WWMI

File:1380 The Biz 2015.png

On April 3, 1939, the Federal Communications Commission awarded a construction permit to the Pinellas Broadcasting Company. It was allowed to build a new radio station on 1370 kHz in St. Petersburg, broadcasting with 250 watts during the day and 100 at night.{{Cite web|url= https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=65949 |title= History Cards for WWMI|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}} (Guide to reading History Cards) Its call sign during the construction months was WBOX. But it changed to WTSP ("Welcome to St. Petersburg") before launch. The station signed on the air on the morning of November 30.{{r|mutual}} In the same year it was founded, Pinellas Broadcasting was sold to Paul and Nelson Poynter, who owned the St. Petersburg Times.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78657540/|access-date=May 31, 2021|date=September 18, 1947|title=Connecticut Man Buys WTSP Transmitter Building For Gas Station And Tea Room|page=3|work=St. Petersburg Times}}

On March 29, 1941, the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) was enacted. That required WTSP to move to 1380 kHz. Later that year, the station was approved for an increase to 1,000 watts day and 500 watts night.{{r|hc}} It became the first Tampa Bay network affiliate of the Mutual Broadcasting System.{{cite news|title=WTSP Joins Mutual to Bring Tampa Bay Listeners Wide Variety of News, Sports, Entertainment, Music|page=25|first=Coburn|last=Gum|work=St. Petersburg Times|access-date=May 31, 2021|date=October 28, 1941|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78657409/wtsp-joins-mutual-to-bring-tampa-bay/}} In late 1946, construction began on a new 5,000-watt facility near the southern approach to the Gandy Bridge, which would also house an FM station.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78657491/|access-date=May 31, 2021|work=St. Petersburg Times|title=WTSP Power Increased; New Buildings Planned|page=13|date=November 16, 1946}} By 1954, WTSP-FM 102.5, established in 1948, had been upgraded to broadcast with 77,000 watts.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78657698/|page=SP-77|title=WTSP's '1380' Popular Spot On Radio Dial|access-date=May 31, 2021|date=September 6, 1954|work=St. Petersburg Times}} That same year, however, the station lost in its fight to win a television station on channel 8; rival newspaper The Tampa Tribune and its WFLA were given the nod to build WFLA-TV.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78657612/|access-date=May 31, 2021|date=August 7, 1954|title=WFLA Gets Channel 8, Plans To Be On Air In About Six Months|work=St. Petersburg Times|page=1}}

In 1956, Ferris, Joe and Sam Rahall—natives of Beckley, West Virginia, but whose parents were longtime winter residents of St. Petersburg—purchased WTSP AM and FM from the Times for $200,000.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78657661/|access-date=May 31, 2021|date=May 6, 1956|page=1-B|work=St. Petersburg Times|title=Radio Station WTSP Sold To Rahall Brothers; New Studio Is Planned|first=Dan|last=Hall}} The Rahalls opted to dismantle the FM operation, surrendering the license in December.{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1956/1956-12-10-BC.pdf|page=127|work=Broadcasting|date=December 10, 1956|access-date=May 31, 2021|title=Existing Fm Stations}} Seeking to update the station "in the modern trend", WTSP became WLCY on July 15, 1959.{{r|hc}}{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78657804/|work=The Tampa Tribune|access-date=May 31, 2021|date=July 19, 1959|page=13-E|title=Modern Trend}} The new name gave rise to the station's new moniker, "Radio Elsie".{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78657822/|access-date=May 31, 2021|date=July 13, 1959|title=Station WTSP Goes Phonetic|page=17|work=The Tampa Times}}

For many years, WLCY was the Tampa Bay area's premier rock and roll station, with offices, studios, and transmitter in the previous WTSP facility on Gandy Boulevard near 4th Street North. The station later shared space with Rahall's WLCY-TV and the new WLCY-FM at the "Rahall Color Communications Center", just east of the original Gandy site. The name of the licensee changed to WLCY, Inc., on June 20, 1963 and then to the Rahall Communications Corporation on October 3, 1969. WLCY began to identify dual city of license as "St. Petersburg-Tampa" in 1976.{{r|hc}}

Rahall began to divest itself of its Tampa Bay properties, and in September 1978, Florida Radio, Inc. became the station's new owner. WLCY moved out of the TV building and back into the old WTSP studios.

