WUMP
Encyclopedia
WUMP is a Sports
/Talk
formatted radio station
licensed to Madison, Alabama
. WUMP primarily serves the Huntsville, Alabama
, market, though its studios are located in Athens
. The station is owned by Cumulus Media
, based in Atlanta, Georgia
.
(NFL
) radio network, Westwood One
play-by-play (including NCAA
and NFL games), and University of Alabama
athletics. As part of its affiliation with ESPN Radio, WUMP also broadcasts select NCAA Football, Major League Baseball
, and NBA games
, including the Bowl Championship Series
, World Series
, and NBA Finals
.
WUMP broadcast the entire schedule of games for the Huntsville Stars
(AA baseball
-Southern League
) in 2007 and 2008. WUMP also formerly featured live broadcasts of the Huntsville Havoc
(SPHL
) and Huntsville Flight
(NBDL).
. The station was an ESPN Radio affiliate in the late-1990s and early-2000s before losing it to then-rival WTKI
(1450 AM) in late 2002. The affiliation returned to WUMP on February 6, 2007, after WTKI was sold and changed formats. Between its tenures with ESPN Radio, the station was a Fox Sports Radio
affiliate.
for a 500 watt
station broadcasting on 1360 kHz from the Federal Communications Commission
on September 13, 1982
. The new station was assigned the call letters WABT by the FCC. WABT received its license to cover
from the FCC on June 19, 1983. The station aired a country music
format.
In June 1985, The Great American Broadcasting Corporation reached an agreement to sell this station to Excelsior Broadcasting Corporation. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 19, 1985, and the transaction was consummated on January 22, 1986.
With new ownership, new call letters, a new frequency, and increased power in place, the station changed formats to an urban contemporary
format branded as "D-73".
In August 1989, with the financial issues resolved and the previous shareholders bought out, Excelsior Broadcasting Corporation was dissolved and the license was involuntarily transferred to Vascular Diagnostic Labs owner Dr. Merlin Kelsick. The transfer was approved by the FCC on November 29, 1990.
/talk
format.
The station's callsign was changed to WKMW on June 1, 1993. In June 1993, Phoenix Capital Corporation reached an agreement to sell WKMW to Madison Radio Company, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 19, 1993, and the transaction was consummated on October 28, 1993.
format and branding as "The Ump", an abbreviation of umpire.
On April 1, 2003, WUMP was sold by Athens Broadcasting Co. (William E. Dunnavant, president) to Cumulus Broadcasting Inc. as part of a four station deal with a total sale price of $22 million in cash and Cumulus common stock. The acquisition of the stations was completed in July 2003. WUMP remains co-owned with former Dunnavant stations WVNN and WZYP
, in addition to WHRP
and WWFF-FM
.
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
/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...
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...
licensed to Madison, Alabama
Madison, Alabama
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,329 people, 11,143 households, and 8,067 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,266.5 people per square mile . There were 12,121 housing units at an average density of 523.4 per square mile...
. WUMP primarily serves the 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....
, market, though its studios are located in Athens
Athens, Alabama
Athens is a city in Limestone County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 18,967. According to the 2009 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 24,234...
. The station is owned by Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
, based in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
Sports
WUMP currently carries Alabama Vipers (Arena Football 1) games. The station is the Huntsville affiliate for the Tennessee TitansTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
(NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
) radio network, Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
play-by-play (including NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
and NFL games), and University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
athletics. As part of its affiliation with ESPN Radio, WUMP also broadcasts select NCAA Football, Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, and NBA games
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
, including the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
, World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, and NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
.
WUMP broadcast the entire schedule of games for 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...
(AA baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
-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...
) in 2007 and 2008. WUMP also formerly featured live broadcasts of the Huntsville Havoc
Huntsville Havoc
The Huntsville Havoc are a professional ice hockey team in the Southern Professional Hockey League . They play their home games at the Von Braun Center in downtown Huntsville, Alabama.-History:...
(SPHL
Southern Professional Hockey League
The Southern Professional Hockey League is a low-level professional ice hockey league based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with teams located in the southeastern United States.- History :...
) and Huntsville Flight
Huntsville Flight
The Huntsville Flight was a National Basketball Development League team based in Huntsville, Alabama. Playing their home games at the Von Braun Center, the Flight was a charter franchise for the 2001-02 season but folded after the 2004-05 season...
