WMTA

WMTA (1380 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format. It is licensed to Central City, Kentucky, United States. The station is currently owned by Michael & Casey Davis & Jeremy Bennefield, through licensee Custom Voice Media, GP.[2][3]

WMTA
Frequency1380 kHz
BrandingStar 107.3
Programming
FormatHot adult contemporary
AffiliationsCompass Media Networks
Premiere Networks
Ownership
Owner
  • Custom Voice Media, GP
  • (Custom Voice Media, GP)
OperatorMichael Davis, Casey Davis
History
First air date
February 19, 1955
Former call signs
WMTA (1955-1988)
WTBL (1988-1994)
Call sign meaning
Messenger Times Argus, newspaper[1]
Technical information
Facility ID18947
ClassD
Power500 watts day
23 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
37°16′34″N 87°8′39″W
Translator(s)107.3 W297CC (Central City)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitestar1073.com

History

The station went on the air as WMTA on February 19, 1955 as the second radio station in Central City and Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, the month after nearby WNES began broadcasting. WMTA was founded by the owners of the local weekly newspaper; The Messenger-Times Argus (founded in 1909), brothers, Amos and Larry Stone. The station's call letters stood for the name of the newspaper.[4] The station hosted locally-born musicians Phil and Don Everly, Dave Rich, and Merle Travis, who showcased their talents on the station’s airwaves on a regular basis during its early years.[5]

The station remained in the original owner's hands until 1985 when the station was sold to Thomas Broadcast Engineering of Owensboro, Kentucky which sold the station to WMTA AM 1380, Inc., in 1989. The station briefly changed its call letters to WTBL, which stood for “Where The Bible Lives” from 1988 while broadcasting a religious format for a brief amount of time.[6] The station went silent for a brief time in the early 1990s before returning to the air as a News/Talk formatted station under their original callsign.[5] The station remained under the WMTA AM 1380, Inc. ownership and management until 2004 when it was sold to Faith Broadcasting, LLC of Evansville, Indiana, who would begin using WMTA to simulcast their flagship station, WGAB of Newburgh, Indiana, to broadcast a Christian radio format to the area.

On May 18, 2016, Faith Broadcasting sold WMTA to Giving Hope 2U, LLC for $160,000.

On September 15, 2020, WMTA was sold again to Michael and Casey Davis. They assumed operations and flipped the station to Hot Adult Contemporary, returning that format to Muhlenberg County as "Star 107.3" on October 1. The branding gives reference to the station's FM translator, W297CC, which was launched as part of the occasion of switching to Hot AC.[7][8]

On May 6, 2022, Giving Hope 2U, LLC sold the station to Custom Voice Media, GP.

Programming

In addition to its Hot AC format, the station provides coverage of Muhlenberg County High School Mustangs football and basketball.

References
  1. "Call Letter Origins". Radio History on the Web.
  2. "WMTA Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. "WMTA Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  4. "WMTA Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  5. Nash, Francis M. (1995). Towers Over Kentucky: A History of Radio and TV in the Bluegrass State (PDF). ISBN 9781879688933 – via World Radio History.
  6. Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1991. p. B-130 – via World Radio History.
  7. "WMTA to relaunch as Star 107.3 on October 1".
  8. "Lawrence, Keith (September 12, 2020). Central City's WMTA becoming 'STAR 107.3'." Messenger-Inquirer. Retrieved April 7, 2022.


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