WPSB-AM

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WPSB
City of license	Birmingham
Broadcast area	Greater Birmingham
Branding	1320 WPSB
First air date	1950s (as WEZB)
Frequency	1320 KHz
Format	Regional Mexican
ERP	5,000 watts (daytime)/ 111 watts (nighttime)
Class	D
Callsign meaning	People’s Station Birmingham (refers to the station's previous format as an urban talk radio station)
Owner	Cox Radio
Website	none

WPSB is a radio station licensed to Birmingham, Alabama, USA, broadcasting at 1320 AM. Its daytime power is 5,000 watts, and at nighttime, it broadcasts at 111 watts. Formerly known on the air as "The People's Station of Birmingham", WAGG is a station that targets Birmingham’s Hispanic population, playing regional Mexican music. It is owned by Cox Radio, who also owns the following Birmingham stations: WBHJ-FM (95.7), WNCB-FM (97.3), WBHK-FM (98.7), WZZK-FM (104.7), WBPT-FM (106.9), and WAGG-AM (610).

[edit] Station history

The station that now broadcasts at 1320 AM in Birmingham signed on in the 1950s as WEZB, an easy listening music station. When WEZB changed frequencies, moving to 1220 AM, it was replaced by WENN, playing music that targeted Birmingham's African-American community. During the turbulent early 1960s, the new WENN was one of two stations that played rhythm and blues music. Because of FCC restrictions, WENN broadcast only from sunrise until sunset; still it enjoyed dominance over its main rival, WJLD. In 1969, WENN launched an FM companion station on 107.7 FM. The new WENN-FM was the first FM station in Birmingham aimed at the listening tastes of the community’s African-American population.

The popularity of FM radio in Birmingham in general during the late 1970s and early '80s, and WENN-FM in particular, led the station management to seek a separate identity for WENN-AM. In 1983, the AM station changed its call letters to WAGG, and it became an urban gospel music station. This change in programming proved to be successful, and by the end of the '80s, WAGG was one of the highest rated AM stations in Birmingham.

In 1998, Cox Radio, who already owned WZZK-FM, WODL-FM and WEZN-AM, bought WAGG. One year later, WEZN, at the time an adult standards station, and WAGG swapped dial positions in order for WAGG to take advantage of the superior nighttime signal on 610 AM.

After WAGG and WEZN swapped dial positions, Birmingham's 1320 AM has changed both its call letters and its programming format several times. In 2000, the adult standards programming was dropped, and the station was relaunched as WRJS (Rejoice 1320), an urban gospel station. In 2002, the station changed formats, becoming a regional Mexican music station known on the air as "La Favorita". In 2003, the station was reincarnated as WZZK-AM, playing classic country music. The station became WPSB in January 2006, an urban talk format with the moniker "The People's Station of Birmingham."

On January 29, 2007 the station began stunting in anticipation of a change in formats. "Oye Como Va" by Santana was being played continuously all day. The station was relaunched as a regional Mexican music station the next day.

[edit] External links

• Query the FCC's AM station database for WPSB
• Radio/TV page of Birmingham Rewound