WPWT

Radio station in Colonial Heights, Tennessee

Colonial Heights, Tennessee

Broadcast areaTri-Cities, VA/TNFrequency870 kHzBranding96.3 The PossumProgrammingFormatClassic countryOwnershipOwnerKenneth Clyde Hill

Sister stations

WABN, WHCB, WHGGHistory

First air date

1984

Call sign meaning

W PoWer Talk (former format)Technical informationFacility ID42652ClassDPower10,000 watts daytime onlyTranslator(s)96.3 MHz - (W242CQ, Colonial Heights)
100.7 MHz - (W264BY, Kingsport)LinksWebcastListen LiveWebsite963thepossum.com

WPWT (870 AM) is a classic country music formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Colonial Heights, Tennessee, serving the Tri-Cities, VA/TN area. WPWT is owned and operated by Kenneth Clyde Hill.

History

This station signed on the air in 1984. Prior to its sign-on, it had been assigned the call letters WIKV by the FCC. Since these calls were deemed by constructing supervisor Dave Murray (husband of Martha Murray, the original licensee) to be too close to the calls of a prominent FM in the market, WIKQ, the calls were changed, to WPRQ. All this transpired before the station ever officially hit the air.

The original power was 5,000 watts. This was increased later to 10,000 watts. The signal, which shares the clear channel of 870 kHz with Class-A 50,000-watt WWL in New Orleans, was licensed as daytime-only, which it remains today.

The original format was contemporary Christian hit music. Other formats have followed, including news/talk and religious talk. In the late 1980s/early 1990s, the station was dark (silent) for a time, but was sold and returned to the air. Its current owner, Kenneth Clyde Hill, owns other stations as well.

The transmitter was originally a single tower near Warrior's Path State Park in Colonial Heights, Tennessee, which is south of Kingsport, Tennessee. It remains there today.

The original studio was in a residence, in Colonial Heights, Tennessee, which was owned by Dave and Martha Murray.

In November 2017, WPWT rebranded as "96.3 The Possum" (simulcasting on FM translators W242CQ 96.3 Colonial Heights and W264BY 100.7 Kingsport).^[1]

Management

Dr. Kenneth C. Hill is the owner of WPWT and sister stations WHCB and WHGG.

Previous logo

References

^ Classic Country Possum Debuts in Kingsport/Johnson City Radioinsight - November 28, 2017

External links

96.3 The Possum Online

WPWT in the FCC AM station database
WPWT in Nielsen Audio's AM station database

Radio stations in Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol (Tri-Cities area of Tennessee/Virginia)

By AM frequency

640
690
790
870
910
980
1090
1140
1240
1260
1320
1400
1420
1490
1550

By FM frequency

LPFM	100.1
Translators	89.1 92.3 93.3 95.3 96.3 97.3 98.9 100.3 100.7 105.3 107.9

By call sign

Defunct

Radio stations in East Tennessee: Chattanooga; Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol; Knoxville

Radio stations in Southwest Virginia: Blacksburg-Christiansburg; Bluefield; Bristol; Roanoke
Elsewhere in the region: Southwest Virginia

Other nearby regions: Asheville; Beckley; Charlotte; Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point

See also: List of radio stations in Tennessee; List of radio stations in Virginia

v t e Country radio stations in the state of Tennessee
Stations	KYTN – Union City WAKM – Franklin WANT – Lebanon WBRY – Woodbury WCOR – Lebanon WCYQ – Oak Ridge WDEB-FM – Jamestown WDKW – Maryville WDXE – Lawrenceburg WECO-FM – Wartburg WEIO – Huntingdon WEPG – South Pittsburg WEYE – Surgoinsville WGKX – Memphis WGOC – Kingsport WGSQ – Cookeville WHMT - Tullahoma WHNY - Paris WHNY-FM – Henry WIKQ – Tusculum WIVK-FM – Knoxville WJDT – Rogersville WJJM-FM – Lewisburg WJLE – Smithville WJLE-FM – Smithville WJSQ – Athens WKBQ – Covington WKDF – Nashville WKJQ-FM – Parsons WKOS – Kingsport WKWX – Savannah WKXD-FM – Monterey WLAR – Athens WLCT – Lafayette WLFP – Memphis WLIJ - Shelbyville WLIL – Lenoir City WLIV – Livingston WLLX – Lawrenceburg WLNQ – White Pine WLNT-LP – Loudon WLOD – Loudon WLXA - Loretto WMCP – Columbia WMCT – Mountain City WMOD – Bolivar WMSR-FM - Collinwood WMTN – Morristown WMYL – Halls Crossroads WNFN - Franklin WNKX-FM – Centerville WNPC – Newport WNTC - Ashland City WOGT - East Ridge WOGY – Jackson WOOP-LP – Cleveland WOPC - Linden WORM-FM – Savannah WOWF – Crossville WPWT - Colonial Heights WRGS – Rogersville WSBI – Static WSDQ – Dunlap WSIX-FM – Nashville WSLV - Ardmore WSM – Nashville WSM-FM – Nashville WTNK – Hartsville WTNV – Tiptonville WTRB – Ripley WUCH – Monterey WUCZ – Carthage WUSY – Cleveland WVFB – Celina WWGM - Selmer WWGY - Union City WWON - Waynesboro WWYN – Mckenzie WXRH - Rockwood WYCZ – White Bluff WYSH – Clinton WYTM-FM – Fayetteville WZLT – Lexington
Defunct	WAXO – Lewisburg WFWL – Camden WXOQ – Selmer
See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Tennessee

v t e Daytime-only radio stations in Tennessee
Stations	WBOL - Bolivar WBRY - Woodbury WDEB - Jamestown WDTM - Selmer WENO - Nashville WENR - Englewood WETR - Knoxville WFCN - Nashville WHEW - Franklin WHGG - Kingsport WHNY - Paris WJBE - Powell WJPJ - Humboldt WKCE - Knoxville WLOD - Loudon WNPC - Newport WNPZ - Knoxville WNWS - Brownsville WPTN - Cookeville WPWT - Colonial Heights WQZQ - Goodlettsville WSBI - Static WSDQ - Dunlap WSGI - Springfield WSLV - Ardmore WSMM - Maryville WTLT - Maryville WTPR - Paris WUAT - Pikeville WUMY - Memphis WVVB - Kingston WWDX - Huntingdon WYJV - Smyrna WYXE - Gallatin
Defunct	WCLC - Jamestown WCTA - Alamo WHHM - Henderson WKJQ - Parsons WMTY - Farragut WOCV - Oneida WPFD - Fairview WTNW - Jasper WTRO - Dyersburg
See also: Clear channel radio stations and Why AM Radio Stations Must Reduce Power, Change Operations, or Cease Operations at Night