WKBC-AM

WKBC-AM (AM 1370, later AM 1310) was, after WBRC-AM, Birmingham's second radio station. It first went on the air on February 3, 1926, and was granted its broadcast license on August 11 of that year.

WKBC was originally licensed Hulett Ansley, a salesman for the Crane Co., a plumbing supplier. He was permitted to broadcast at 1370 kHz with 10 watts of power from his transmitter at 1428 12th Avenue North in Fountain Heights.

By 1929 the R. B. Broyles Furniture Co. had taken ownership of the station, and claimed that the call letters stood for "Well Known Broyles Co.". The broadcast studio and transmitter were relocated in the Drennen Building at 2021 2nd Avenue North and the licensed transmission was moved to 1310 kHz with the power increased to 100 watts.

In 1929 the station applied to move to 1340 kHz and increase its power from 100 to 500 watts, but the Federal Radio Commission denied the request. The transmitter and studio moved later that year to 305 23rd Street North.

A sample broadcast schedule, for March 26, 1930 began at 5:00 PM with the "Twilight Review", followed by Ed Balsam presenting a program of popular music. At 7:00 Ruth Williams performed an organ recital, broadcast from a downtown theater. At 7:30 a "variety" program commenced, which was to include a 15-minute talk by J. A. Bryan. At 8:30 a two-act performance of Bailey Waller's "The Curse of an Aching Heart" was aired as a live radio drama with a cast of 15. That was followed by a dance program at 10:00 PM. The following night was to be headlined by contralto Gloria Adams and soprano Mildred King Bridges. The station's most popular host was Dud Connolly. In April the station broadcast live performances by Dunk Rendleman & His Alabamians from the Cascade Plunge ballroom, and also added a weekly Sunday evening broadcast of worship services from Walker Memorial Church in West End. The station expanded its broadcast day to 12 hours with the addition of a Homemakers Program hosted by Sallie Pope.

In 1930 the station applied again to the FRC, this time proposing to move the transmitter 18 miles away from the city and to broadcast on 1380 kHz at 1,000 watts. That application was also rejected. In 1931 the broadcast transmitter was moved, to the hilltop at 1628 Druid Hills Drive in Druid Hills. In 1932 the studio relocated from 23rd Street to the Tutwiler Hotel.

Beginning in 1931 a special program of music performed by young studio hostess Della Dean Orr on the Alabama Theatre's Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ was broadcast on WKBC each weekday morning and Sunday evening. According to rumors reported by Lee Erwin, Orr was so inexpert a player that the Alabama's management threatened to deny the station access to the Wurlitzer if she were not replaced with a better organist.

In February 1934 WKBC, with Steve Cisler as manager, made a pioneering move into live sportscasting with a live ball-by-ball broadcast of a YMCA bowling league game called by Edward Murphy. In March the station welcomed the radio debut of the 52-piece Zamora Temple Shrine Band. The station also began offering 5-minute news bulletins from the Publishers News Service at 9:30 AM and 9:00 PM daily.

WKBC was sold in spring 1934 to The Birmingham News. They turned the Tutwiler studio over to theirWSGN-AM station and took the opportunity to open a secondary studio in Bessemer to transmit on WKBC's former AM 1310. The station's FRC license was formerly transferred, first to Ormond and Mary Collette Black in 1935, and then to the Birmingham News Company in 1936. During that time, it did manage to get approval to increase power to 250 watts.

References

• "WKBC to Present Drama Burlesque" (March 26, 1930) The Birmingham News, p. 21
• "WKBC Studio Hostess Has Wide Experience in Organ Broadcasts" (March 8, 1931) The Birmingham News, p. 12