WZKY

WZKY (1580 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Albemarle, North Carolina, United States. The station is owned by Stanly Communications.

WZKY
CityAlbemarle, North Carolina
Broadcast areaBadin, North Carolina
Richfield, North Carolina
Frequency1580 kHz C-QUAM AM Stereo
BrandingMagic 103.3 FM
Slogan"Good Times & Great Oldies"
Programming
FormatOldies
AffiliationsABC Radio
Ownership
OwnerStanly Communications
WSPC
History
First air date
July 9, 1956
Technical information
Facility IDAM: 49044
FM: 200901
ClassBoth AM & FM: D
Power1,000 watts day
12 watts night
ERPFM: 250 watts
HAATFM: 73 meters (240 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
35°21′38.00″N 80°10′39.00″W
Translator(s)103.3 - W277DK (Albemarle)
Links
WebcastListen Live
WebsiteWZKY Online

WZKY broadcasts an oldies music format that at one time included programming from the Classic Hits network by ABC Radio.[1]

WZKY is where Bob Harris, "Voice of the Blue Devils", got his start in the radio business.

History

Steve Blalock, asked why the letters WZKY were chosen, said WCKY was also near the top of the dial and people could listen to that station at night.[2]

In 1960 Suburban Radio Group, which owned nearby WEGO, bought WZKY. The company owned WZKY for 20 years.[3]

In 1967, Bob Harris, now voice of the Duke Blue Devils, offered to take over the job of announcing West Stanly High School football games for WZKY, though his only experience had been as a student announcer for Albemarle High School (North Carolina) Albemarle High School basketball. WZKY station manager Ralph Gardner gave Harris a reel-to-reel tape recorder because the 250-watt station could only broadcast during the daylight hours, and the game would not air until 11 A.M. on Saturday.

Harris became morning host and sports director, and added more games, including boys' and girls' basketball, until, a 2009 Salisbury Post article said, "By 1975, WZKY was originating more sports programming than any other station in the state." Harris remained sports director at WZKY for eight years before moving to WDNC.[4]

Susi and Bill Norman, who met at Pfeiffer College, wanted to buy a radio station. Bill Norman had managed WNMB in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Norman Communications' purchase of WZKY became official in February 1980.[5]

Under the Normans, WZKY increased its power from 250 to 1,000 watts and became one of the first stations to use AM stereo in February 1986.[6] The station also aired Pfeiffer basketball.[7] Programming was mostly oldies music but WZKY added Rush Limbaugh in 1992 and later other talk shows.[8] With automation, WZKY went to 24-hour broadcasts in January 1993.[6]

In April 1993, the Normans bought WXLX, which had gone off the air in November 1990. This was one of the first purchases of a second AM in the same community by the same owner. At first, WXLX simulcast WZKY.[9]

References
  • Norman, Bill (1993). A History of WZKY Radio: The Sound of Stanly County.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  1. "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  2. Norman 1993, p. 1-2.
  3. Norman 1993, p. 4.
  4. Wineka, Mark (November 8, 2009). "Voice of Blue Devils got his start in Albemarle". Salisbury Post. Salisbury, North Carolina. Archived from the original on November 13, 2009. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  5. Norman 1993, p. 5.
  6. Jo Anne B. Efird, "All in the Radio Family", Stanly News and Press, January 23, 1994.
  7. Norman 1993, p. 8.
  8. Norman 1993, p. 8-9.
  9. Norman 1993, p. 9.


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