WENN-FM

WENN-FM, "105.5 The Vulcan", is a Clear Channel-owned modern rock radio station that broadcasts on the FM 105.5 frequency at an effective radiated power of 29.5 kilowatts. It is licensed to Hoover and serves the Birmingham market.

History

WENN-FM came on the air at [[FM 107.7 FM in 1969 as the sister station of WENN-AM. The station began as FM simulcast of its AM urban contemporary sister station primarily playing R&B, soul, and gospel, but by the end of the 1970s its sister station migrated to a primarily gospel-oriented playlist. Both WENN-FM and AM were purchased in 1976 by A.G. Gaston. Throughout its time as an urban station, WENN created strong local ties to the community through on-air personalities such as Tall Paul, Shelly Stewart, and Dave Donell.

The late 1980s and early 1990s brought major changes to the on-air presentation of the station. WENN began to shift from a R&B/soul-based urban contemporary to a more "mainstream urban" with the introduction of hip-hop and rap to its playlist, and moved the slower R&B and soul songs to its "quiet storm" program at night. It also adopted the station moniker and slogan 107.7 WENN, The People's Station. The station maintained a strong position in the Birmingham radio market in the top 5 in ratings throughout this time.

In 1997, Gaston's death brought a sense of uncertainty. WENN faced direct competition on FM for the first time, as both WBHJ and WBHK adopted formats that challenged WENN for listeners. The ratings for WENN faltered.

In the wake of the passing of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, WENN-FM was sold to Dick Broadcasting, which already owned and operated five other stations in Birmingham: WYSF-FM, WZRR-FM, WRAX-FM, WJOX-AM, and WAPI-AM. In December 1997, Dick Broadcasting swapped WENN's stronger broadcast frequencies with the their alternative rock station, WRAX,"106 the X". At FM 105.9, WENN became known as "Rhythm 105.9". By the end of 1998, rating had withered to the point that the station was briefly off the air.

In 1999, WENN was purchased by Clear Channel and came back on the air as an urban oldies station with the nickname, "Jammin' Oldies 105.9". In January 2000, WENN switched to an urban adult contemporary format with a new name, "V-105.9". In September 2002, it again changed its name, this time to "Power 105.9", focusing even more on hip hop, rap and R&B. None of these formats worked, so it switched to gospel, "Hallelujah 105.9 FM" on February 1, 2003, copying a format Clear Channel had introduced in Memphis the previous year. Since the format change, WENN has consistently ranked in the Top 10 stations in Birmingham's Arbitron ratings.

In order to increase the station's broadcast power and improve its coverage area, WENN swapped dial positions with WRTR in Tuscaloosa, becoming "Hallelujah 105.5 FM" on September 1, 2005, .

In December 2006, a few days after the demise of WRAX, WENN abruptly dropped the gospel format and became a new modern rock station, known as "105.5 The Vulcan" (after Birmingham's Vulcan statue).

Preceded by: none	FM 107.7 1969 - 1997	Succeeded by: WRAX (alternative)
Preceded by: WRAX (alternative)	FM 105.9 1997 - 2005	Succeeded by: WRTR (classic rock)
Preceded by: WRTR (classic rock)	FM 105.5 2005 -	Succeeded by: current

External links

• Official Website of WENN
• WENN FM Query at FCC.gov