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WZRR (99.5 FM, "Talk 99.5") 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
Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...
. It carries a
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 ...
format. WZRR is one of several Birmingham-area radio stations 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 ...
, with
studio A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater. The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal. Types Art The studio of any artist, esp ...
s and offices on Goodwin Crest Drive in Homewood. WZRR and WAPI carry local talk shows during the day, but at night they run nationally syndicated shows from co-owned
Westwood One Westwood One, Inc. is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1976. The co ...
including '' The Mark Levin Show, America at Night with Rich Valdés'' and ''
Red Eye Radio ''Red Eye Radio'' is a talk radio program currently hosted by Eric Harley and Gary McNamara. The program is syndicated nationwide by Westwood One, and originates from WBAP in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The show traces its history throug ...
.'' Most hours begin an update from
ABC News Radio ABC News Radio is the news radio service of ABC Audio, a division of ABC News (United States), ABC News in the United States. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Skyview Networks, five-minute newscasts on the hour ...
. The stations are also
Central Alabama Central Alabama is a region in the state of Alabama. It is sometimes considered part of North Alabama because both regions are mountainous, but in some definitions they are different regions. The Valley and Ridge Province of the Appalachians co ...
's radio home of
Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a ...
athletics. WZRR's
transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...
is west of Red Mountain, off Spaulding Ishkooda Road in Birmingham. It has an
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 ...
(ERP) of 100,000
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, from a
tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
more than in
height above average terrain Height above average terrain (HAAT), or (less popularly) effective height above average terrain (EHAAT), is the vertical position of an antenna site above the surrounding landscape. HAAT is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is ...
(HAAT). It broadcasts using
HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...
technology.


History


Rock Station K-99

In December 1976, the station first
signed on A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio broadcasting, radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonw ...
the air. Its
call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...
was WVOK-FM, the
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 ...
to WVOK (now WJOX). "K-99", as the station was called, was Birmingham's first full-time
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
station. Previously, WJLN-FM (now
WZZK-FM WZZK-FM (104.7 FM) is a commercial radio station in Birmingham that serves Northern and Central Alabama. It is the flagship station of the '' Rick and Bubba Morning Show''. The station is owned by SummitMedia alongside six other stations ...
) and WERC-FM (now
WBPT WBPT (106.9 FM broadcasting, FM, "Classic Rock 106.9") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Homewood, Alabama, and serving Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama, Greater Birmingham and Central Alabama. I ...
) dabbled in that format on a part-time basis. K-99 played an eclectic mix of rock songs from artists of the 1960s and 1970s, and was a ratings success. When the AM was sold to Mack Sanders in 1978, the call letters of the FM station were changed to WRKK, representing the word "Rock", but the "K-99" handle was retained. In 1981, WAPI-FM (now WJOX-FM) changed its format from
easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...
to album rock, thus giving Birmingham two stations in the same format. This continued until the next year.


Country and Soft AC

In 1982, the new owners of WRKK changed the station's format to
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
, and the station's branding was modified to "K-99 Country". Competing against market leader
WZZK-FM WZZK-FM (104.7 FM) is a commercial radio station in Birmingham that serves Northern and Central Alabama. It is the flagship station of the '' Rick and Bubba Morning Show''. The station is owned by SummitMedia alongside six other stations ...
, the new WRKK was not successful. In an attempt to change K-99's fortunes, in 1984, the call letters were changed to WQUS, and the on-air name of the station was changed to "U.S. 99". Neither the new name nor the hiring of the popular Birmingham morning drive team of Tommy Charles and John Ed Willoughby improved the fortunes of the station. In 1985, U.S. 99 dropped country music and flipped to
soft adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
, changed its call letters to WLTB, and rebranded as "Lite 99".


Classic rock

At 6:00 p.m. on
Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...
1988, the 99.5 frequency became the new home of
classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
in Birmingham, with the new call letters of WZRR and the new on-air name "Rock 99". The first song was " All Right Now" by Free. The station remained with the classic rock format for just over 23 years. In 1995, the station began calling itself "Classic Rock 99.5". In 2002 and 2003, it was known as "99.5 the Buzzard". In 2003, the name was changed again, this time to "Rock 99.5", using basically the same logo as it did in the late 1980s. In 2010, the name was once again shortened to "Rock 99" and the slogan heard most often on the station was "Alabama's Best Rock". In April 2010, the station added the locally originated "Mojo Morning Show." The rest of the on-air line-up included Lori Ray, Blazeman and Jason Mack. WZRR had been owned by Citadel Broadcasting. Citadel merged with
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 ...
on September 16, 2011.


