WJPJ

WJPJ (1190 AM) is an American radio station licensed to serve Humboldt, Tennessee. The station's broadcast license is held by Palmer Johnson, Inc. The station was established in 1972 as "WHMT".

WJPJ
CityHumboldt, Tennessee
Broadcast areaJackson, Tennessee
Frequency1190 kHz
BrandingPure Country Radio
SloganThe Best Country Music Of The 90's
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatCountry
Ownership
Owner
(Palmer Johnson, Inc.)
WTRB
History
First air date
July 5, 1972 (as WHMT)
Former call signs
WHMT (1972–2006)
WLLI (2006–2010)
WHUN (2010–2012)[1]
Technical information
Facility ID6582
ClassD
Power420 watts (day-only)
Transmitter coordinates
35°50′41″N 88°54′08″W
Translator(s)99.9 W260BA (Clarksburg)
Links
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.gibsoncountyradio.com

In December 2014, WJPJ moved its studios from temporary quarters to a prominent commercial space at 1405 East Main Street, Suite One, Humboldt.

In February 2015, WJPJ reprised "Swap 'N Shop," a live, call in show Monday through Saturday from noon till 1 PM. Shortly afterwards, the popular old time radio show "When Radio Was" began airing 7 days a week from 11 AM till noon.

In April 2016, WJPJ began airing "Blended Gospel" from 5:00 am–midnight every Sunday. This Gospel programming is unique in that it mixes together Southern Gospel, Black Gospel and Contemporary Christian music integrated with Scripture, prayer, and clean humor. Various church programming is available during these times as well.

In May 2016, WJPJ acquired an FM channel to simulcast their AM signal: 99.9 FM W260BA. The signal reaches farther than AM and with a clearer signal.

Recently, the "Viking Spotlight" has begun airing LIVE every Thursday morning from 9:30 to 10:00 am with hosts Seth Wilkerson (Classic Hits Radio Manager) and Emily Burleson (Communications Director for Humboldt City Schools) and is replayed every Saturday from 4:00 to 4:30 pm.

Personnel

General Manager/News Director: Seth Wilkerson

Sports Director/On Air Personality: Andrew Thurbush

Production Director/On Air Personality: Blue Hoyt

Programming/On Air Personality: Alex McCommon

Chief Engineer: Palmer Johnson

Programming

Authorized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast only during daylight hours, the station signs off each night at sunset to protect the signals of KEX in Portland, Oregon, and XEWK in Guadalajara, Jalisco, from skywave interference.[2]

From August 2006 until falling silent on November 16, 2009, the station then licensed as "WLLI" broadcast a classic country music format branded as "Willie 1190" with some of the station's programming provided by Citadel Media.[3]

The station returned to the air on August 26, 2010, with new call sign "WHUN" to broadcast a gospel music format branded as "Joy Christian Radio" to the greater Jackson, Tennessee, area. The station fell silent again on December 1, 2011, for financial reasons and a sale to Palmer Johnson, Inc..

In August 2012 1190 in Humboldt was returned once again to daily operation with programming designed to serve the local community of Humboldt under the new call sign of WJPJ. The new ownership had attempted to obtain the original call sign of WHMT but was unable to do so, as those call letters had been assigned to another station.

History

WHMT era

The station began regular broadcast operations on July 5, 1972, as "WHMT" with 500 watts of power on a frequency of 1190 kilohertz and licensed to serve the community of Humboldt, Tennessee. The station was owned and operated by Communications Associates, Inc., and broadcast a country & western music format throughout the 1970s.[4][5]

In September 1982, license holder Communications Associates, Inc., agreed to sell WHMT to R.B. Management Corporation. The transaction was formally consummated on November 9, 1982.[6] This arrangement would prove short-lived as in January 1984, R.B. Management Corporation applied to transfer the broadcast license to Boyd Enterprises, Inc., owned by F. Darrell Boyd. The FCC approved the deal on March 1, 1984, and formal consummation took place on May 15, 1984.[7]

In October 1988, station management filed a petition with the FCC to reduce their broadcast power from 500 to 420 watts and increase the height of their broadcast antenna. This move would allow the station to cover the same geographic area with lower electricity costs. The FCC granted the station a construction permit for these changes on January 10, 1989, with a scheduled expiration date of July 10, 1990.[8] However, construction was completed before the end of January 1989 and the WHMT applied for a new broadcast license to cover these changes. The FCC granted the station the revised license on August 22, 1989.[9]

