WHMA-FM (95.3 FM, "The Big 95") is a

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...

broadcasting a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

format. Licensed to Alexandria, Alabama, United States, it serves the Anniston-Oxford metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Williams Communications, Inc.

History

The station was originally applied-for by Perry Communications in 1979, with Ashland, Alabama as its

city of license In American, Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator. In North American br ...

. After being approved in 1980, it was granted two extensions to the original 18 months before its construction permit expired in 1981. After later being granted a new CP in 1983, it finally went on the air and was given a license to cover in 1984. During this process, the city of license was changed from Ashland-

Lineville, Alabama Lineville is a city in Clay County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 2,489. History Native Americans were the first to inhabit the area now known as Lineville. The Creek Indian War of 1813, however, resulted in t ...

to its current Hobson City. The station was WASZ until mid-December 2004. WHMA-FM has filed an application with the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdicti ...

to change its frequency down by one channel, from 95.5 to 95.3 FM. The station will change its city of license again to Alexandria, Alabama in conjunction with this change. The station will have the same transmitter location and height, but will drop its power in the maximum direction from 530 watts to 400. A different directional antenna will also be used, shifting the southern end of its coverage area further west
old
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=FM1227061.html new] A license to cover with the new facilities was granted in April 2019. The WHMA-FM callsign (radio), callsign and

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when radio was compelle ...

were previously on 100.5, which moved all the way to

metro Atlanta Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Alpharetta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ...

to become WWWQ (now

WNNX WNNX (100.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to College Park, Georgia, featuring a classic alternative format as "99X". Owned by Cumulus Media, the station serves the Atlanta metropolitan area. WNNX's studios are located in Sandy ...

) FM in January 2001. WHMA-FM began broadcasting in 1947 and owned by Consolidated Publishing which printed The Anniston Star newspaper. Licensed to Anniston, Alabama WHMA was a class C 100,000 watt FM. The present WHMA-FM signed on the air January 2005 as a class A 6000 watt previously licensed to Ashland, Alabama as "Real Country" WASZ 95.5. WHMA-FM sister station WHMA-AM signed on the air in 1938. WHMA-AM broadcasts on 1390 as "Mighty Power 1390" with a power of 5000 watts daytime and 1000 watts directional night programming a black gospel format. WHMA-FM played a country music format from March 1985-January 2001 and the current WHMA-FM also plays a country format.

History of call letters

The call letters WHMA-FM were earlier assigned to another station in Anniston. It began broadcasting November 10, 1947, on 100.5 MHz. Studios were in the Radio Building in Anniston. The station was licensed to Anniston Broadcasting Company, which also had the license for

WHMA (AM) WHMA (1390 AM, "Mighty Power 1390") is a radio station licensed to serve Anniston, Alabama, United States. The station is owned by Williams Communications, Inc. It broadcasts a Gospel music format and features news programming from Fox News Ra ...

References

External links

* {{Country Radio Stations in Alabama HMA-FM Country radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1984 Mass media in Calhoun County, Alabama 1984 establishments in Alabama