The AM station was eventually sold to Harte-Hanks and was changed to WNSI (News, Sports and Information). After Edens Broadcasting bought the station, it became WRBQ, and flipped to a simulcast of Q105. The simulcast, however, was limited due to FCC rules. As such, WRBQ-AM had a distinct rhythmic and R&B playlist during certain hours of the day circa December 1982. This would eventually end, with a full simulcast that would last until January 24, 1992, when WRBQ flipped to the satellite-fed urban adult contemporary format known as "The Touch" and picked up Tom Joyner to host mornings.[http://www.radioyears.com/other/details.cfm?id=435 Radio Years.com]{{cite web|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1992/Billboard-1992-02-01.pdf#page=75|title=The Dong Of A New Marketing Age?; They Lest Their Jobs In San Francisco|pages=75| publisher=Radio & Records|access-date=2023-09-11|date=1992-02-01}}{{cite magazine|title=Vox Jox|magazine=Billboard|last=Stark|first=Phyllis|date=July 30, 1994|page=122|volume=106|issue=31}} In July of that year, Edens sold WRBQ-AM-FM to Clear Channel Communications.[https://www.proquest.com/docview/262883957 "Q-105, sister station are sold"], St. Petersburg Times (April 1, 1992){{cite book|title=Billboard|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_LRIEAAAAMBAJ|date=11 July 1992|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_LRIEAAAAMBAJ/page/n64 65]–|issn=0006-2510}}

File:WWMI Radio Disney 1380.png

In February 1999, ABC Radio bought the station and it became WWMI and adopted the Radio Disney children's/contemporary hit radio format on May 3 of that year.[https://www.proquest.com/docview/263360199 "WRBQ-AM changing its format to Disney"], St. Petersburg Times (May 2, 1999){{cite book|title=Billboard|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_AQ4EAAAAMBAJ|date=27 February 1999|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_AQ4EAAAAMBAJ/page/n78 69]–|issn=0006-2510}}{{cite web|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1999/RR-1999-05-07.pdf#page=30|title=Street Talk|pages=30| publisher=Radio & Records|access-date=2023-09-11|date=1999-05-07}}

On August 13, 2014, Disney put WWMI and twenty-two other Radio Disney stations up for sale, to focus on digital distribution of the Radio Disney network.{{cite news|last1=Lafayette|first1=Jon|title=Exclusive: Radio Disney Moving Off Air to Digital|url=http://broadcastingcable.com/news/currency/exclusive-radio-disney-moving-air-digital/133166|access-date=August 13, 2014|date=August 13, 2014}}{{cite magazine|title=Radio Disney to Sell the Majority of Its Stations|url=http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/6214509/radio-disney-to-sell-the-majority-of-its-stations|magazine=Billboard|access-date=13 August 2014|ref=13 August 2014}}

On September 15, 2015, it was announced that Salem Media Group acquired the last five Radio Disney owned-and-operated stations for sale (including WWMI) for $2.225 million.[https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/94556/salem-acquires-radio-disneys-final-five/ Salem Acquires Radio Disney’s Final Five - Radio Insight] WWMI was acquired through South Texas Broadcasting, Inc., for $750.000.{{cite web|title=Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1686438&Service=AM&Form_id=314&Facility_id=11954|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}} The sale of WWMI was completed on December 11.[http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1712703&Service=AM&Form_id=905&Facility_id=11954 Consummation Notice - Federal Communications Commission]

On December 4, 2015, the station dropped the Radio Disney format and later returned to the air on December 13 as Salem's Wall Street Business Network affiliate in Tampa Bay.[https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/95511/salem-launches-1380-the-biz-tampa/ Salem Launches 1380 The Biz Tampa - Radio Insight][https://radiodiscussions.com/threads/wwmi-am-1380-radio-disney.590308/page-2 Radio Discussions] WWMI was now one of two stations in the market airing a business news/talk format, the other being WHFS.

On July 25, 2019, Salem Media Group agreed to sell WWMI and WLCC, as well as WKAT and WZAB in the Miami market, to Immaculate Heart Media, Inc. for more than $8.2 million.{{cite web|title=Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1807564&Service=AM&Form_id=314&Facility_id=74165|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}}Venta, Lance. "[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/179250/immaculate-heart-media-acquires-four-in-miami-tampa-from-salem/ Immaculate Heart Media Acquires Four In Miami & Tampa From Salem]", Radio Insight. July 29, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019. On May 17, 2021, WWMI switched to the English-language version of Relevant Radio.

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.radioyears.com/other/details.cfm?id=848 Radio Years, Central Florida's Great Radio Stations of the Past]

{{AM station data|11954|WWMI}}

{{Tampa Bay Radio}}

{{Relevant Radio}}

Category:1939 establishments in Florida

WMI

Category:Radio stations established in 1939

Category:Relevant Radio stations