WFOM

WFOM (1230 AM, "The Sports X") is an Atlanta-area radio station broadcasting on a frequency of 1230 kHz. The radio station is licensed to the city of Marietta, Georgia, and currently is an Fox Sports 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.

WFOM
CityMarietta, Georgia
Broadcast areaAtlanta metropolitan area
Frequency1230 kHz
BrandingThe Sports X
Programming
FormatSports
AffiliationsFox Sports Radio
Ownership
OwnerDickey Broadcasting
Sister stationsWCNN, WIFN
History
First air date1946
Technical information
Facility ID72066
ClassC
Power1,000 watts daytime/nighttime
Transmitter coordinates33.92736°N 84.502158°W / 33.92736; -84.502158
Translator(s)W292EV (106.3 MHz, Marietta)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websiteatlsportsx.com

History

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 unusual format in June 1983. The last song that was played in that format was Barbara Mandrell's "In Times Like These". The next morning, WFOM started playing Contemporary Christian music. 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 national breakout of 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 Brothers (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.

On August 17, 2015, ESPN Radio returned to the station from WQXI (790 The Zone). The station has since switched to a Fox Sports Radio affiliation, with parent WCNN picking up ESPN Radio.[1]

In 2015, WFOM and WIFN became the flagship stations of Kennesaw State Owls football.[2]

On January 4, 2018, WFOM rebranded as "The Sports X".[3]

Station alumni

Former on-air staff include Barry Chase and Scott Woodside, Jack Hurst (sports, former Atlanta Falcons announcer), Rick Ellis, 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, Oscar Woodall (HayWood Media owner/GM, syndicating: "Today's Sporting News & View" radio commentary, "Woody's Weekend Winners" radio prognostications of HBCU sports and "Afro-American Sports Digest" publication), Mike Adams, Mike Durrett, Bob Middleton, Bob Owens/Bob Casey, Pete Owen, Boomer (Steve Sutton), Red Jones, Pepper Martin (sports), Jack Jackson (Jack Giesler), Pat Kelly, David Lloyd, Randy K. Riggs, Barry Brooks, John L. Callihan, Mark Shierbecker, Scott Richards (Rick Ruhl) (Now with KQLH in Los Angeles), Jon Kirby, Don Yow (Sunday Night Talk Show), Darlene Wofford, Mark McCain, Ross Brittian, Gene Lovin, John Drake, Vicki Kay, Herb Emory (air name Jason Woodside), John Long, Gary Pearcey, Bill Duncan, Rebecca Stevens, Vic Jester, Greg McClure, and David Raye (Ray Beadles), plus Wolfman Jack as a visiting DJ for one show.

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References
  3. The Fan 2 Atlanta Rebrands as The Sports X Radioinsight - January 5, 2018
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