| Broadcast area | Tuscaloosa metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 105.9MHz |
| Branding | Talk Radio 105.9 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Talk |
| Affiliations | Fox News Radio Fox Sports Radio NBC News Radio Compass Media Networks Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WACT,WTXT,WZBQ | |
| History | |
First air date | June 1, 1966; 59 years ago (1966-06-01) (as 105.5 WACT-FM) |
Former call signs | WACT-FM (1966–1997) |
Former frequencies | 105.5 MHz (1966–2005) |
Call sign meaning | WRollTideRoll (refers to theCrimson Tide, the nickname forUniversity of Alabama sports teams) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 48645 |
| Class | C3 |
| ERP | 25,000watts |
| HAAT | 82 meters (269 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 33°14′17″N87°29′06″W / 33.23806°N 87.48500°W /33.23806; -87.48500 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | talkradio1059.iheart.com |
WRTR (105.9FM, "Talk Radio 105.9") is acommercialradio station broadcasting atalk radioformat.[2]Licensed toBrookwood, Alabama, the station serves theTuscaloosa metropolitan area. It is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc., with thebroadcast license held by iHM Licenses, LLC.[3] The studios and offices on 11th Street in Downtown Tuscaloosa.
WRTR is aClass C3 FM station. It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 25,000watts. Thetransmitter andtower are located on Hammer Avenue inHolt, Alabama.[4]
Weekdays begin withAlabama's Morning News with JT, based atWERC-FM inBirmingham. The rest of the weekday schedule isnationally syndicatedconservative talk shows from co-ownedPremiere Networks:The Glenn Beck Radio Program,The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show,The Sean Hannity Show,The Michael Berry Show,The Jesse Kelly Show andCoast to Coast AM withGeorge Noory.[5]
Weekends feature repeats of weekday shows and syndicated specialty programs:Bill Handel on the Law,World Travel with Rudy Maxa,The Weekend with Michael Brown,Armstrong & Getty,The Brian Kilmeade Show,At Home with Gary Sullivan andSunday Nights with Bill Cunningham.[6] Most hours begin with an update fromFox News Radio.
The stationsigned on the air on June 1, 1966; 59 years ago (1966-06-01).[7] Its originalcall sign was WACT-FM, thesister station toWACT1420 AM. Itscity of license was Tuscaloosa and it broadcast at 105.5MHz. It was only powered at 1,500 watts, a fraction of its current output.
At first, WACT-FM mostlysimulcast the AM station'scountry music format. It later started airing its ownautomated country sound. While WACT 1420 AM was afull-service country station, with news, sports andDJs, WACT-FM concentrated on more music and less chatter.
The station changed to the current WRTR on March 31, 1997. The call letters stand for "RollTideRoll", which refers to theCrimson Tide, the nickname forUniversity of Alabama sports teams. WRTR playedalbum rock and was known as "Tuscaloosa's Rock Station." In mornings, it carriedThe Bob and Tom Show, based inIndianapolis. Popular DJ Joe Elvis hosted afternoondrive time beginning in 2002.The Wild Bill Show was heard every weeknight.
In 2000, WRTR and WACT were acquired bySan Antonio-basedClear Channel Communications, a forerunner to current owner iHeartMedia.[8] On May 4, 2009, WRTR changed its format to all-talk,simulcasting WACT 1420. The two stations were branded as "Talk Radio 105.9". Then in October 2012, WACT 1420 flipped tocomedy radio. That left WRTR 105.9 as an FM talk station, no longer simulcast with 1420 AM.