WDRM

WDRM

City of license	Decatur, Alabama
Broadcast area	Huntsville, Alabama
Branding	102.1 WDRM
Slogan	Continuous Country Favorites
Frequency	102.1 MHz (also on HD Radio) 102.1 HD-2 for New Country 102.1 HD-3 for Way FM
Translator(s)	99.5 W258AU (Chase, relays HD3)
First air date	1951 (as WHOS-FM at 92.5)
Format	Country
ERP	100,000 watts
HAAT	299 meters (982 feet)
Class	C1
Facility ID	44024
Transmitter coordinates	34°47′36″N 86°37′51″W / 34.79333°N 86.63083°W / 34.79333; -86.63083
Callsign meaning	Decatur Radio Market^[1]
Former callsigns	WHOS-FM (1951-1970s) WDRM (1970s-1982) WDRM-FM (1982-1986)^[2]
Former frequencies	92.5 MHz (1951-1959)
Affiliations	Fox News Radio during late-night
Owner	iHeartMedia, Inc. (Capstar TX LLC)
Sister stations	WBHP, WHOS, WQRV, WTAK-FM
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	wdrm.com

WDRM (102.1 FM, "102.1 WDRM") is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Decatur, Alabama, and owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.. It serves the Huntsville, Alabama, area with a country music format.^[3]

WDRM has been consistently ranked by Arbitron as the most-listened to radio station in the Huntsville market for two decades.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7] The weekday morning show, currently hosted by Dan McClain and Josie Lane, was top-rated in the Huntsville market for two decades until falling to #2 in the Summer 2008 ratings.^[7]^[8] Syndicated programming includes After Midnite with Blair Garner hosted by Blair Garner from Premiere Radio Networks.^[9]

Except for a short period from 1982 to 1986 when it was officially "WDRM-FM" to accommodate a co-owned AM station being branded as "WDRM", this station has been assigned the WDRM call letters by the Federal Communications Commission since it was initially licensed.^[2]

WDRM simulcasts the audio of Huntsville-based television station WHNT when severe weather threatens its listening area.

History

WHOS-FM started in 1951 on 92.5 FM as a simulcast of WHOS-AM (800 kHz), but aired 24 hours a day, unlike WHOS, which could only air in the daytime. The station was later moved to 102.1 MHz in 1959.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the station, now known as WDRM, played a Top 40 and Album rock format; the station employed a youthful stable of on-air personalities during this era. Barry "The Nightcrawler" Cole, Doug "More Music" Micheals, and Thom Collins were a few of the disc jockeys on the station during that period. Comedic comments and an on-air attitude of "not following the rules" was very popular with younger listeners, most of whom had never heard hard rock on the radio before. The nearest stations to Decatur that played a hard rock format were in Birmingham, and they were very difficult to receive except on external FM antennas.

Unfortunately, this type of broadcasting was not conducive to selling advertising in a predominantly religious and conservative part of the country (and with relatively few affluent teenagers and young adults) like northern Alabama, and the station suffered financially as a result. This was because few businesses wanted anything to do with what some of them considered "sinful" programming.

For a brief time in the early 1980s, WDRM made a first attempt at a country format, with little success due to the numerous AM outlets serving the Tennessee Valley at the time with that type of music, some of whom had played country for decades (one of those was WDRM's AM sister station, WHOS).

After that failure, WDRM decided to return to pop and rock in 1982, adopting what was then known as an "urban contemporary" sound. The station used the branding "Jam 102" and played a mix of Top 40, album rock, and urban. Major Logan was the program director at this time creating the format and name. The station was beginning to attract attention and turn around after a long period of being unprofitable for the owner. On-air personalities during this period included Major Logan, Bill "BS In the Morning" Simon, Gary "Madman" Mattox, David Player "The Suntan Superman" and "Sir Charles". The main sales market at that time was limited to Decatur and had not branched out to the Huntsville area. Unfortunately, Decatur was not ready for that format, which proved more controversial than even the late 1970s rock era; much of that probably had to do with the station's obvious attempts to attract a biracial audience, something still distasteful to many local whites. As such, the jockeys got continuous anonymous threats and local "bad press".

After much discussion of the station's community relations problem, consideration of the rising popularity of mainstream country music among younger listeners, and falling ratings against market leader WZYP, station management decided to try a country format again in 1984, this time with an emphasis on current hits and a polished presentation. Collins and most of the other staff members were fired, a new program director was hired, and the station became successful, especially in the early 1990s when country listenership reached new heights all across the U.S. and it began selling advertising in the Huntsville area.

