| Broadcast area | Greater Birmingham |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 850kHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Truth 101.1 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Christian Talk and Teaching |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WDJC-FM,WXJC-FM,WYDE,WYDE-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1946; 79 years ago (1946) (as WTNB 1490) |
Former call signs | WTNB[1] (1946–1950) WILD (1950–1957) WYDE (1957–1998, 1999–2002) WMKI (1998–1999) WDJC (2002–2004)[2] |
| Technical information[3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 74245 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 50,000watts day 1,000 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 33°37′25″N86°44′45″W / 33.62361°N 86.74583°W /33.62361; -86.74583 |
| Translator(s) | 96.9 W245CS (Birmingham) |
| Repeater(s) | 101.1 WXJC-FM (Cullman) 93.7 WDJC-HD2 (Birmingham) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www |
WXJC (850kHz, "Truth 101.1") is anAMradio station licensed toBirmingham, Alabama. It is owned by theCrawford Broadcasting Company with the license held by Kimtron, Inc. WXJC and itssister station 101.1WXJC-FMsimulcast aChristian talk and teachingradio format with someSouthern gospel andworship music.[4] The studios are on Summit Parkway at West Valley Avenue.
By day, WXJC is powered at 50,000watts, the maximum for AM stations. But850 AM is aclear channel frequency. To avoid interference with other stations, WXJC reduces power at night to 1,000 watts. It uses adirectional antenna with a four-tower array. Thetransmitter is near Pawnee Village Road at Cleage Road in Birmingham.[5] Programming is also heard onFM translatorW245CS at 96.9MHz.
The stationsigned on the air in 1946; 79 years ago (1946).[6] Its originalcall sign was WTNB, broadcasting with 250 watts at 1490 kHz. It was originally anetwork affiliate of theMutual Broadcasting System. The call letters reflected the initials of the station's original owner, Thomas N. Beech.
In the 1950s the station was sold to Madison Broadcasting and changed its frequency to 850 and its call sign to WILD. It kept those call letters until the station was sold in September 1957.
Bartell Broadcasters bought the station in 1957 and changed the call letters to WYDE.[7] By the late 1950s, WYDE was one of three stations in Birmingham playingTop 40 hits, along with 610WSGN and 690WVOK.
In 1965 WYDE changed formats, dropping Top 40 and becoming acountry music station. Unlike some country stations, WYDE's presentation was more polished and urbane. The station's tagline was WYDE (pronounced like "wide") Countrypolitan. For the remainder of the 1960s and throughout most of the 1970s, the station had no direct competition in the format. This changed in 1976 when WVOK dropped its longstanding Top 40 programming and switched to country as well.
By 1977 WYDE had a second and perhaps more serious competitor as a country music station, when 104.7WZZK became the first FM station in Birmingham to flip to country music. As more country listeners switched to WZZK for itsFM stereo sound and better fidelity, WYDE saw its ratings decline. In 1982, it dropped country to become Birmingham's first station to playoldies from the 1950s through the early 1970s.
In 1984 the station was sold and became a Christian talk and teaching station with someChristian music.[8] Throughout the remainder of the 1980s and 1990s, the station tried several different formats, includingbeautiful music andtalk radio in an attempt to gain listeners.
On November 18, 1996, the station switched toChildren's radio. It became one ofRadio Disney's charter affiliates, as part of the network's test launch before going national the following year. The station later switched its call sign to WMKI in 1998. The call letters referred toMickey Mouse, a popular Disney cartoon character.
Crawford Broadcasting bought WMKI in 1999. Upon assuming control of the station, the company changed the station's format to talk radio, and returned the heritage call sign of WYDE to the station.
The station was assigned the WXJC call letters by theFederal Communications Commission on July 15, 2004.[2] At that point, the station became a mix of Christian talk and teaching along withSouthern gospel music.
As of October 26, 2016, this station is now being heard on Birmingham area Translator W245CS 96.9 FM. (Info extracted from fccdata.org)
WXJC broadcasts in theHD Radio format.[9]
On November 5, 2018, WXJC switched its FM repeater (and WXJC-FM call letters) from 92.5 FM Cordova to 101.1 FM Cullman.[10]