(NBDL).
Network affiliation
The station is currently an affiliate of ESPN RadioESPN 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...
. The station was an ESPN Radio affiliate in the late-1990s and early-2000s before losing it to then-rival WTKI
WTKI
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...
(1450 AM) in late 2002. The affiliation returned to WUMP on February 6, 2007, after WTKI was sold and changed formats. Between its tenures with ESPN Radio, the station was a 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...
affiliate.
Launch at 1360 AM
This station received its original construction permitConstruction 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...
for a 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:...
station broadcasting on 1360 kHz from the 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...
on September 13, 1982
1982 in radio
The year 1982 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*23 July - KDKA-AM in Pittsburgh, becomes the first AM station to broadcast in Stereo sound....
. The new station was assigned the call letters WABT by the FCC. WABT received its license to cover
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...
from the FCC on June 19, 1983. The station aired a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
format.
In June 1985, The Great American Broadcasting Corporation reached an agreement to sell this station to Excelsior Broadcasting Corporation. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 19, 1985, and the transaction was consummated on January 22, 1986.
Move to 730 AM
The station had applied to the FCC in September 1983 to change frequencies from 1360 kHz to 730 kHz and increase power to 1,000 watts. In July 1985, after WJMW moved from 730 kHz to 770 kHz, the FCC issued a construction permit for the changes. The new owners had the FCC change to station's callsign to WDKT on December 26, 1985.With new ownership, new call letters, a new frequency, and increased power in place, the station changed formats to 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...
format branded as "D-73".
Financial problems
Facing increasing financial difficulties, in February 1989 the license for this station was involuntarily transferred from Excelsior Broadcasting Corporation to Excelsior Broadcasting Corporation, Debtor-In-Possession. The involuntary transfer was approved by the FCC on March 2, 1989. In April 1989, Vascular Diagnostic Labs bought out the previous shareholders of Excelsior Broadcasting Corporation, the licensee for this station. The transfer of control was approved by the FCC on July 13, 1989.In August 1989, with the financial issues resolved and the previous shareholders bought out, Excelsior Broadcasting Corporation was dissolved and the license was involuntarily transferred to Vascular Diagnostic Labs owner Dr. Merlin Kelsick. The transfer was approved by the FCC on November 29, 1990.
News and talk
The call letters were changed to WBBI on August 19, 1991, after Dr. Merlin Kelsick completed a deal to sell this station to Phoenix Capital Corporation. The deal was approved by the FCC on September 12, 1991, and the transaction was consummated on September 17, 1991. The station switched to a newsNews 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...
format.
The station's callsign was changed to WKMW on June 1, 1993. In June 1993, Phoenix Capital Corporation reached an agreement to sell WKMW to Madison Radio Company, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 19, 1993, and the transaction was consummated on October 28, 1993.
Sports radio
In May 1995, Madison Radio Company, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station to Tennessee Valley Radio, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 31, 1995, and the transaction was consummated on October 3, 1995. The new owners had the FCC change the station's call letters to the current WUMP on October 6, 1995. The new callsign was chosen to match the station's new sports radioSports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
format and branding as "The Ump", an abbreviation of umpire.
Corporate Ownership
The Dunnavant family of Athens owned the station from the early 1990s until agreeing to sell it to Cumulus Broadcasting in 2003. This ended a 55-year presence in the market by Athens Broadcasting, founded in 1948 by Homer Felix "Pap" Dunnavant.On April 1, 2003, WUMP was sold by Athens Broadcasting Co. (William E. Dunnavant, president) to Cumulus Broadcasting Inc. as part of a four station deal with a total sale price of $22 million in cash and Cumulus common stock. The acquisition of the stations was completed in July 2003. WUMP remains co-owned with former Dunnavant stations WVNN and WZYP
WZYP
WZYP is an adult-oriented Top 40 music-formatted radio station licensed to serve Athens, Alabama, and broadcasting in the Huntsville, Alabama, area. The station is owned by Cumulus Media...
, in addition to WHRP
WHRP
WHRP is a radio station licensed to serve Gurley, Alabama, USA. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and the license is held by Cumulus Licensing LLC.-Programming:...
and WWFF-FM
WWFF-FM
WWFF-FM is an American radio station licensed to New Market, Alabama, and serving the Huntsville, Alabama, market. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and its broadcast license is held by Cumulus Licensing LLC...
.