WAZX (AM)

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

WAZX
Broadcast areaAtlanta metropolitan area
Frequency1550 kHz (AM)
BrandingWAZX 1550
Programming
FormatOldies
Ownership
OwnerIntelli LLC
History
First air date
March 1962
Former call signs
  • WSMA (1962–1965)
  • WYNX (1965–1993)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID22983
ClassD
Power50,000 watts daytime
16 watts nighttime
Transmitter coordinates
33°51′28″N 84°38′39″W / 33.857781°N 84.64417°W / 33.857781; -84.64417
Links
Public license information

WAZX (1550 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to the city of Smyrna, Georgia, and serving the Atlanta metropolitan area. It is currently owned by Tron Dinh Do, through licensee Intelli LLC. The station's transmitter is located in Powder Springs, Georgia.

History

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In March, 1962, the station first signed on as WSMA.[2] It was a 10,000-watt daytimer, owned by Mitchell Melof.

The radio station has had the WAZX call sign since 1993, when it changed from its long-time WYNX call sign. The WYNX call sign dates back to 1965 when the station switched to a Top 40 radio format from a Middle of the Road (MOR) radio format.[3]

The radio station was formerly a Spanish language station broadcasting a variety format, branded as "La Que Buena", and owned by Ga-Mex Broadcasting from 2001 until 2008. Ga-Mex Broadcasting fell into financial difficulties in 2008.[4] That required the station to go dark from mid-July 2008 until Ga-Mex Broadcasting declared bankruptcy and the station was sold to DTS Broadcasting in 2009.

WAZX was again heard broadcasting on August 3, 2009, during a testing period with only oldies and classic rock music plus the station identification at the top of the hour. This test period began August 1, 2009.

WAZX returned to the air on February 10, 2010, with Spanish language Christian music and talk programming under the "La Estación de la Familia" name.

DTS Broadcasting sold WAZX to Tron Dinh Do's Intelli LLC for a purchase price of $1.55 million; the transaction was consummated on May 21, 2014.

WAZX was again heard broadcasting on March 13, 2015, with only oldies and classic rock music plus the station ID at the top of the hour.

WAZX was on the air for most of 2020, playing continuous oldies music and classic rock (mostly from the '60s to the '80s), interspersed with periodic automated time announcements and a legal ID at the top of the hour. The station went off the air again after the first week of January 2021.

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WAZX". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1964 page B-43
  3. ^ Cosper, Alex. "Atlanta Radio History". Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  4. ^ "Top 20 Markets, Atlanta, Topic: "WAZX Silent?"". Radio-Info.com Discussion Board. Chicago, Illinois: IN3 Media, Inc. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
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