AM History Profile: WJBY

History:

This station, which is Gadsden's oldest continually operated station, came on the air in 1947 with 1 kW non-directional days and the same power but directional at night. It has, until 2007, probably always been WGAD (GADsden).  In 1957, the power increased to its present level, 5 kW. The station was bought in 1959 by Ed Carrell, Lavelle Jackson and Congressman Albert Rains, and began playing top 40 music, mixed with pop standards. It continued as a top 40 station until 1985, when competition from FM mitigated a switch to news-talk. It moved to the satellite-based oldies format in 2001. In 2002 the station was sold to Gerald Dilts from Ed Carrell; in 2004 Dilts sold the station to Dave Hendrick and the DR Radio Group.  In 2007 the station was sold to Coosa River Communications, who own Rainbow City-based WJBY 930.  They moved the oldies and WGAD callsign to 930, bringing the WJBY calls here with a flip to sports programming as "The Winner".