WFFN
 | |
| City | Coaling, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| Branding | 95.3 The Bear[1] |
| Slogan | 'Bama's Best Country |
| Frequency | 95.3 MHz |
| First air date | 1987 |
| Format | Country |
| ERP | 17,500 watts |
| HAAT | 256 meters (840 feet) |
| Class | C2 |
| Facility ID | 54797 |
| Former callsigns | WARF-FM (1/1987-4/1987)[2] |
| Owner |
Townsquare Media (Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa License, LLC) |
| Sister stations | WTUG, WBEI, WNPT, WTSK, WTBC |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 953thebear.com |
WFFN (95.3 FM, "95.3 The Bear") is a radio station licensed to serve Coaling, Alabama, USA, and broadcasting to the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, area. The station is owned by Townsquare Media. It broadcasts a country music format.[1][3] It is the flagship station of Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball.
The station was assigned the WFFN call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on April 15, 1987.[2] The station changed its city of license from Cordova, Alabama, to Coaling, Alabama, in late 2005.[4]
In June 2004, New Century Radio (Vachel L. Posey Jr., president) reached an agreement to transfer WFFN to Apex Broadcasting Inc. (Houston L. Pearce, chairman) in consideration of the costs to build the facilities related to the then-upcoming change in the community of license.[5] The deal was approved by the FCC on June 24, 2004, and the transaction was consummated on June 30, 2004.[6] At the time of the sale, the station broadcast an oldies music format.
In February 2005, Apex Broadcasting Inc. (Houston L. Pearce, chairman) reached an agreement to sell WFFN and six other radio stations in Alabama to Citadel Broadcasting Company (Farid Suleman, chairman/CEO) for a reported sale price of $29 million.[7] At the time of the sale, the station broadcast an oldies music format. Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.[8]
Cumulus sold WFFN and its sister stations to Townsquare Media effective July 31, 2012.
References
- 1 2 "Citadel moves country station from Jasper to Tuscaloosa". Birmingham Business Journal. July 14, 2005.
- 1 2 "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
- ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
- ↑ "Application Search Details (BLH-20050603ABJ )". FCC Media Bureau. 2005-10-11.
- ↑ "Changing Hands - 10/18/2004". Broadcasting & Cable. 2004-10-18.
- ↑ "Application Search Details (BALH-20040607AEG)". FCC Media Bureau. 2004-06-30.
- ↑ "Deals - 2/21/2005". Broadcasting & Cable. 2005-02-21.
- ↑ "Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting". Atlanta Business Journal. September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
External links
- 95.3 The Bear WFFN official website
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WFFN
- Radio-Locator information on WFFN
- Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WFFN
Coordinates: 33°03′14″N 87°32′56″W / 33.054°N 87.549°W