowship, Inc., in January 1993 but the deal collapsed and was formally ended in April 1993.
Another attempt to sell WMPS, this time to World Overcomers Outreach Ministries Church, Inc., was filed in January 1998. The reported sale price was $275,000 in cash. The FCC approved the sale on March 3, 1998, and the transaction was formally consummated on March 23, 1998. The new owners had the FCC change the station's call sign to "WOOM" on April 6, 1998, to reflect its ownership. WOOM broadcast a Christian music format. Later, another application was filed and the station was assigned the "WLRM" call sign
by the FCC on October 25, 2002. As WLRM, the station aired a blend of religious and secular music as an outreach effort to "unchurched
" residents of the Memphis area.
format.
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...
licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to serve the community of Millington, Tennessee
Millington, Tennessee
Millington is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 10,176. Millington was the home of the recently closed Memphis Motorsports Park. It was granted the title "Flag City Tennessee" by the Tennessee State Legislature. The Naval Support Activity Mid-South is...
, USA. The station was established in 1962 as "WGMM", originally licensed only for limited daytime-only operation. Upgraded to 24-hours operation in 1984, the station has broadcast a variety of formats over the past 50 years, including country & western, Gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, and talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
. WRLM is currently owned by F.W. Robbert Broadcasting and the broadcast license
Broadcast license
A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...
is held by CPT & T Radio Station, Inc.
Programming
WLRM broadcasts a Christian radio formatRadio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
to the Memphis metropolitan area
Memphis Metropolitan Area
The Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area, TN-MS-AR , more commonly known as The Mid-South, is the 41st largest among similarly designated areas in the United States. The metropolitan area covers eight counties in three states – Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas...
. Some of its programming is derived from WWCR
WWCR
WWCR is a shortwave radio station located in Nashville, Tennessee in the United States. WWCR uses four 100 kW transmitters which broadcast on 14 different frequencies....
, World Wide Christian Radio. In addition to its usual religious programming, the station is flagship station
Flagship station
In broadcasting, a flagship is the broadcast which originates a television network, or a particular radio show or TV show, primarily in the United States and Canada. This includes both direct network feeds and broadcast syndication, but generally not backhauls...
for the weekly white-supremacist radio program The Political Cesspool
The Political Cesspool
The Political Cesspool is a weekly talk radio show founded by James Edwards, and syndicated by Liberty News Radio Network and Accent Radio Network in the United States...
.
1960s
This station began licensed broadcast operations on June 22, 1962, as "WGMM". Restricted to operating as a daytime-only radio station and broadcasting at 1380 kilohertz with 500 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:...
s of power, WGMM was originally owned and operated by Radio Millington, Inc. Al McClain served as general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
, commercial manager, and program director
Program director
In service industries, such as education, a program director or programme director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services...
with Web Anderson as promotions manager, Bob Trantham as news director
News Director
A news director is an individual at a broadcast station or network or a newspaper who is in charge of the news department. In local news, the news director is typically in charge of the entire news staff, including journalists, news presenters, photographers, copy writers, television producers,...
, Emmett Kozel as chief engineer
Chief Engineer
In marine transportation, the chief engineer is a licensed mariner in charge of the engineering department on a merchant vessel. "Chief engineer" is the official title of someone qualified to oversee the entire engine department; the qualification is colloquially called a "chief's...
, and Mary Nell Thomas as traffic manager. By 1965, Bill Thomas was brought in to be the program director and Emmett Kozel added news director duties to his engineering role.
A shift in personnel in 1965 saw Joe C. Matthews take over as president and general manager with Bill Thomas elevated to station manager. Lee Cash was named as program director and Ed Freeman became WGMM's chief engineer. The station also added five hours of "specialty" programming featuring country & western music. By 1968, the station was playing a 100% country & western format. At the same time, Chad Lassiter took over the general manager role and R.L. Merry became the program director. As the decade came to a close, William M. Brown became WGMM's general manager, program director, and news director with Sidney Williams as chief engineer.
