WTKI
Encyclopedia
WTKI is a radio station
licensed
to serve Huntsville, Alabama
, USA. The station is owned by Christian Voice of Central Ohio, Inc., although a sale to FRC of Alabama LLC, doing business as "Focus Radio Communications", is currently pending FCC approval.
Since November 2009, FRC has operated WTKI under a local marketing agreement
, broadcasting a combined news
/talk
/sports format. Some programming is provided by Fox Sports Radio
and Fox Business Network
. This programming is also simulcast on sister station
WEKI (1490 AM) in Decatur, Alabama
. WTKI and WEKI will on occasion carry separate programming intended for a specific market only.
In 2010, the station will broadcast at least 85 Southern League
baseball games as the flagship station
of the Huntsville Stars
Radio Network. The network also includes sister station WEKI and WWIC
in Scottsboro
.
WFIX (1970s) was a full-service middle-of-the-road adult contemporary station, until the market upheaval of the 1980s when Arbitron expanded the survey area beyond Madison County and the FM stations began their rise to local market dominance. Since the mid-1980s the station has broadcast a number of formats, most notably talk radio
, classic country
, relationship radio, and in 2002 flipped to sports talk as "ESPN 1450". The station was the radio flagship of the Huntsville Stars
minor league baseball radio radio network until the 2007 station ownership and format change. WTKI also broadcast games of the Huntsville Channel Cats
of the Central Hockey League
from the team's inception in 1995 through the penultimate 1998-1999 season.
on September 1, 1992. It has held those call letters since then except for an eight month period in 2002 when it was a "relationship radio" formatted female-oriented talk station known as WHOH, the "Heart of Huntsville."
In November 2006, Christian Voice of Central Ohio Inc, headed by President Dan Baughman, agreed to buy WTKI from Mountain Mist Media, LLC., headed by President David Barnhardt, for a reported $475,000. As a result, the station flipped formats from sports talk to religious programming in early January 2007. The station, branded as "ProTalk 1450", was operated as a simulcast
of sister station
WDPT until both ceased operations and went temporarily silent
on January 30, 2009, due to the late 2000s recession
. Both stations returned to the air in early November 2009 broadcasting a mix of talk radio and sports talk programming.
for WTKI to FRC of Alabama LLC, doing business as "Focus Radio Communications". , the Commission has accepted this application for filing but taken no further action. Focus Radio, which has contracted to provide programming for both WTKI and WEKI (the former WDPT) under a local marketing agreement
since November 2009, will pay a total of $235,000 for the licenses and assets of both stations.
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 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....
, USA. The station is owned by Christian Voice of Central Ohio, Inc., although a sale to FRC of Alabama LLC, doing business as "Focus Radio Communications", is currently pending FCC approval.
Since November 2009, FRC has operated WTKI under a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
, broadcasting a combined news
News Radio
News Radio can refer to:* NewsRadio, the NBC sitcom which aired from 1995–1999.* News radio, the all-news or news/talk radio format....
/talk
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...
/sports format. Some programming is provided by Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
and Fox Business Network
Fox Business Network
Fox Business Network is an American cable news and satellite news television channel that began broadcasting on October 15, 2007. It is owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation...
. This programming is also simulcast on sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
WEKI (1490 AM) in Decatur, Alabama
Decatur, Alabama
Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County...
. WTKI and WEKI will on occasion carry separate programming intended for a specific market only.
In 2010, the station will broadcast at least 85 Southern League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
baseball games as the 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...
of the Huntsville Stars
Huntsville Stars
The Huntsville Stars are a minor league baseball team of the Southern League and are the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Huntsville, Alabama and are named for the space industry with which Huntsville is economically tied .The Stars play their home games at Joe W...
Radio Network. The network also includes sister station WEKI and WWIC
WWIC
WWIC is a radio station licensed to serve Scottsboro, Alabama. The station, established in 1950, is owned by Scottsboro Broadcasting Co....
in Scottsboro
Scottsboro, Alabama
Scottsboro is a city in Jackson County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 14,770. Named for its founder Robert Scott, the city is the county seat of Jackson County....
.
The beginning
This station signed on as WFUN on November 26, 1946, and was acquired by the Huntsville Broadcasting Company in May 1948. The station served Huntsville since as WFUN, WFIX, WKGL, WHOH, and now WTKI.WFIX (1970s) was a full-service middle-of-the-road adult contemporary station, until the market upheaval of the 1980s when Arbitron expanded the survey area beyond Madison County and the FM stations began their rise to local market dominance. Since the mid-1980s the station has broadcast a number of formats, most notably 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...
, classic country
Classic country
Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country hits from past decades.This genre generally follows one of two formats: those specializing in hits from the 1920s through the early 1970s, and focus primarily on innovators and artists from country music's Golden...
, relationship radio, and in 2002 flipped to sports talk as "ESPN 1450". The station was the radio flagship of the Huntsville Stars
Huntsville Stars
The Huntsville Stars are a minor league baseball team of the Southern League and are the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Huntsville, Alabama and are named for the space industry with which Huntsville is economically tied .The Stars play their home games at Joe W...
minor league baseball radio radio network until the 2007 station ownership and format change. WTKI also broadcast games of the Huntsville Channel Cats
Huntsville Channel Cats
The Huntsville Channel Cats was a professional ice hockey team based in Huntsville, Alabama. The franchise was a member of several different leagues, the Southern Hockey League , the Central Hockey League and the South East Hockey League...
of the Central Hockey League
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs....
from the team's inception in 1995 through the penultimate 1998-1999 season.
Switch to WTKI
The station was assigned the WTKI call letters by 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...
on September 1, 1992. It has held those call letters since then except for an eight month period in 2002 when it was a "relationship radio" formatted female-oriented talk station known as WHOH, the "Heart of Huntsville."
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
of sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
WDPT until both ceased operations and went temporarily silent
Dark (broadcasting)
In the broadcasting industry, dark is a term used to describe a radio station or television station that has gone off-the-air for an indefinite period of time, or as defined by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission , a "silent" station...
on January 30, 2009, due to the late 2000s recession
Late 2000s recession
The late-2000s recession, sometimes referred to as the Great Recession or Lesser Depression or Long Recession, is a severe ongoing global economic problem that began in December 2007 and took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008. The Great Recession has affected the entire world...
. Both stations returned to the air in early November 2009 broadcasting a mix of talk radio and sports talk programming.
WTKI today
On December 23, 2009, Christian Voice of Central Ohio Inc. applied to the FCC to transfer the broadcast licenseBroadcast 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 WTKI to FRC of Alabama LLC, doing business as "Focus Radio Communications". , the Commission has accepted this application for filing but taken no further action. Focus Radio, which has contracted to provide programming for both WTKI and WEKI (the former WDPT) under a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
since November 2009, will pay a total of $235,000 for the licenses and assets of both stations.