WJBE-FM

WJBE-FM (88.5 FM) is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Five Points, Alabama. The station's broadcast license is held by Big South Community Broadcasting, Inc. Launched in 2008 under the "WJBE" call sign, WJBE-FM serves Alabama's Walker and Winston Counties. This station is unrelated to the Knoxville-based WJBE (1430 AM) owned by entertainer James Brown from 1968 through 1979.

For the AM radio station in Powell, Tennessee, see WJBE (AM).
WJBE-FM
CityFive Points, Alabama
Broadcast areaWalker and Winston Counties, Alabama
Frequency88.5 MHz
Branding"Country Legends 88.5 FM
Programming
FormatClassic Country
Ownership
OwnerBig South Community Broadcasting, Inc.
Sister stationsWJLX
History
First air date2008
Former call signsWJBE (2007-2013)[1]
Technical information
Facility ID172997
ClassA
ERP500 watts
HAAT61 meters (200 feet)
Transmitter coordinates33°57′51″N 87°12′34″W
Links
Websitehttp://www.countrylegends885.com

History

Early days

This station received its original construction permit from the Federal Communications Commission on December 20, 2007.[2] The new station was assigned the call letters WJBE by the FCC on December 27, 2007.[1] WJBE received its license to cover from the FCC on June 5, 2008.[3] The station changed its call sign to the current WJBE-FM on June 28, 2013.[1]

On the air

WJBE originally broadcast a country music format branded as "Country Legends 88.5".[4] Notable local programs included The Wal-Win Wake-up Show with Brett Elmore & Barry Patilla on weekday mornings and The Woody Wilson Show on weekday mid-days.[5]

In addition to its music programming, the station broadcast local news and weather, regional sports, plus CNN News at the top of every hour. Each weekday morning, WJBE aired a tradio program called "Swap Shop".[6] WJBE also aired select local high school football games and the college basketball games of both Bevill State Community College and Walker College. The station was also the home of the 2009 Alabama Broadcasters Association's Small Market Sportscaster of the Year, Brett Elmore.[7]

The format later shifted to modern rock under the branding "88.5 The Planet" but with largely the same airstaff.

Falling silent

WJBE fell temporarily silent on January 10, 2014, for technical reasons.[8] In their January 15, 2014, filing with the FCC, the station asserted "technical problems with the audio end of the transmitter" requiring that the transmitter be "sent back to the factory for repairs" and requested special temporary authority to remain silent until the transmitter can be repaired and reinstalled.[9] WJBE is still listed with the FCC as "silent" (out of business) on the FCC listing of defunct FM broadcast stations.[10]

Sometime in late 2013 or early 2014 it appears the station switched formats (back) to classic country as "Country Legends 88.5". (Taken from Alabama Broadcast Media Page)

As of 9-22-2014, this station has returned to the air. (Taken from fccdata.org)

James Brown's WJBE

This station is unrelated to an earlier WJBE, a now-defunct AM radio station once based in the Five Points area of Knoxville, Tennessee.[11] That station, known at the time as WGYW was purchased by entertainer James Brown in November 1967 for a reported $75,000.[12][13] Brown had the callsign changed to WJBE (for James Brown Enterprises) in January 1968.[14] The station broadcast a rhythm & blues and soul music format branded as "WJBE 1430, Raw Soul, Another James Brown Station".[13]

Brown sold the station in 1979 and in November 1979 the call letters were changed to WBMK.[15][16] In May 1987 the station changed callsigns again, this time to WEMG.[15] Under the ownership of Chicago-based Word of Faith Fellowship, Inc., the station went off the air in the mid-1990s and its license was cancelled by the FCC on August 27, 1996.[11]

References
  1. "Call Sign History (172997)". CDBS Public Access Database. FCC Media Bureau. June 28, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  2. "Application Search Details (BNPED-20071015AER)". FCC Media Bureau. December 20, 2007.
  3. "Application Search Details (BLED-20080507ACH)". FCC Media Bureau. June 5, 2008.
  4. "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Archived from the original on March 1, 2010.
  5. "Jocks". Country Legends 88.5. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
  6. "Swap Shop". Country Legends 88.5. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
  7. Phillips, James (March 31, 2009). "Jasper radio personality wins prestigious broadcast award". Daily Mountain Eagle. The Alabama Broadcasters Association (ABA) presented its Best in Broadcasting Awards Saturday night in Birmingham, and Jasper's Brett Elmore was one of those honored at the event. Elmore, general manager for WJBE 88.5 FM and WJLX 1240 AM, brought home the award for Best Small Market Sportscaster.
  8. "Three FMs Ask FCC For Silent STAs". All Access. January 17, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  9. "Application Search Details (BLSTA-20140114AGE)". FCC Media Bureau. January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  10. "FM silent stations, silent over 2 months". FCC Media Bureau. August 13, 2014. Archived from the original on August 13, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  11. "Station Search Details (DWEMG)". FCC Media Bureau. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  12. Braiker, Brian (August 11, 2008). "Boston's Soul Savior; A new DVD set captures James Brown at his peak—including his historic MLK memorial concert". Newsweek.
  13. "Brown owned Knox station". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. December 26, 2006. Old-timers will recall that James Brown, who performed often here in the early 1960s, bought radio station WGYW in 1967 and renamed it WJBE, for James Brown Enterprises.
  14. Brewer, Bill (February 3, 2002). "A Dream Deferred; Despite numerous plans, Five Points neighborhood remains underdeveloped". Knoxville News-Sentinel.
  15. "Call Sign History (73698)". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  16. Bona, Nick (December 4, 2008). "Recently released Nixon memos have East Tennessee, James Brown connection". WVLT-TV. He purchased the East Knoxville station in 1967 when it was WGYW-AM and sold it in 1979.
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