WBFA
 | |
| City | Fort Mitchell, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area |
Columbus, Georgia Phenix City, Alabama |
| Branding | 98.3 The Beat |
| Slogan | "Columbus' #1 for Hip Hop and R&B" |
| Frequency | 98.3 MHz |
| First air date | 2004 |
| Format | Urban Contemporary |
| ERP | 6,000 watts |
| HAAT | 100.0 meters |
| Class | A |
| Facility ID | 43093 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 32°21′48.00″N 85°3′6.00″W / 32.3633333°N 85.0516667°W |
| Callsign meaning | The Beat |
| Former callsigns | WAGH (1987-2007)[1] |
| Affiliations | Westwood One, Premiere Radio Networks |
| Owner |
Aloha Station Trust (divestiture trust for iHeartMedia, Inc.) |
| Sister stations | WAGH, WDAK, WGSY, WHAL, WSTH-FM, WVRK |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | thebeatcolumbus.com |
WBFA (98.3 FM, "98.3 The Beat") is a radio station broadcasting an Urban Contemporary format.[2] Licensed to Fort Mitchell, Alabama, the station is owned by the Aloha Station Trust, a divestiture trust for iHeartMedia, Inc.,[3] and features programming from Westwood One and Premiere Radio Networks.[4] Its studios are in Columbus, east of downtown, and its transmitter is outside Fort Mitchell, Alabama.
Programming
WBFA changed from Contemporary Hit Radio to Urban Contemporary music on September 9, 2004, and has been in its current format since that change. Current personalities and programming includes the Rickey Smiley morning show, A.P. "The Mid-Day Diva", Lil' D. on afternoon drive, plus New Jack Nites.
History
In September 2004, WAGH, then known as WBFA, flipped from a contemporary hit radio format branded as "B101" to an mainstream urban format branded as "The Beat".[5] In September 2007, this format, branding, and the WBFA call letters letters were swapped with sister station WAGH.
The station was assigned the WBFA call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on September 4, 2007.[1]
In July 1998, adult contemporary music formatted WAGH ("Magic 98") was purchased by M&M Partners Inc. for a reported $2 million to become the fifth station in that ownership group's Columbus cluster.[6]
WBFA, along with sister station WSHE, officially joined the Aloha Station Trust on August 4, 2008.[7]
References
- 1 2 "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
- ↑ "WBFA Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ↑ "Aloha Station Trust" (PDF). Radio & Records.
- ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
- ↑ "B101 changes 'The Beat', station switched to urban format". Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. September 9, 2004. p. L1.
- ↑ "Georgia Radio Purchase Establishes Dominant Player". Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. July 2, 1997.
- ↑ "Aloha Station Trust" (PDF). Radio & Records.
External links
- WBFA 98.3 The Beat official website
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WBFA
- Radio-Locator information on WBFA
- Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WBFA