WKMX

WKMX
Broadcast areaDothan, Alabama
Frequency106.7 MHz
Branding106-7 KMX
Programming
FormatTop 40 (CHR)
AffiliationsWestwood One
Ownership
OwnerGulf South Communications
WTVY-FM, WDJR, WDBT
History
First air date
November 27, 1974
Call sign meaning
MX = "Mix"[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID73179
ClassC
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT326 meters (1070 feet)
Transmitter coordinates
31°24′41″N 85°57′32″W / 31.41139°N 85.95889°W / 31.41139; -85.95889
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitewkmx.com

WKMX-FM (106.7 MHz) is a radio station broadcasting a Top 40 (CHR) format.[3] Licensed to Enterprise, Alabama, United States, the station serves the Dothan, Alabama, metropolitan area. WKMX-FM is a 100,000-watt Top 40 station owned by Digio Strategies and features Atlanta syndicated "The Bert Show" in the mornings.

History

In 1974, veterinarian Jones Wallace Miller was granted a construction permit for a new FM radio station to broadcast with 100,000 watts of effective radiated power on 106.7 MHz. It began broadcasting on November 27, 1974.[4][5] In 1979, WKMX was broadcasting a middle of the road music format.[6]

In June 2004, WKMX Inc. (Wallace Miller, president) made a deal to sell WKMX after 30 years of continuous ownership to Styles Media Group LLC (Thomas A. DiBacco, managing member) for a reported sale price of $4.5 million.[7] The deal gained FCC approval on August 4, 2004, and was consummated on September 3, 2004.[8] In 2006, Styles Broadcasting became the Magic Broadcasting Company.[9] After the sale to Magic Broadcasting, the WKMX studio and business offices were moved from downtown Enterprise to a facility on the 7th and 8th floors of the historic Houston Hotel, since renamed the Charles Woods Building, in downtown Dothan.

In 2011, the station was sold again, this time along with sister properties WTVY-FM, WJRL-FM, WLDA, and WBBK-FM. WKMX and WTVY were sold to Gulf South Communications, where they became sister stations to WDJR and WUSD, while WJRL-FM and WLDA were sold to Southeast Alabama Broadcasters, which now owns them along with WDBT and WESP. WBBK was sold to a third company, Alabama Media Investments.[10] The sale was consummated on December 1, 2011. As a result of this sale, the WKMX studio moved to its current location on Highway 231 on Dothan's northwest side.

Controversy

The station drew national attention in May 2001 when WKMX, Inc., filed a federal lawsuit against The Coca-Cola Company alleging that the soda giant stole the station's name and colors for its KMX energy drink.[11] In June 2003, then-general manager Terry Duffie told the press that "the matter has been resolved" although no details of any settlement were revealed.[12]

References

  1. ^ Nelson, Bob (June 2, 2009). "Call Letter Origins". Vol. 238. The Broadcast Archive. Retrieved June 21, 2009.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WKMX". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "WKMX Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  4. ^ "The Facilities of Radio". Broadcasting Yearbook 1975. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1975. p. C-5.
  5. ^ "Enterprise's only radio station". Radio Daily News. January 2004. Archived from the original on 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  6. ^ "The Facilities of Radio". 1979 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1979. p. C-4.
  7. ^ "Changing Hands - 7/12/2004". Broadcasting & Cable. July 12, 2004.
  8. ^ "Application Search Details (BALH-20040615ACJ)". FCC Media Bureau. September 3, 2004.
  9. ^ "Life Story". Don McCoy's Magic House. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
  10. ^ "Seven stations are changing hands in Dothan, Alabama". Radio-Info.com. February 16, 2011.
  11. ^ "Daily Briefing". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. May 11, 2001. p. C2. WKMX Inc., an FM radio station, filed a lawsuit, alleging that Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. and its biggest bottler stole the station's name and colors for its KMX energy drink. In a federal suit filed in Dothan, WKMX said it's the top station for young adult listeners in its market and has used those call letters since 1974.
  12. ^ "RADIOACTIVE: LA Station Presents NY Show". Airplay Monitors. June 20, 2003. Two years ago, adult top 40 WKMX Dothan, Ala., sued Coca-Cola over its new soft drink, DMX. Now, GM Terry Duffie says that the matter has been resolved; no details were disclosed.