WYSF

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WYSF is a hot adult contemporary FM radio station licensed to Birmingham using the on-air name The New 94-5 FM. From 1999 until 2006, it was the flagship station of the Rick and Bubba radio network, and it carried John Tesh’s syndicated nighttime radio show and Tesh's segments during a mid-day show until May 25, 2007. It is the Birmingham affiliate of the Auburn Tigers Football Network. The station is owned by Citadel Broadcasting. Other stations in the market that Citadel owns include WZRR-FM (99.5), WJOX-FM (100.5), WUHT-FM (107.7), WSPZ-AM (690) and WAPI-AM (1070). Citadel also owns WTUG-FM (92.9) from Tuscaloosa, whose signal covers much of the Birmingham market.

[edit] History

The forerunner of WYSF debuted on New Year's Day 1947 as WAFM on 93.3 FM. It was a sister station to WAPI-AM; WAPI-TV Channel 13 (now WVTM) was launched in 1949. All three broadcast properties were owned by Advance Publications, the parent company of The Birmingham News. In the early ‘70’s, WAPI-FM played ‘’solid gold” music (an early version of the adult contemporary format). In 1978, the station became an easy listening music station, calling itself “Beautiful 94”, moving it in competition with WQEZ (now WMJJ).

Federal Communications Commission rules enacted in the late 1970’s forced Advance Publications to sell its TV and radio properties in Birmingham. In 1980, Channel 13 and was sold to Times-Mirror Broadcasting, while the radio stations were sold to Dittman Broadcasting, owners of WABB AM and FM in Mobile. In 1981, Beautiful 94 switched formats, and became Birmingham’s second album rock station with the new name 95 Rock.

During the mid-1980’s, the Top 40 format, which had disappeared from radio dials in many cities, regained popularity. Birmingham had one Top 40 station, WKXX (now WBPT). In 1984, the album rock format was dropped in favor Top 40, first calling itself 95 FM. By the end of the year, WAPI-FM was re-launched as I-95, calling itself “Birmingham’s Hit Rock”. Within a year, I-95 had replaced WKXX as the dominant Top 40 station in Birmingham.

I-95 continued to enjoy dominant ratings throughout the remainder of the 1980’s, using the slogan “Birmingham’s All-Hit I-95” for the remainder of that decade, and as “The Station in the 90's” into the 1990’s. However, the nationwide decline in popularity of the Top 40 format affected I-95. In 1994, the station changed call letters to WMXQ (“Mix 94.5”) and became a hot adult contemporary music station. Mix 94.5 was no more successful than I-95 had been in its latter stages, so in October 1996, the station once again changed formats and became a soft adult contemporary station with the new name “Soft Rock 94.5”. The call letters were changed to its current WYSF in November of the same year. Television ads for the new station featured actress Teri Garr.

In 1999, the morning drive team of Rick and Bubba moved from crosstown station WQEN to WYSF, where they remained until December 2006 when they departed for country music station WZZK. In 2001, the station renamed itself Y-94.5, with no real change in its music. In reaction to a steep drop in ratings after the departure of Rick and Bubba, the station changed formats at 5:00 p.m. on May 25, 2007. The station dropped its soft adult contemporary format and replaced it with a hot adult contemporary format, changing the on-air name of the station to The New 94-5 FM.

[edit] See also

• List of radio stations in Alabama

[edit] External links

• Official Website of WYSF
• Article concerning the format change of WYSF in The Birmingham News, May 25, 2007
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WYSF
• Radio Locator information on WYSF
• Query Arbitron's FM station database for WYSF