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WITA
Knoxville, Tennessee; United States;
Branding	Inspiration 1490
Programming
Format	Christian
Ownership
Owner	F.W. Robbert Broadcasting; (WITA, Inc.);
Sister stations	WLRM, WMQM, WNQM, WVOG, WWCR
History
First air date	September 1960
Former call signs	WROL (1960–1976); WKVQ (1976–1980);
Call sign meaning	"With Inspiration to All"
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	73076
Class	C
Power	1,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates	35°58′11″N 83°57′56″W / 35.96972°N 83.96556°W
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;
Website	wita1490.com

WITA (1490 AM, "Inspiration 1490") is a Christian radio station located in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, owned by F.W. Robbert Broadcasting Inc.

History

WFCT, Inc., obtained a construction permit to build a new radio station in Fountain City on July 27, 1960.^[4] The station intended to use the WFCT call sign, but by the time the permit was issued, another station approved for Fountain City had claimed the letters. Instead, the station went on the air at the end of August or early September 1960^[1] as WROL. This was a familiar call sign in Knoxville radio, as what was then WATE (620 AM) had been known as WROL from 1930 to 1956.^[5]^[6] WATE unsuccessfully protested.^[7] WROL was a 250-watt station until it upgraded its daytime power to 1,000 watts in 1964; at the same time, the city of license was changed from Fountain City to Knoxville in light of the former's annexation into the latter.^[4]^[8] In 1971, the station switched from a country music format to rock under the name "W-149", shunning its call letters and their country association.^[9]

In 1976, WROL was sold to Radio Knoxville, Inc., whose investors were based in Jackson, Tennessee.^[10] When the new ownership took over in March, WROL flipped to adult contemporary under new WKVQ call letters.^[11]

Forus Communications of Tennessee acquired WKVQ in 1980^[4] and relaunched it that March 1 as the gospel-formatted WITA, "With Inspiration to All".^[2] Fred Westenberger acquired WITA from Forus in 1983.^[12]

References

^ ^a ^b "New WROL at 1490 on Dial". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. September 4, 1960. p. E-6. Retrieved October 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Station Changes Call Letters". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. March 18, 1980. p. B-4. Retrieved October 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Facility Technical Data for WITA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
^ ^a ^b ^c "History Cards for WITA". Federal Communications Commission.
^ "New Radio Firm Asks WROL Tag". The Knoxville Journal. Knoxville, Tennessee. August 1, 1960. p. 10. Retrieved October 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "WATE Observes Anniversary". The Knoxville Journal. Knoxville, Tennessee. February 12, 1960. p. 26. Retrieved October 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "WROL Wins OK Of Call Letters". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. October 2, 1960. p. C-12. Retrieved October 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "WROL To Up Power". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. April 23, 1964. p. 27. Retrieved October 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Pirkle. New Sound Come to WROL". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. August 22, 1971. p. F-2. Retrieved October 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Sale of WROL to Jackson Firm Planned". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. December 11, 1975. p. A-1. Retrieved October 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "FCC Approves WROL Sale to Radio Knoxville Inc". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. March 4, 1976. p. 17. Retrieved October 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Changing Hands". Broadcasting. November 14, 1983. p. 79. ProQuest 1014710379.