WRNN (AM)

WRNN
City Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Broadcast area Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Branding ESPN Myrtle Beach
Frequency 1450 kHz
First air date 1965
Format Sports radio
Power 1,000 watts unlimited
Class C
Facility ID 24775
Transmitter coordinates 33°42′20.00″N 78°53′23.00″W / 33.7055556°N 78.8897222°W / 33.7055556; -78.8897222
Former callsigns

WQJM (6/25/2002-4/18/2007)
WJYR (9/15/2000-6/25/2002)

WKZQ (until 9/15/2000)[1]
Affiliations ESPN Radio
Owner Alpha Media
(Alpha Media Licensee LLC)
Sister stations WRNN-FM, WYAV, WKZQ, WMYB
Webcast Listen Live
Website espnmyrtlebeach.com

WRNN (1450 AM) is a Sports talk radio station licensed to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA, serving the Myrtle Beach area. The station is currently owned by Alpha Media, through licensee Alpha Media Licensee LLC.

A portion of WRNN's broadcast day was a simulcast of sister station WRNN-FM from 8 PM to 6 AM on weekdays, and throughout the weekend. WRNN previously aired Mike Gallagher, Dr. Laura, Clark Howard, Lars Larson, and a local sports talk program during the daytime and evening hours.

History

Ham radio operators started WTGR, a 250-watt station at 1520 AM, in 1965. Tiger Radio became "the hallmark radio station" for Myrtle Beach, playing Top 40 and beach music. DJs included Billy Smith, Bill Hennecy, Big Al Irvin, Bill Connell, Bruce Miller, Steve Mims and J. Patrick Milan.

WTGR began a simulcast of WKZQ-FM in the early 1980s and eventually became WKZQ.[2]

Banana Jack Murphy and Bob Scarborough of Waccamaw Media started TigerRadioOnline.com, an Internet radio station, in 2000, with jingles and music from the former WTGR. This station stayed on the air until 2005, operating from Waccamaw Media studios on Wesley Street near what is now Freestyle Music Park.[2]

On December 23, 1996, WKZQ moved to 1450,[3] a frequency vacated in the mid-1980s which once used the letters WMYB, giving the station a nighttime signal (though daytime power was reduced from 5,000 to 1,000 watts), and continuing the FM simulcast, as well as NASCAR. At first, WKZQ played rock.[3] Then it went to sports talk. The station also aired the Atlanta Braves.[4] Tony Kornheiser replaced The Fabulous Sports Babe late in 1999. Also heard on the station at that time were three NFL games each Sunday, Monday Night Football, UNC Tar Heel football and basketball, some East Carolina University games, other Westwood One and CBS college football, and the Charlotte Hornets.[5]

When NextMedia Group bought the station in 2000, the WJYR letters were moved from 92.1 FM, and most of the station's programming was adult standards from the Music of Your Life network.[6] Since few people listened (other stations played similar music), sports talk returned. In 2002, the call letters changed to WQJM.[1] ESPN Radio aired 24 hours a day prior to August 2002 but remained on the station in the overnight hours and on weekends until February 2003;[7] and talk radio other than sports was part of the format. The station served as a "companion" to talk station WRNN-FM. Programming included the morning show hosted by Dave Priest and Tara Servatius.[8] The AM station also aired The Clark Howard Show and Clemson University games other than ACC.[9]

On April 25, 2013, WRNN split from its simulcast of the FM and changed their format to sports, with programming from ESPN Radio. Mike & Mike also aired on WKZQ-FM[10] but was heard only on WRNN as of September 2014.[11]

NextMedia sold WRNN and its 32 other radio stations to Digity, LLC for $85 million; the transaction was consummated on February 10, 2014. In 2014, Digity, LLC added the station's first local programming as the station became the new radio home for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, with Nathan Barnett calling the games.[12]

Effective February 25, 2016, Digity, LLC and its 124 radio stations were acquired by Alpha Media for $264 million.

History of WMYB 1450 AM

WMYB was the first radio station in Myrtle Beach in the early 1950s.

Tom Fowler, later vice president for radio with South Carolina Educational Television, made his debut on WMYB the night of the fire that killed three Apollo 1 astronauts. In 2002 he said, "The Teletypes went nuts. I thought we were at war. That was the real start of an adventure."[13]

WMYB's format was adult contemporary during most of its later years, when it used the call letters WQOK and WCSE. The format was oldies in 1985.[14] The letters WKEL were approved but never used, since the station signed off in the late 1980s.

References

  1. 1 2 "Call Sign History". Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  2. 1 2 "The History of Tiger Radio". Retrieved 2010-04-15.
  3. 1 2 Toby Eddings, "Catching Up on News in the Area", The Sun News, January 12, 1997.
  4. ↑ Toby Eddings, "ACC football on one less station", The Sun News, Apr. 18, 1999.
  5. ↑ Toby Eddings, "Survey says WGTR tops in mornings", The Sun News, Oct. 10, 1999.
  6. ↑ Kathleen Dayton, "WNMB-FM Changing Its Format to Easy Listening", The Sun News, August 26, 2000.
  7. ↑ Ryan Elswick, "ESPN Radio to Return to Strand", The Sun News, January 26, 2003.
  8. ↑ Bryant, Dawn (2011-09-22). "Myrtle Beach radio show changes morning lineup". The Sun News. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
  9. ↑ Palisin, Steve (2013-04-25). "ESPN Radio has a new home on Myrtle Beach radio". The Sun News.
  10. ↑ "ESPN Returns To Myrtle Beach". 2013-04-25. Retrieved 2013-05-04.
  11. ↑ Palisin, Steve (September 27, 2014). "Tesh happy to return to Myrtle Beach airwaves". The Sun News.
  12. ↑ "Myrtle Beach Pelicans to feature new voice on new home for radio". The Sun News. 2014-02-17.
  13. ↑ Kent Kimes, "S.C. Radio Has Strand Connection", The Sun News, September 23, 2002.
  14. ↑ Toby Eddings, "WYAK changes its lineup and image", The Sun News, Apr. 25, 1999.
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