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WRBO (103.5 FM) is a
WRBO official website
* {{coord, 34.862, N, 89.878, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title Urban adult contemporary radio stations in the United States RBO Cumulus Media radio stations 1966 establishments in Mississippi Radio stations established in 1966 Panola County, Mississippi
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 Como, Mississippi
Como is a town in Panola County, Mississippi, United States, which borders the Mississippi Delta and is in the northern part of the state, known as hill country. The population was 1,279 as of the 2010 census.
History
In a 2007 article about the ...
, and serving the Memphis metropolitan area
The Memphis–Clarksdale–Forrest City Combined Statistical Area, TN–MS–AR (CSA) is the commercial and cultural hub of the Mid-South or Ark-Miss-Tenn. The census-defined combined statistical area covers eleven counties in three states, Tenne ...
. Owned by Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is a broadcasting company of the United States and is the second largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States ahead of Audacy and behind iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdi ...
, WRBO has an urban adult contemporary
Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...
format playing both current and classic R&B music. The station's studios are located at the Memphis Radio Group building in East Memphis, and the transmitter site is in Olive Branch, Mississippi
Olive Branch is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, sixth most populous city in Mississippi, US, located in DeSoto County, Mississippi, DeSoto County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 39,711. Olive Branch ...
.
History
From 1966 to 1998, the 103.5 frequency was licensed toNew Albany, Mississippi
New Albany is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Mississippi, Union County, Mississippi, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, the population was 7,626.
History
New Albany was founded in 1840 at the site of a gri ...
, serving the Tupelo
Tupelo commonly refers to:
* Tupelo (tree), a small genus of deciduous trees with alternate, simple leaves
* Tupelo, Mississippi, the county seat and the largest city of Lee County, Mississippi
Tupelo may also refer to:
Places
* Tupelo, Arka ...
area. The station's call letters were WNAU from 1966 to 1979. In 1979, WNAU's call letters changed to WOKM (later WOKM-FM in 1982). In 1984, the call letters changed to WWKZ, and the station had a Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
format branded "KZ-103". WWKZ became among the first FM radio stations with studios in Tupelo when it moved there in 1986.
In 1997, Massachusetts-based Barnstable Broadcasting purchased WWKZ from Radio South in Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, eighth most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 35,052 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, ...
, and started plans to move the station to the larger Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
, market. Effective May 1, 1998, WWKZ was re-licensed to Como, Mississippi
Como is a town in Panola County, Mississippi, United States, which borders the Mississippi Delta and is in the northern part of the state, known as hill country. The population was 1,279 as of the 2010 census.
History
In a 2007 article about the ...
, serving the Memphis area, with call letters WRBO and broadcasting from a transmitter in nearby Olive Branch, Mississippi
Olive Branch is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, sixth most populous city in Mississippi, US, located in DeSoto County, Mississippi, DeSoto County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 39,711. Olive Branch ...
. Its R&B format branded "Soul Classics" began in June 1998.
In 2004, Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company founded and developed by Larry Wilson. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the count ...
purchased WRBO from Barnstable. Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is a broadcasting company of the United States and is the second largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States ahead of Audacy and behind iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdi ...
bought Citadel and all its stations in 2011.
In 2011, WRBO began phasing in adult R&B currents while continuing to play classic R&B.
The station currently airs the syndicated ''Steve Harvey
Broderick Stephen Harvey Sr. Also aired August 16, 2015. (born January 17, 1957) is an American comedian, television host, actor, writer, and producer. He hosts ''The Steve Harvey Morning Show'', ''Family Feud'', ''Celebrity Family Feud'', '' ...
Morning Show'' and ''The D.L. Hughley Show''. Its main competitor is KJMS
KJMS (101.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is an urban adult contemporary radio station in Memphis Tennessee, and serving the East South Central States, Mid-South, area, owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The station's studios are located in southeast Memphis, ...
, whose Urban AC direction reflects more currents. Because of this shift to Urban AC, Mediabase
Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytic ...
added WRBO to its Urban AC reporting panel in March 2012.
WRBO was the radio flagship station for Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...
(National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
) games until the 2010–11 season, after which Entercom
Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corp., it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning over 220 radio stations across 47 media ...
-owned WMFS AM and FM picked up the Grizzlies' broadcast rights.
References
External links
WRBO official website
* {{coord, 34.862, N, 89.878, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title Urban adult contemporary radio stations in the United States RBO Cumulus Media radio stations 1966 establishments in Mississippi Radio stations established in 1966 Panola County, Mississippi