Technical Profile: WYAM

AM Technical Profile: WYAM

Frequency:: 890
Format:: Religious, Spanish
Transmitter Location:: [map] [street view] Visible from I-65 in Decatur. On the southbound side, just after crossing the river.
Power (ERP):: Day: 2.5 kW
Antenna:: 1 tower
Other Information:: 0.5 mV/m Daytime Groundwave Service Contour from the FCC's Public Files
[FCC]
[FCCdata.org]; [Radio-Locator]; [Wikipedia]
[Studio] Street View imagery of the station's studio on Central Parkway SW in Decatur, shared with WYAM-LD, channel 51. The station's old AM tower is visible behind the building.; Station may broadcast in stereo.
// W234AD Decatur, AL
History:: Dorsey Eugene Newman signed this station on in 1957 as WHRT (HaRTselle). The transmitter and studio were just west of Old Highway 31 (Now Sparkman Street NW) and Longhorn Pass, next to the bowling alley. The station started off on 860 kHz, with 250 watts, days only. Going back to the late 70's, the format was Country music.

In 1994, the station acquired a permit to move to 890 kHz and 2.5 kW, still as a daytimer, to escape interference from Birmingham's 850 (now WYDE). Before the facility was built out, the Newman estate sold the station to Grass Roots American, Inc. that same year. The put the relocated signal on the air in 1995 in C-QUAM stereo with an Adult Contemporary format. WAJF, Inc. acquired the station in 1996. Priority Communications acquired the station in 1999. In 2003 the station began programming Oldies and Adult Contemporary together, and in later years also tried various religious and Gospel music programs.

By the time the station was acquired by Decatur Communications Properties in 2003, the station was known to be doing a mix of talk and Hispanic programming.

Now broadcasts a variety type format in Spanish, with some American Family Radio programming tossed in.

In the summer of 2019 it was learned that the station was being listed as the parent to translator W234AD, licensed to Decatur, but with a permit to move to Athens. The translator's owner (FRC Communications) claimed it was receiving a barrage of complaints from a full power station in Tennessee, and thus requested a non-standard channel change as part of the move. The FCC denied this, and field agents sent to measure any interference to the full power station found none. This did not stop the complaints from the full power station in Tennessee, however. With another translator being built out on 94.7 MHz in the area, this translator was forced to go silent in November 2019.

In February 2020 the translator was finally granted a move to 96.5 MHz, but relocating to Madison instead of Huntsville, with 250 watts.