WJBP

WJBP
Broadcast areaChattanooga
Frequency91.5 MHz
BrandingFamily Life Radio
Programming
FormatChristian
NetworkFamily Life Radio
Ownership
OwnerFamily Life Broadcasting Inc.
History
First air date
September 1980 (as WCSO)
Former call signs
WCSO (1980–1987)
WAWL-FM (1987–2008)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID10670
ClassC3
ERP11,000 watts
HAAT100 meters (330 ft)
Links
Public license information
Websitemyflr.org

WJBP (91.5 FM) is a non-commercial Christian music and teaching radio station located in Red Bank, Tennessee, owned by the Family Life Radio network. The transmitter is located in Fairview, Georgia.

History

On March 6, 1978, Chattanooga State Technical Community College applied for a construction permit to build a new radio station on 91.5 FM at Signal Mountain, Tennessee, broadcasting with 137 watts. The Federal Communications Commission approved the permit on March 13, 1979, and WCSO began broadcasting in September 1980.[2][3]

WCSO was a typical college radio station; it did not begin broadcasting overnights until 1985, when it started airing a tape loop of nature sounds at night. The off-hours programming developed a cult following with listeners, including a prison inmate who wrote to the station to say that the programming had helped him not go crazy.[4] The call letters were changed from WCSO to WAWL-FM on December 18, 1987, which marked the shift from a soft adult contemporary format to an alternative rock base; the station was known as "the WAWL".[5]

In March 2008, Chattanooga State announced it was selling the WAWL-FM license, with the school's programming moving online-only. In September 2008, the buyer was identified as Family Life Radio, paying $1.5 million.[6] On December 10, 2008, WAWL-FM ended operations. The station was then silent until Family Life Radio reactivated the facility as WJBP with its national programming on January 2, 2009.

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WJBP". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "History Cards for WJBP". Federal Communications Commission. (Guide to reading History Cards)
  3. ^ "Chattanooga State's WAWL Celebrates 25 Years". The Chattanoogan. August 24, 2005. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  4. ^ "Station's 'Natural' Sound Draws Cult". The Leaf-Chronicle. Associated Press. February 3, 1986. p. 7. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  5. ^ Crane, Laura (April 17, 2008). "Chattanooga State Radio Change Boggles The Mind". The Chattanoogan. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  6. ^ "Buyer Disclosed for Chattanooga Noncomm". All Access. September 15, 2008. Retrieved March 6, 2020.

34°56′38″N 85°18′00″W / 34.944°N 85.300°W / 34.944; -85.300