1970s
Shelby Broadcasting Company, owned by Gary Acker, acquired the station in May 1969 and had the station's call signCall sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
changed to "WTNN". With Gary Acker as president of the company, Franklin Davis was named general manager, commercial manager, and promotions manager. Rick Stafford was hired as news director and Sidney Williams stayed on as chief engineer. By 1973, Charlie C. Freeman became both program director and promotions manager with Terry Rutherford taking over as chief engineer. The station maintained it country & western format.
On August 27, 1973, the broadcast license
Broadcast license
A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...
for WTNN was transferred to The Moore Company with Gary Acker remaining as company president. This shift marked a format flip to Gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
with Steve L. Williams becoming general manager, commercial manager, promotions manager, and news director for the station. Rick Smith was named program director and Dave Church became the chief engineer. This lineup of key personnel and the Gospel format remained steady through the end of the 1970s.
1980s
In March 1982, the station then licensed as "WTNN" was sold by The Moore Company, Inc., to L&M Media, Inc. The Federal Communications CommissionFederal 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) accepted the filing on April 2, 1982, and approved the deal on June 2, 1982. Charles Trub served in dual roles as president and general manager with Penny Peck as operations director and Dave Church stayed on as chief engineer. The format was flipped back to country & western music.
In November 1982, the new owners applied for a construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
to shift from daytimer to 24-hour operation with 2,500 watt
Watt
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:...
s of signal power during the day and 1,000 watts at night from a modified antenna system. The Commission granted the permit on June 21, 1983. Along with this, they requested a new call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
for the station and were assigned "WMPS" on July 18, 1983. After nearly four months of testing, WMPS began licensed
Broadcast license
A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...
24-hour operations on February 29, 1984.
L&M Media, Inc., applied to the FCC to transfer WMPS to the U.S. Radio Corporation in November 1986. The Commission approved the deal on December 19, 1986, and the transaction was formally consummated on January 21, 1987. WMPS was flipped to a talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
format. Facing financial difficulties, the WMPS license was involuntarily transferred from U.S. Radio Corporation to trustee Von A. Harshman in September 1988. The FCC was informed on September 27, 1988, and the Commission approved the transfer on October 3, 1988. In August 1989, trustee Harshman applied to transfer the station to Good News Broadcasting Company. The FCC approved the sale on October 31, 1989, and the deal was formally consummated on January 25, 1990.
1990s
This ownership proved short-lived as Good News Broadcasting Company filed an application in August 1990 to transfer WMPS to David Grayson Life Changing Ministries, Inc., for a reported sale price of $295,000. The FCC approved the deal on October 9, 1990, and the transaction was formally consummated on October 25, 1990. The new owners shifted the format to Contemporary Christian musicContemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
. David Grayson Life Changing Ministries tried to transfer the license to Abundant Grace Fellowship, Inc., in January 1993 but the deal collapsed and was formally ended in April 1993.
Another attempt to sell WMPS, this time to World Overcomers Outreach Ministries Church, Inc., was filed in January 1998. The reported sale price was $275,000 in cash. The FCC approved the sale on March 3, 1998, and the transaction was formally consummated on March 23, 1998. The new owners had the FCC change the station's call sign to "WOOM" on April 6, 1998, to reflect its ownership. WOOM broadcast a Christian music format. Later, another application was filed and the station was assigned the "WLRM" call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
by the FCC on October 25, 2002. As WLRM, the station aired a blend of religious and secular music as an outreach effort to "unchurched
Unchurched
"Unchurched" means, in the broad sense, people who are not connected with a church. In research on religious participation, it refers more specifically to people who do not attend worship services...
" residents of the Memphis area.
WLRM today
In September 2004, World Overcomers Outreach Ministries Church, Inc., (Alton R. Williams, president) reached a deal to sell WLRM to CPT & T Radio Station, Inc. (Eric M. Westenbarger, president) for a reported sale price of $400,000 in cash. The FCC approved the sale on December 29, 2004, and the transaction was formally consummated on January 18, 2005. The station broadcasts a Christian radioChristian radio
Christian radio is a category of radio formats that focus on transmitting programming with a Christian message. In the United States, where it is more established, many such broadcasters play popular music of Christian influence, though many programs have talk or news programming covering...
format.