WKEA-FM

WKEA-FM (98.3 FM, "98.3 Wild Country") is a radio station licensed to serve the community of Scottsboro, Alabama, United States. The station is owned by KEA Radio, Inc.

WKEA-FM
CityScottsboro, Alabama
Frequency98.3 MHz
Branding98.3 Wild Country
SloganTri-State's New Hit Country
Programming
FormatCountry
AffiliationsJones Radio Network, Fox News Radio
Ownership
OwnerKEA Radio, Inc.
Sister stationsWMXN-FM
History
First air dateNovember 3, 1965 (as WCNA)
Former call signsWCNA (1965-1981)
Technical information
Facility ID33781
ClassC3
ERP11,000 watts
HAAT150 meters (492 feet)
Transmitter coordinates34°32′00″N 85°55′20″W
Translator(s)105.7 W289BV (Scottsboro)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Website983wildcountry.com
lake1057.com

WKEA-FM broadcasts a country music format including programming from Jones Radio Network and Fox News Radio.[1]

History

Radio station WCNA-FM was founded in 1965 by Dr. Ralph Sheppard, a local dentist and owner of the Jackson County Advertiser, a weekly newspaper.[2] The first FM radio station in Jackson County, Alabama, WCNA-FM began broadcasting a country music format on November 3, 1965. In 1971, Sheppard transferred the license to a company named Mellow Sound Broadcasting.[3] The city of Scottsboro later honored Sheppard by declaring April 30, 2008, as "Dr. Ralph Sheppard Day" in honor of his many contributions to the community.[2]

In July 1981, Mellow Sound Broadcasting, Inc., made a deal to sell this station to KEA Radio, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on September 28, 1981.[4] The new owners had the FCC assign new call letters WKEA-FM on October 1, 1981.[5]

In late August 2013, the station debuted a translator (W289BV) on 105.7 MHz, relaying WKEA. In a curious move, despite being a simulcast, the translator has its own branding, as "Lake 105.7".[6]

On August 19, 2019, WKEA rebranded as "98.3 Wild Country".[7]

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References
  1. "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Archived from the original on March 1, 2010.
  2. Brown, Chasity (April 28, 2008). "City to honor Dr. Sheppard". The Daily Sentinel. Sheppard went on later to start Jackson County's first FM radio station, WCNA FM, which ran on a country music format.
  3. "The Facilities of Radio". 1972 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1972. p. B-8.
  4. "Application Search Details (BALH-19810724FG)". FCC Media Bureau.
  5. "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  6. Alabama Broadcast Media Page
  7. WKEA Revamps as Wild Country Rdaioinsight - August 20, 2019

The station was originally planned as an easy listening music station and the call letters WCNA-FM stood for, "We Cover North Alabama with Fine Music. One of the stations early DJ's, Doug Hodges, convinced the owner to change to a country format.

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