WLLI era

In April 2006, Boyd Enterprises, Inc., reached an agreement to sell WHMT and sister stations WLSZ and WLSQ-FM to Forever Communications, Inc., subsidiary Forever South Licenses, LLC, for a combined sale price of $1.3 million.[10] In addition, Boyd Enterprises would receive $80,000 per year for 10 years in return for agreeing to a non-compete clause.[11] The FCC approved the sale on June 7, 2006 and the deal was formally consummated on July 31, 2006.[11] The new owners had the FCC assign the station call sign "WLLI" on November 1, 2006, to match the "Willie 1190" branding of the station's new classic country music format.[1]

On November 16, 2009, WLLI's signal went dark for financial reasons, with the license holder asserting that the station's expenses "far out weigh the very little revenue it generates". Predicting a lengthy shutdown, the station applied to the FCC for special temporary authority to remain silent. This authority was granted on November 20, 2009, with a scheduled expiration of May 19, 2010. The local programming aired on WLLI was moved to co-owned WTJJ (94.3 FM).[12]

WHUN era

The station swapped call signs with Forever Communications-owned WHUN in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, on February 8, 2010.[1] The Pennsylvania station began carrying a country music format branded as "Willie 1150 AM" while the Tennessee station sat silent and seeking new ownership.

Citing the financial effects of the late-2000s recession, in July 2010, Forever South Licenses, LLC, contracted to donate the WHUN broadcast license to the nonprofit organization Joy Christian Communications, Inc. The FCC approved the transfer on September 3, 2010, and the deal was formally consummated on September 13, 2010.[13] The station resumed normal broadcast operations on August 26, 2010, with new owners, a new call sign, and a new gospel music format.[12]

However, Joy Christian Communications' tenure as owner of WHUN was short-lived as in June 2011 they agreed to sell the station to Palmer Johnson, Inc., a company "100% owned" by Emry Palmer "P.J." Johnson, for a total price of $10,000.[14] The sale was approved by the FCC on December 1, 2011, and as of December 10, 2011, is awaiting formal consummation.[15] Johnson also owns WTRB (1570 AM) in Ripley, Tennessee.[15]

With the sale nearing completion, WHUN management notified the FCC on November 8, 2011, that the station would be signing off temporarily for financial reasons starting December 1, 2011, and sought special temporary authority to remain silent. The FCC granted this authority on November 30, 2011, with a scheduled expiration of May 28, 2012.[16]

WJPJ era

After being sold to Palmer Johnson, Inc. on June 1, 2012, the station changed call signs once again, taking on the identifier "WJPJ".[1]

In August 2012 WJPJ returned to the air under the new ownership with a classic hits format.

On April 20, 2018 WJPJ changed their format from classic hits to Christian radio, branded as "Good News Radio".[17]

On November 1, 2020 WJPJ Changed Their Format From Christian to Country Radio, Branded as "PureCountry 99.9 FM 1190 AM"

References
  1. "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access Database. U.S. Federal Communications Commission Media Bureau. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  2. "AM Station Classes: Clear, Regional, and Local Channels". Federal Communications Commission, Audio Division. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  3. "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  4. "Directory of AM and FM Radio Stations in the U.S.". 1973 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1973. p. B-185.
  5. "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada". Broadcasting Yearbook 1977. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1977. p. C-195.
  6. "Application Search Details (BAPL-19820929GE)". FCC Media Bureau. November 8, 1982. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  7. "Application Search Details (BAL-19840113FG)". FCC Media Bureau. May 15, 1984. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  8. "Application Search Details (BP-19881012AC)". FCC Media Bureau. January 10, 1989. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  9. "Application Search Details (BL-19890126AL)". FCC Media Bureau. August 22, 1989. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  10. "Deals (4/16/2006)". Broadcasting & Cable. April 16, 2006. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  11. "Application Search Details (BAL-20060407ABP)". FCC Media Bureau. July 31, 2006. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  12. "Application Search Details (BLSTA-20091110AAB)". FCC Media Bureau. November 20, 1989. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  13. "Application Search Details (BAL-20100709AJV)". FCC Media Bureau. September 13, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  14. "New York, Boston AMs Get New Owner". All Access. October 18, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  15. "Application Search Details (BAL-20111017AGK)". FCC Media Bureau. December 1, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  16. "Application Search Details (BLSTA-20111108AGD)". FCC Media Bureau. November 20, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  17. Grace Broadcasting Shuffles Formats in Jackson TN Radioinsight - April 20, 2018
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