WSMX
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| City of license | Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Metro Winston-Salem |
| Frequency | 1500 kHz |
| First air date | 1964 |
| Format | Spanish Religious |
| Power | 140 watts daytime only |
| Class | D |
| Facility ID | 24682 |
| Transmitter coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Owner | Nancy A. Epperson/Stuart W. Epperson, Jr. (Truth Broadcasting Corporation) |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 1500wsmx.com |
WSMX is a broadcast radio station licensed to and serving Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[1] WSMX is owned by Truth Broadcasting,[2] and operated under a lease agreement by Richard Miller, Bob Scarborough and Dan Williard.
History
At one time this was a Country-Western station with the letters WKBX and a 10,000-watt directional signal. Stuart Epperson sold the station early in 1976 to Randolph Properties Inc. of Dallas, Texas, though general manager Curly Howard said no changes were planned.[3] In the late 1970s it was WURL ("World"), the first all-news radio station in the area. On November 3, 1976, Crash Williams said the news format would remain even after the demise of the NBC news service in mid-1977.[4] Later the station began airing Christian programming, primarily for an African-American audience. The first general manager of the station when the format became African American, with a Contemporary Gospel music and talk format, was Jay Francis Springs, in 1982, when the station was sold to Gospel Media. Other staff members were Leonard "Tippy" Calloway, Al Martin, Nancy Caree, Paul Johnson, Henry "Leon" Harper and Bea Swisher.[citation needed]
Early in 2014, WSMX had a Spanish language format as "Radio La Movidita".[5]
Local businessman Jerry Holt was leasing WTOB in 2014 but lost the station and took over WSMX, which he had planned to switch to sports talk. In June 2014, both stations made changes. The oldies and beach music on WTOB was moved to WSMX along with some DJs from WTOB. Holt said WSMX would play rock, country, R&B and other music from 1956 to 1978, describing at as "the music you grew up with", though younger people enjoyed the music too. Among those too young to remember the music when it was new was Aaron Gabriel, a DJ who moved to WSMX after a month on WTOB and hosted "Midday Mojo" with soul, funk, blues and Motown. Dickie Dean's "Afternoon Delight" would follow Gabriel's. WSMX would also air On the Beach with Charlie Brown.[6]
Holt lost the lease on WSMX, and in May 2015 the station was leased by Miller, Scarborough and Williard. Williard, who is also the lessee of WTOB, moved WSMX into the WTOB building at 3720 Reynolda Rd, and changed the format to 100% Carolina Beach and Shag. Mike Harding, a member of the Association of Beach and Shag Club DeeJays, was named Program Director.
In November 2015, the classic hits format from WTOB moved to WSMX temporarily, while the oldies and beach format moved online.[7] The WTOB format moved to WEGO December 18.[8]
Currently, AM 1500 WSMX airs Spanish Christian programming.
References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />External links
- Query the FCC's AM station database for WSMX
- Radio-Locator Information on WSMX
- Query Nielsen Audio's AM station database for WSMX
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "Owner Sells Station WKBX, Expected to Join Religious TV," Twin City Sentinel, January 27, 1976.
- ↑ Howard Carr, "WURL Will Keep News Format," Winston-Salem Journal, November 4, 1976.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
