WMRK-FM (107.9 FM) is a

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

licensed to serve

Shorter, Alabama Shorter is a town in Macon County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 385, down from 474 at the 2010 census. According to the 1990 U.S. Census records, it was incorporated in 1984. Geography Shorter is located in west ...

, United States. The station is operated under a

local marketing agreement In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one corporation, company agrees to operate a radio station, radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it ...

Educational Media Foundation Educational Media Foundation (formerly EMF Broadcasting, abbreviated EMF) is an American nonprofit Christian media ministry based in Franklin, a suburb of Nashville. EMF is the parent company of K-LOVE and Air1—the world's largest contempor ...

(K-LOVE), with Alexander Broadcasting Company is the licensee. WMRK-FM broadcasts a

Contemporary Christian Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

format serving the

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

, market.

History

This station received its original

construction permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to bu ...

from the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

on November 19, 1982. The new station was assigned the call letters WJAM-FM by the FCC on February 14, 1983. After more than a decade of extensions, renewals, transfers, and construction, WJAM-FM finally received its license to cover from the FCC on March 14, 1995. In July 1986, Marion Communications, Inc., applied to the FCC to transfer the permit to build this station to Marion Radio, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on September 30, 1986, and the transaction was consummated on December 30, 1987. In March 1994, Marion Radio, Inc., reached an agreement to sell the construction permit for this station to Scott Communications, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on October 13, 1994, and the transaction was consummated on October 17, 1994. In March 2009, Scott Communications, Inc., applied to the FCC to transfer the

broadcast license A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which va ...

for WJAM-FM to Alexander Broadcasting Company. The application was approved by the FCC on March 23, 2009, and the transaction was consummated on April 2, 2009. On July 21, 2008, WJAM-FM was granted a modified

to change the station's

city of license In U.S., Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator. In North American broadcast ...

from

Orrville, Alabama Orrville is a town in Dallas County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 150. According to the 1910 U.S. census, Orrville incorporated in 1908, though it was listed as an incorporated community prior to that. Geograp ...

, to

; upgrade to a class C3 station with 25,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

s of

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would ha ...

; and relocate the transmitter site east to 32°21'09"N, 86°03'06"W. The station received a license to cover these changes on May 8, 2009. On March 23, 2009, WJAM-FM swapped callsigns with AM

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

WMRK to become WMRK-FM and

WJAM WJAM (1340 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Selma, Alabama, United States. Originally launched in 1946, the station is currently owned by Scott Communications, Inc., and the WJAM broadcast license is held by Scott Communications, Inc. ...

, respectively. Bluewater Broadcasting Company, LLC began broadcasting on WMRK-FM under a

as a simulcast of

news/talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, interviews ...

WACV (1170 AM) on April 2, 2009. The simulcast ended in November 2009 with news/talk programming shifting to the FM station and the AM station switching to an

oldies music Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 200 ...

format. On September 1, 2012 WMRK-FM flipped to

K-LOVE K-Love (stylized as K-LOVE) is an American Christian radio network. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), a non-profit Christian ministry, it primarily broadcasts contemporary Christian music. As of June 2019, the network's progr ...

and the news talk programming went back to WACV. In May 2015, EMF announced that they would be leasing the HD-2 of the station to the American Family Association of Tupelo, Mississippi, for $500 a month. It's unknown when the HD-2 is scheduled to go live, but the owners filed a digital notification for HD broadcasting in late July. Almost a year later, in June 2016, the station added an HD-3 carrying a gospel/praise format called "Praise 96.5", feeding a translator in town. (Taken from Alabama Broadcast Media Page) As of this update, AFR has yet to be heard on the HD-2 Channel. As of December 1, 2016 AFR Talk is now being heard on the HD-2 channel and is feeding the new 92.7 FM relay in Montgomery.

Programming

WMRK-FM carries nationally syndicated programming from EMF Broadcasting's "K-Love" format. On their HD-3 and 96.5 FM Relay they carry Black Gospel under the name of Praise 96.5 FM. (The relay covers Montgomery) On their HD-2 and 92.7 FM Relay they carry AFR Talk. (The relay covers Montgomery)

References

External links

* * * {{K-LOVE MRK-FM MRK-FM Dallas County, Alabama Radio stations established in 1994 K-Love radio stations 1994 establishments in Alabama Contemporary Christian radio stations in the United States Educational Media Foundation radio stations