 | |
| Broadcast area | Birmingham metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 99.5MHz |
| Branding | Talk 99.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format | News-Talk |
| Affiliations | ABC News Radio Westwood One Auburn Sports Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WAPI,WJOX,WJOX-FM,WJQX,WUHT | |
| History | |
First air date | December 1976 (48 years ago) (1976-12) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | W ZRock andRoll (previous format) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 16899 |
| Class | C0 |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 309 meters (1,014 feet) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www |
WZRR (99.5FM, "Talk 99.5") is acommercialradio stationlicensed toBirmingham, Alabama, carrying anews/talkformat.[2] WZRR is one of several Birmingham-area radio stations owned byCumulus Media, withstudios and offices on Goodwin Crest Drive inHomewood.[3]
WZRR carries local talk shows during the day, but at night it runsnationally syndicated programs from co-ownedWestwood One includingThe Mark Levin Show, America at Night with Rich Valdés andRed Eye Radio. Most hours begin an update fromABC News Radio. It is alsoCentral Alabama's radio home ofAuburn Tigers athletics.
WZRR'stransmitter is west ofRed Mountain, off Spaulding Ishkooda Road in Birmingham.[4] It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000watts, the maximum for most American FM stations. Itstower is more than 1,000 feet (300 meters) inheight above average terrain (HAAT). It broadcasts usingHD Radio technology.
In December 1976, the station firstsigned on the air.[5] Itscall sign wasWVOK-FM, thesister station to WVOK (nowWJOX). "K-99", as the station was called, was Birmingham's first full-timeprogressive rock station. Previously, WJLN-FM (nowWZZK-FM) and WERC-FM (nowWBPT) dabbled in that format on a part-time basis.
K-99 played an eclectic mix of rock songs from artists of the 1960s and 1970s, and was a ratings success. When the AM was sold to Mack Sanders in 1978, the call letters of the FM station were changed toWRKK, representing the word "Rock", but the "K-99" handle was retained. In 1981, WAPI-FM (nowWJOX-FM) changed its format fromeasy listening to album rock, thus giving Birmingham two stations in the same format. This continued until the next year.
In 1982, the new owners of WRKK changed the station's format tocountry music, and the station's branding was modified to "K-99 Country". Competing against market leaderWZZK-FM, the new WRKK was not successful.
In an attempt to change K-99's fortunes, in 1984, the call letters were changed toWQUS, and the on-air name of the station was changed to "U.S. 99". Neither the new name nor the hiring of the popular Birmingham morning drive team of Tommy Charles and John Ed Willoughby improved the fortunes of the station.
In 1985, U.S. 99 dropped country music and flipped tosoft adult contemporary, changed its call letters to WLTB, and rebranded as "Lite 99".
At 6:00 p.m. onChristmas Day 1988, the 99.5 frequency became the new home ofclassic rock in Birmingham, with the new call letters ofWZRR and the new on-air name "Rock 99". The first song was "All Right Now" byFree. The station remained with the classic rock format for just over 23 years. In 1995, the station began calling itself "Classic Rock 99.5". In 2002 and 2003, it was known as "99.5 the Buzzard". In 2003, the name was changed again, this time to "Rock 99.5", using basically the same logo as it did in the late 1980s. In 2010, the name was once again shortened to "Rock 99" and the slogan heard most often on the station was "Alabama's Best Rock".
In April 2010, the station added the locally originated "Mojo Morning Show." The rest of the on-air line-up included Lori Ray, Blazeman and Jason Mack. WZRR had been owned by Citadel Broadcasting. Citadel merged withCumulus Media on September 16, 2011.
OnNew Year's Day 2012, at Midnight, Cumulus fired the local on-air staff and flipped WZRR's long-running rock format toTop 40/CHR, branded as "99.5 The Vibe." The final song played on "Rock 99" was "Girls, Girls, Girls" byMötley Crüe, while the first song played as "The Vibe" was "Party Rock Anthem" byLMFAO. Cumulus already had two similarly formatted and branded stations in addition to WZRR: inKansas City onKCHZ ("95.7 The Vibe"), and inToledo, Ohio onW264AK ("100.7 The Vibe"), which has since changed format. The "i" letter in the station's branding is similar to those of Cumulus' "i"-branded stations such asKLIF-FM ("i93") inDallas/Fort Worth.[6][7]
On August 15, 2014, at Midnight, after playingBang Bang byJessie J, WZRR dropped its CHR - Top 40 format. It beganstunting with the songs "Sweet Home Alabama" byLynyrd Skynyrd and "All Summer Long" byKid Rock on a loop, while running liners advising listeners to tune in at 3 PM that day. At that time, WZRR flipped to 1990s and 2000s country music, being one of the first stations to adopt Cumulus' new "Nash Icon" branding as99.5 Nash Icon. The first song on "Nash Icon" was "Gone Country" byAlan Jackson.[8][9]
On May 20, 2016, at 5 p.m., WZRR flipped to a hybridSouthern rock/Country format, branded as "99.5 The South". The first song on "The South" was "Southbound" by theAllman Brothers. The playlist included strictly artists from theSouthern United States, with a focus onclassic rock/adult alternative artists. However, "The South" was revealed to be merely a stunt, as just four days later, WZRR began simulcasting thetalk radio format on co-owned WAPI. WZRR is now branded as the main station, under the moniker "Talk 99.5," with WAPI's existence only acknowledged during legally mandatedstation identifications.
WZRR and WAPI joined a crowded talk field in the Birminghamradio market that already includedWYDE AM-FM andWERC AM-FM.[10] (WYDE-AM-FM have since switched to aSouthern Gospel andChristian talk and teaching format.)
Along with the simulcast came a revamped lineup. Weekdays begin with Richard Dixon & Valerie Vining "Dixon & Vining". "News & Views" with Dale Jackson and Andrew McLain "The Line" are heard in middays. "Leland Live" starring Leland Whaley airs in afternoondrive time. Syndicated programs at night includeThe Mark Levin Show, America at Night with Rich Valdes andRed Eye Radio rounding out the weekday lineup.[11]
On March 10, 2025, WAPI wentsilent.[12] It was one of six Cumulus stations to shut down on the weekend of March 7, as part of a larger silencing of underperforming Cumulus stations.[13] WZRR 99.5 FM continues to air the same programming but without simulcast partner WAPI 1070 AM.
33°27′47″N86°51′00″W / 33.463°N 86.850°W /33.463; -86.850