Switch to Top 40

On
New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...
2012, at Midnight, Cumulus fired the local on-air staff and flipped WZRR's long-running rock format to Top 40/CHR, branded as "99.5 The Vibe." The final song played on "Rock 99" was " Girls, Girls, Girls" by
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sol ...
, while the first song played as "The Vibe" was "
Party Rock Anthem "Party Rock Anthem" is a song by American electronic dance music duo LMFAO. The song features British singer Lauren Bennett and American producer GoonRock. It was released as the first single from their second and final studio album '' Sorry fo ...
" by
LMFAO LMFAO (an initialism for Laughing My Freaking Ass Off) was an American electronic dance music duo consisting of Redfoo and Sky Blu (rapper), Sky Blu. Redfoo is the youngest son of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and Nancy Leiviska. Sky Blu ...
. Cumulus already had two similarly formatted and branded stations in addition to WZRR: in
Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...
on KCHZ ("95.7 The Vibe"), and in
Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...
on
W264AK WQQO-HD2 (105.5-2 FM) – branded ''100.7 The Ticket'' – is a digital subchannel of Sylvania radio station WQQO (105.5 FM). Owned by Cumulus Media, WQQO-HD2 functions as a commercial sports radio station, serving the Toledo metropolitan area ...
("100.7 The Vibe"), which has since changed format. The "i" letter in the station's branding is similar to those of Cumulus' "i"-branded stations such as KLIF-FM ("i93") in Dallas/Fort Worth.


Nash Icon

On August 15, 2014, at Midnight, after playing '' Bang Bang'' by
Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind ...
, WZRR dropped its CHR - Top 40 format. It began stunting with the songs " Sweet Home Alabama" by
Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (, ) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...
and " All Summer Long" by
Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter. After establishing himself in the Music of Detroit#Hip-hop, Detroit hip-hop scene, he broke through into m ...
on a loop, while running liners advising listeners to tune in at 3 PM that day. At that time, WZRR flipped to 1990s and 2000s country music, being one of the first stations to adopt Cumulus' new " Nash Icon" branding as ''99.5 Nash Icon''. The first song on "Nash Icon" was " Gone Country" by
Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is known for performing a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country", as well as writing many of his own songs. Jackson has recorded 21 studi ...
.


Talk Radio Simulcast

On May 20, 2016, at 5 p.m., WZRR flipped to a hybrid
Southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. History 1950s and 1960s: origin ...
/
Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
format, branded as "99.5 The South". The first song on "The South" was " Southbound" by the Allman Brothers. The playlist included strictly artists from the
Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...
, with a focus on
classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
/ adult alternative artists. However, "The South" was revealed to be merely a stunt, as just four days later, WZRR began simulcasting the
talk radio 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, Interview (jo ...
format on co-owned WAPI. WZRR is now branded as the main station, under the moniker "Talk 99.5," with WAPI's existence only acknowledged during legally mandated
station identification Station identification (ident, network ID, channel ID or bumper (broadcasting), bumper) is the practice of radio and television stations and broadcast network, networks identifying themselves on-air, typically by means of a call sign or brand na ...
s. WZRR and WAPI joined a crowded talk field in the Birmingham radio market that already included WYDE AM- FM and WERC AM- FM. (WYDE-AM-FM have since switched to a Southern Gospel and
Christian talk and teaching Christian radio refers to Christian media radio formats that focus on Christian religious broadcasting or various forms of Christian music. Many such formats and programs include contemporary Christian music, gospel music, sermons, radio dramas, ...
format.) Along with the simulcast came a revamped lineup. On weekdays, Richard Dixon & Valerie Vining "Dixon & Vining" from 6-10 a.m. "News & Views" with Dale Jackson featuring 10 a.m.- 11 am, Andrew McLain "The line" from 11 am-2pm and "Leland Live" starring Leland Whaley is the last live-and-local program of the programming day, airing from 2-6 p.m.. Syndicated hosts
Mark Levin Mark Reed Levin (; born September 21, 1957) is an American broadcast news analyst, columnist, lawyer, political commentator, radio personality, and writer. He is the host of syndicated radio show '' The Mark Levin Show'', as well as '' Life, ...
, Red Eye Radio ''Red Eye Radio'' is a talk radio program currently hosted by Eric Harley and Gary McNamara. The program is syndicated nationwide by Westwood One, and originates from WBAP in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The show traces its history throug ...
, and First Light round out the weekday lineup.


See also

* First Light (radio)">First Light round out the weekday lineup.


See also

*List of radio stations in Alabama


References


External links

* Thad Holt was a broadcaster who was instrumental in the expansion of FM radio in Alabama. His papers can be found at the hdl:1903.1/4926">papers can be found at the University of Maryland Libraries
Tribute page to K-99 FM, the original station on 99.5 in Birmingham
* {{coord">33.463, N, 86.850, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title ZRR News and talk radio stations in the United States Cumulus Media radio stations Radio stations established in 1976 1976 establishments in Alabama