WPWT

Radio station in Colonial Heights, Tennessee, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WPWT (870 kHz) is a AM radio classic country music formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Colonial Heights, Tennessee, serving the Tri-Cities area. WPWT is owned and operated by Kenneth Clyde Hill.

Broadcast areaTri-Cities
Branding96.3 The Possum
LanguageEnglish
Quick facts Broadcast area, Frequency ...
WPWT
Broadcast areaTri-Cities
Frequency870 kHz
Branding96.3 The Possum
Programming
LanguageEnglish
FormatClassic country
Ownership
Owner
  • Kenneth Clyde Hill
  • (Information Communications Corporation)
History
First air date
December 31, 1984 (1984-12-31)
Former call signs
  • WPRQ (1984–1991)
  • WFKB (1991–1992)
  • WZMC (1992–1996)
Call sign meaning
Power Talk (former format)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID42652
ClassD
Power10,000 watts (daytime only)
Translators
  • 96.3 W242CQ (Colonial Heights)
  • 100.7 W264BY (Kingsport)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.963thepossum.com Edit this at Wikidata
Close

History

This station signed on the air on December 31, 1984. Prior to its sign-on, it had been assigned the call letters WIKV by the FCC. Since these calls were deemed by constructing supervisor Dave Murray (husband of Martha Murray, the original licensee) to be too close to the calls of a prominent FM in the market, WIKQ, the calls were changed, to WPRQ. All this transpired before the station ever officially hit the air.

The original power was 5,000 watts. This was increased later to 10,000 watts. The signal, which shares the clear channel of 870 kHz with Class-A 50,000-watt WWL in New Orleans, was licensed as daytime-only, which it remains today.

The original format was contemporary Christian hit music. Other formats have followed, including news/talk and religious talk. In the late 1980s/early 1990s, the station was dark (silent) for a time, but was sold and returned to the air. Its current owner, Kenneth Clyde Hill, owns other stations as well.

The transmitter was originally a single tower near Warrior's Path State Park in Colonial Heights, Tennessee, which is south of Kingsport, Tennessee. It remains there today.

The original studio was in a residence, in Colonial Heights, Tennessee, which was owned by Dave and Martha Murray.

In November 2017, WPWT rebranded as "96.3 The Possum" (simulcasting on FM translators W242CQ 96.3 Colonial Heights and W264BY 100.7 Kingsport).[2]

Management

Dr. Kenneth C. Hill is the owner of WPWT and sister stations WHCB and WHGG.

References

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