WBCM-LP is a

classic country Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country and western music hits from past decades. Repertoire The radio format specializes in hits from the 1950s through the early 1980s, and focus primarily on innov ...

, bluegrass, and

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

-formatted broadcast radio station. Licensed to Bristol, Virginia, the station serves the

twin cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...

of Bristol in Virginia and in Tennessee. The

Birthplace of Country Music Museum Birthplace of Country Music Museum is a museum celebrating the historic 1927 Bristol Sessions, which recorded some of the earliest country music in America when the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers and several other musicians recorded for the f ...

owns and operates WBCM-LP. The station, a working exhibit inside of the museum, went on the air for the first time in August 2015. The planning for the station dates back to late 2013. Programming includes live concerts held at the museum and the revival of "Farm and Fun Time". The latter program, a live and local radio music show, aired on Bristol's WCYB from the 1940s to the 1960s.

History

Construction

The

applied for a construction permit to start a new low-power radio station, as part of the FCC's October 18, 2013, LPFM filing window. The application was granted and the construction permit issued on March 13, 2014. The station was to originally launch on 103.5 FM. The company proposed, in its original application, that the station would "produce content that looks back at recording and radio technologies' impact on the world" along with "early country music, and current trends in roots and traditional music". It was also proposed that the station would "broadcast archival recordings of a variety of influential sources". The station would broadcast from inside The Birthplace of Country Music museum, located in Bristol, Virginia. Using vintage restored broadcasting equipment, the station would be a working exhibit inside the museum. The station's antenna would be placed on the WOPI tower, located on Delaney Street in Bristol, Virginia. On April 14, 2014, the station received its

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assign ...

, WBCM-LP. The museum opened to the public on August 2, 2014. In March 2015, Tony Lawson, founder of

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

, radio station

WDVX WDVX is a community radio station in Knoxville, Tennessee. The station, which broadcasts via its main signal at 89.9 FM, also has translators at 93.9 and 102.9 MHz. WDVX plays American roots music, including bluegrass, Americana, class ...

, was hired by the museum as station manager. He was tasked to "create a radio station and media center for the museum". Lawson had been consulting with The Birthplace of Country Music prior to being hired. The Birthplace of Country Music received an email on May 27, 2015, voicing concern about WBCM-LP's potential interference with full-power station

WIMZ-FM WIMZ-FM (103.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Knoxville, Tennessee, serving East Tennessee. It is owned by Midwest Communications and broadcasts a classic rock radio format. The studios and offices are on Sharps Ridge Memorial Park Drive ...

. WIMZ-FM, licensed to Knoxville, Tennessee, also broadcasting on 103.5 FM, can be heard in the Bristol area. The Birthplace of Country Music requested a new frequency for WBCM-LP, on June 10, 2015, out "of an overabundance of caution and to eliminate potential interference" to WIMZ-FM. On June 18, 2015, the frequency of the station was changed from 103.5 to 100.1 FM.

Launch

WBCM-LP began operations, with "program testing", on August 8, 2015. Six days later, the station was issued a License to Cover, allowing it to begin official operations. The official launch of the station took place at 4:00pm on August 27, 2015. A "launch event", held at The Birthplace of Country Music museum, included studio tours, a live concert broadcast on WBCM-LP, and a reception. Two online music streams and a

mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...

, as well as the station's livestream, were also launched on the same day. The museum plans to include the broadcast of numerous live concerts in the future.

Programming and Reception

In addition to live concerts, WBCM-LP will air a revival of the Radio program "Farm and Fun Time". "Farm and Fun Time" aired on WCYB Radio (now

WZAP WZAP is a religious formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Bristol, Virginia, serving the Tri-Cities area. WZAP is owned and operated by Glen & Rita Harlow, through licensee RGH Communications Inc. History The station was founded by Ap ...

) during the 1940s through the 1960s. Each edition of the program is broadcast live from The Birthplace of Country Music museum. While focused on serving Bristol in Virginia and in Tennessee, the signal of WBCM-LP can be heard up to 30 miles away.

References

External links