| Broadcast area | Florence-Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 100.1MHz |
| Branding | WLAY FM 100.1 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic country |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WLAY,WMSR-FM,WMXV,WVNA,WVNA-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1986 (as WZMX at 97.7) |
Former call signs | WZMX (1986–1990) WSHK (1990–1998) WKGL (1998–2003) WMXV (2003–2006) WJOR-FM (2006–2006)[1] |
Former frequencies | 97.7 MHz (1986–2003) 103.5 MHz (2003–2016) |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 14928 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 2,900watts |
| HAAT | 114 meters |
Transmitter coordinates | 34°40′27″N87°42′48″W / 34.67417°N 87.71333°W /34.67417; -87.71333 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wlayfm.com |
WLAY-FM (100.1MHz, "Shoals Country") is aradio stationlicensed to serveLittleville, Alabama, United States. The station is owned by Mike Self andParker Griffith, through licensee Singing River Media Group, LLC
WLAY-FM broadcasts aclassic country format to the greaterFlorence/Muscle Shoals, Alabama, area.[3] Programming includes the syndicatedRick and Bubba Show in the morning, mid-days with Kelli Karlson, afternoons with Kevin Whorton and nights with Whitney Allen. The current Program and Music Director for the radio station is Brian Rickman.
TheFederal Communications Commission issued the originalconstruction permit for a new FM station inRussellville, Alabama, to broadcast with 3,000watts ofeffective radiated power at 97.7MHz on March 10,1986.[4] The new station was assigned the call lettersWZMX by the FCC on June 6, 1986.[1] In June 1986, Rambo Broadcasting reached an agreement to assign the permit for this station to Mountain Top Broadcasting, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on August 25, 1986, and the transaction was consummated on September 22, 1986.[5] WZMX received itslicense to cover from the FCC on November 4, 1987.[6]
In April 1990, David E. Morrow agreed to transfer control of this station's licensee to James Michael Self. The deal was approved by the FCC on June 25, 1990, and the transaction was consummated on the same day.[7] The station's callsign was changed toWSHK on July 13, 1990.[1]
In November 1997, D. Mitchell Self Broadcasting, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station to US South Broadcasting Company, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on January 15, 1998, and the transaction was consummated on February 20, 1998.[8] The new owners had the FCC change the call letters toWKGL on July 27, 1998.[1]
In November 1998, US South Broadcasting Company, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station toCumulus Broadcasting through their Cumulus Licensing Corp. subsidiary.[9] The three-station deal was publicly valued at $6.3 million.[10][11] The deal was approved by the FCC on December 31, 1998, and the transaction was consummated on March 1, 1999.[12]
In August 2000, Cumulus Broadcasting's subsidiary Cumulus Licensing Corp. reached an agreement to sell this station and four others in the area toClear Channel Communications through their Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses, Inc., subsidiary. This deal was part of a larger exchange of 45 Cumulus-owned stations for 4 Clear Channel-owned stations and an unspecified amount of cash for a total deal value of $52 million.[13] The deal was approved by the FCC on December 19, 2000, and the transaction was consummated on January 18, 2001.[14]
On April 21, 2003, the station's call letters were changed toWMXV and the station adopted a "V103.5" branding.[1] In October 2004, Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses, Inc., reached an agreement to sell this station to URBan Radio Broadcasting subsidiary Urban Radio Licenses, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on December 21, 2004, and the transaction was consummated on May 13, 2005.[15]
While the sale was pending, Clear Channel applied to the FCC to change WMVX'scommunity of license from Russellville toLittleville, Alabama, and the broadcast frequency from 97.7MHz to 103.5 MHz.[16] (This was part of a multi-station frequency swap by Clear Channel that saw the 97.7 MHz frequency reassigned toWKXM-FM inWinfield, Alabama.) The application proposed a technical change only as no move of the transmitter site was requested or required. The station was granted a construction permit on January 19, 2005.[16] The station received its license to cover this change on January 25, 2007.[17]
URBan Radio Broadcasting had the FCC change the station's call letters toWJOR-FM on March 3, 2006, before having the FCC change it again one week later on March 10, 2006, to the currentWLAY-FM.[1]
WLAY-FM moved its broadcast frequency again effective August 29, 2016, from 103.5 MHz to 100.1 MHz.
Effective April 1, 2019, URBan Radio sold WLAY-FM and five sister stations to Singing River Media Group, LLC for $1.275 million.
Cumulus Media Inc., a Milwaukee-based radio operator, plans to acquire three stations in the Muscle Shoals, Ala., area. The company is buying WKGL-FM, WLAY-FM and WLAY-AM from U.S. South Broadcasting Co. for $6.3 million.
Cumulus will transfer the following station assets to ClearChannel as part of these transactions: [...] Florence/Muscle Shoals, Alabama (Market Rank #240 of 276) --WLAY-AM, WLAY-FM, WKGL-FM, WVNA-FM, WVNA-AM