 | |
| Broadcast area | Stanly County, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1580kHzC-QUAM AM Stereo |
| Branding | Magic 103.3 FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Oldies |
| Affiliations | CBS News Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Stanly Communications |
| WSPC | |
| History | |
First air date | July 9,1956 |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 49044 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 1,000watts day 12 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 35°21′38.51″N80°10′38.21″W / 35.3606972°N 80.1772806°W /35.3606972; -80.1772806 (WZKY) |
| Translator(s) | See§ Translators |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | WZKY Online |
WZKY (1580AM, "Magic 103.3 FM") is aradio stationlicensed to serveAlbemarle, North Carolina, United States. The station is owned by Stanly Communications and broadcasts anoldies music format that at one time included programming from the Classic Hits network byABC Radio.[2]
WZKY is whereBob Harris, "Voice of theBlue Devils", got his start in the radio business.
On September 4, 1955, Stanly County Broadcasting Company applied to theFederal Communications Commission for aconstruction permit for a new 250-wattdaytime-only AM station on 1580 kHz. The FCC granted the permit on February 29, 1956, by which time the station had been assigned the WZKYcall sign. The station's first license was granted on September 6, 1956.[3]
Steve Blalock, asked why the letters WZKY were chosen, saidWCKY was also near the top of the dial and people could listen to that station at night.[4]
In 1960 Suburban Radio Group, which owned nearbyWEGO, bought WZKY. The company owned WZKY for 20 years.[5]
In 1967,Bob Harris, now voice of theDuke Blue Devils, offered to take over the job of announcing West Stanly High Schoolfootball games for WZKY, though his only experience had been as a student announcer for Albemarle High School (North Carolina) Albemarle High Schoolbasketball. WZKY station manager Ralph Gardner gave Harris areel-to-reel tape recorder because the 250-watt station could only broadcast during the daylight hours, and the game would not air until 11 A.M. on Saturday.
Harris became morning host and sports director, and added more games, including boys' and girls' basketball, until, a 2009Salisbury Post article said, "By 1975, WZKY was originating more sports programming than any other station in the state." Harris remained sports director at WZKY for eight years before moving toWDNC.[6]
Susi and Bill Norman, who met atPfeiffer College, wanted to buy a radio station. Bill Norman had managedWNMB inNorth Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Norman Communications' purchase of WZKY became official in February 1980.[7]
Under the Normans, WZKY increased its power from 250 to 1,000 watts and became one of the first stations to useAM stereo in February 1986.[8] The station also aired Pfeiffer basketball.[9] Programming was mostly oldies music but WZKY addedRush Limbaugh in 1992 and later other talk shows.[10] With automation, WZKY went to 24-hour broadcasts in January 1993.[8]
In April 1993, the Normans boughtWXLX, which had gone off the air in November 1990. This was one of the first purchases of a second AM in the same community by the same owner. At first, WXLX simulcast WZKY.[11]
WZKY programming issimulcast on the followingtranslator:
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W277DK | 103.3 FM | Albemarle, North Carolina | 200901 | 250 | 67 m (220 ft) | D | 35°23′13.5″N80°11′31.2″W / 35.387083°N 80.192000°W /35.387083; -80.192000 (W277DK) | LMS |
 AM stereo radio stations in the United States | |
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