WOPI (1490 AM) is a

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formatted

broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...

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 radio ...

licensed to

Bristol, Tennessee Bristol is a city in the State of Tennessee. Located in Sullivan County, its population was 26,702 at the 2010 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The ...

, and

Bristol, Virginia Bristol is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,219. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, just across the state line, which runs down the middle of its main street, State S ...

, United States. WOPI is owned and operated by Glenwood Communications Corporation though subsidiary Holston Valley Broadcasting Corporation.

History

WOPI signed on June 15, 1929 at State and 22nd Streets in Bristol, Tennessee, as the first radio station in the Tri-Cities. W.A. Wilson, former chief

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operator for

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's Bristol office, came up with the plan for a radio station when he spent several years selling and installing radios. His son James C. Wilson worked at WOPI and later bought the station which is now

WJCW WJCW (910 AM) is a commercial radio station, licensed to Johnson City, Tennessee and serving the Tri-Cities radio market (Johnson City-Bristol- Kingsport). It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a talk radio format. WJCW's transmitter, offices ...

. An early show on the station was "WOPI Jamboree", which featured live

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, ...

. In the 1940s, WOPI and WKPT formed a network called "the Sister City Network" for broadcasting local information. WOPI-FM signed on

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1946 as the area's first FM station. It was sold to the owner of WKYE in the 1960s and is now

WXBQ-FM WXBQ-FM is a Country formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Bristol, Virginia, serving the Tri-Cities. WXBQ-FM is owned and operated by Bristol Broadcasting Company, Inc. History WOPI-FM, sister to 1490 WOPI, signed on Christmas Day ...

. In 1966, owner Tri-Cities Broadcasting Company successfully requested that the FCC change the city of license to Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia. In 1990, WOPI was

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and Joe Morrell bought the station. Morrell wanted to increase the amount of country music on the station, bringing it back to its roots. Later, WOPI joined the WKPT network.

Translator

In addition to the main station, WOPI is relayed by an FM translator to widen its broadcast area.

References

External links

ESPN Tri-Cities Online
* * OPI OPI Sports radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1929 1929 establishments in Tennessee 1929 establishments in Virginia ESPN Radio stations {{Tennessee-radio-station-stub