WIOL (1580 AM) is an American

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 Top 40 (CHR) format. Licensed to

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

, United States, the station serves the

, area. The station is owned by Davis Broadcasting of Columbus, Inc. Its studios are co-located with four other sister stations on Wynnton Road in Columbus east of downtown, and its transmitter is located in Phenix City, Alabama.

History

The station originally signed on the air in 1954 as WCLS. It was assigned call letters WIZY on February 1, 1984. On April 1, 1985, the station changed 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 ...

to the current WEAM. This station was originally WCLS. The stationed was owned by Charlie Parish through late 1979. Some of the well known "Good Guys" were: Larry James, known as L.J. the D.J., Bill Dean, also known as "Batman Bill Dean", Rod Stacey (Frank Pittman), Rich Galore (Ken Carlisle), Chris Brannon, Kemosabie Joe Johnson, Bill Holly, Don Edwards, Scott Shannon, Buddy Fox. The station was known as "the rock" of Columbus and led the market in popularity. The station had studios in Columbus, Georgia and in nearby Phenix City, Alabama, where the tower and transmitter were/are located. The station sold to George H. Buck, Jr. Broadcasting and went to a Southern Gospel/Black Gospel format in 1980, under the direction of General Manager and air personality Glenn Lee. Buck later sold the call letters in the 80's to someone further north for their station since CLS was the initials of the owner. The new call letters were/are WEAM. The format alternated between talk, and sports. The station is now an all gospel station, owned by Davis Broadcasting, which also owns WEAM FM and other area stations. In January 2021, WIOL changed their format from sports to top 40/CHR, branded as "Hits 104.5" (simulcast on FM translator W283DF 104.5 FM Columbus).Hits 104.5 Launches In Columbus GA
Radioinsight - January 14, 2021

Previous logos

References

External links

Davis Broadcasting Website
* * IOL (AM) Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1984 CBS Sports Radio stations {{GeorgiaUS-radio-station-stub