References

↑ Nelson, Bob (October 18, 2008). "Call Letter Origins". The Broadcast Archive. Retrieved October 31, 2008.
1 2 "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
↑ Welch, Chris (February 18, 2007). "Contenders shift in radio ratings". The Huntsville Times. Retrieved December 28, 2007. No surprise, country giant WDRM-FM 102.1 remained No. 1 in the fall Arbitron radio ratings - as it has done for the last 20 years.
↑ Welch, Chris (August 19, 2007). "WTAK rockets to No. 2 spot". The Huntsville Times. Retrieved December 28, 2007. WTAK-FM 106.1, classic rock, which tied for 10th in the winter survey, jumped to second behind its Clear Channel mate WDRM.
↑ Welch, Chris (December 9, 2007). "WDRM-FM still king of area radio". The Huntsville Times. Retrieved December 28, 2007. Country giant WDRM-FM 102.1 continued its two-decade dominance of the local Arbitron radio ratings by winning the summer period, but there were a lot of changes among the contenders.
1 2 Welch, Chris (November 2, 2008). "WDRM No. 1; it's show drops". The Huntsville Times. p. 8F. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
↑ "'Dingo' returns to WDRM as part of morning show team. The line up for the remainder of the day: Jim Tice (middays), A.J. McCloud (afternoons), Stuart Langston (nights) and After MidNite with Blair Garner.". The Huntsville Times. January 14, 2007. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
↑ "Radio Stations: Alabama". After Midnite with Blair Garner. Retrieved January 30, 2013.

External links

WDRM official website

Query the FCC's FM station database for WDRM

Radio-Locator information on WDRM

Radio stations serving the Huntsville, Alabama market

by AM frequency	730 770 800 890 1000 1080 1110 1140 1190 1230 1310 1400 1450 1490 1550 1600 1700

by FM frequency	88.1 89.3 90.1 90.9 91.7 92.1 92.5 92.9 93.3 94.1 95.1 95.9 96.9 97.7 98.1 99.1 99.9 100.3 100.7 102.1 103.1 103.5 103.9 104.3 105.7 106.1 106.5 107.9

NOAA Weather Radio frequency	162.400

by call sign	KIH20 W264AI WAHR WAYH WBHP WBXR WDJL WDRM WEKI WEUP WEUP-FM WEUV WEUZ WHIY WHOS WHRP WHVK WJAB WJOU WKAC WKZD WLOR WLRH WQAH-FM WQRV WRJL WRSA WRTT WSLV WTAK WTKI WTWX WUMP WVMB WVNN WVNN-FM WWFF WWTM WYAM WYFD WZYP WZZN

Defunct	WJHX (620 AM)

Alabama radio markets Birmingham Dothan Florence-Muscle Shoals Huntsville Mobile Montgomery Tuscaloosa Other Alabama radio regions Anniston Auburn Columbus, Georgia Gadsden Meridian, Mississippi See also List of radio stations in Alabama List of radio stations in Tennessee

Country radio stations in the state of Alabama

Stations	WAAO-FM – Andalusia WAMI-FM – Opp WAOQ – Brantley WBAM-FM – Montgomery WBMH – Grove Hill WBZR-FM – Atmore WCKA – Jacksonville WCKF – Ashland WDJR – Enterprise/Dothan WDRM – Decatur WDXB – Pelham/Birmingham WDXX – Selma WECB – Headland WEIS – Centre WELB – Elba WELR-FM – Roanoke WERH-FM – Hamilton WFFN – Coaling/Tuscaloosa WFHK – Pell City WFMH-FM – Hackleburg WGOL – Russellville WHMA-FM – Hobson City WHSL – Lisman WINL – Linden WIXI – Jasper WJDB-FM – Thomasville WKDG – Sumiton WKEA-FM – Scottsboro WKGA – Goodwater WKKR – Auburn WKNU – Brewton WKSJ-FM – Mobile WKUL – Cullman WLAY-FM – Littleville WLDX – Fayette WLWI-FM – Montgomery WNPT-FM – Marion WOPP – Opp WPIL – Heflin WPPG – Repton WQAH-FM – Addison WQSB – Albertville WQSI – Tuskegee WQZX – Greenville WRAB – Arab WRMG – Red Bay WSTH-FM – Alexander City WTBC – Tuscaloosa WTDR – Gadsden WTDR-FM – Talladega WTID – Thomaston WTVY-FM – Dothan WTWX-FM – Guntersville WTXT – Fayette/Tuscaloosa WVSA – Vernon WVVL – Elba WWFF – New Market/Huntsville WWIC – Scottsboro WXFL – Florence WZOB – Fort Payne WZRR – Birmingham WZZK-FM – Birmingham

See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Alabama

iHeartMedia

Corporate officers	Bob Pittman (Chairman/CEO)

Board of directors	Lowry Mays Irving Azoff B. J. "Red" McCombs J. C. Watts John H. Williams

Radio stations	List of radio stations owned by iHeartMedia

Radio networks	Fox Sports Radio Premiere Networks Premium Choice Total Traffic and Weather Network

Miscellaneous	Clear Channel Outdoor Clear Channel UK iHeartRadio List of programming syndicated by iHeartMedia Mediabase Radio Computing Services

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