WOPI (AM)
City | Bristol, Virginia |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Bristol, Virginia Bristol, Tennessee |
Frequency | 1490 AM kHz |
Branding | ESPN Tri-Cities |
Programming | |
Format | Sports |
Affiliations | ESPN Radio |
Ownership | |
Owner | Glenwood Communications Corporation (Holston Valley Broadcasting Corporation) |
WKPT, WKTP, WRZK, WTFM | |
History | |
First air date | 1929 |
Call sign meaning | "Watch Our Popularity Increase"[1] |
Technical information | |
Facility ID | 31405 |
Class | C |
Power | 1,000 watts day and night |
Transmitter coordinates | 36°35′45.0″N 82°9′42.0″W / 36.595833°N 82.161667°W |
Links | |
Webcast | WOPI Webstream |
Website | WOPI Online |
WOPI (1490 AM) is a sports formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Bristol, Virginia, serving Bristol, Virginia and Bristol, Tennessee.[2] WOPI is owned and operated by Glenwood Communications Corporation, though subsidiary Holston Valley Broadcasting Corporation.[3]
History[]
WOPI signed on June 15, 1929 at State and 22nd Streets in Bristol, Tennessee as the first radio station in the Tri-Cities. W.A. Wilson, former chief telegraph operator for Western Union's Bristol office, came up with the plan for a radio station when he spent several years selling and installing radios. His son James C. Wilson worked at WOPI and later bought the station which is now WJCW. An early show on the station was "WOPI Jamboree", which featured live country music. In the 1940s WOPI and WKPT formed a network called "the Sister City Network" for broadcasting local information.[1]
WOPI-FM signed on Christmas Day 1946 as the area's first FM station. It was sold to the owner of WKYE in the 1960s and is now WXBQ-FM.[1]
In 1966, owner Tri-Cities Broadcasting Company successfully requested that the FCC change the city of license to Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia.[1]
In 1990, WOPI was bankrupt and Joe Morrell bought the station. Morrell wanted to increase the amount of country music on the station, bringing it back to its roots. Later, WOPI joined the WKPT network.[1]
Translator[]
In addition to the main station, WOPI is relayed by an FM translator to widen its broadcast area.[4]
Call sign | Frequency (MHz) |
City of license | Facility ID |
ERP (W) |
Height (m (ft)) |
Class | FCC info |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W251CJ | 98.1 | Bristol, Tennessee | 27506 | 250 | 70 m (230 ft) | D | FCC LMS |
References[]
- ^ a b c d e "History of WOPI-AM". Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ "Arbitron Station Information Profiles". Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ^ "WOPI Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ^ "W251CJ Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
External links[]
- ESPN Tri-Cities Online
- WOPI in the FCC AM station database
- WOPI on Radio-Locator
- WOPI in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- Radio stations in Virginia
- Sports radio stations in the United States
- Radio stations established in 1929
- 1929 establishments in Virginia
- ESPN Radio stations
- Virginia radio station stubs