WKEA-FM

WKEA-FM (98.3 FM, "98.3 Wild Country") is a radio station licensed to serve the community of Scottsboro, Alabama, United States. The station is owned by Southern Torch Media, Inc.

WKEA-FM

Scottsboro, Alabama
Frequency	98.3 MHz
Branding	98.3 Wild Country
Programming
Format	Country
Affiliations	Jones Radio Network, Fox News Radio
Ownership
Owner	Southern Torch Media, Inc. (Southern Torch, Inc.)
Sister stations	WMXN-FM
History
First air date	November 3, 1965 (as WCNA)
Former call signs	WCNA (1965–1981)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	33781
Class	C3
ERP	11,000 watts
HAAT	150 meters (492 feet)
Transmitter coordinates	34°32′00″N 85°55′20″W
Translator(s)	105.7 W289BV (Scottsboro)
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen Live

WKEA-FM broadcasts a country music format including programming from Jones Radio Network and Fox News Radio.^[2]

History

Radio station WCNA-FM was founded in 1965 by Dr. Ralph Sheppard, a local dentist and owner of the Jackson County Advertiser, a weekly newspaper.^[3] The first FM radio station in Jackson County, Alabama, WCNA-FM began broadcasting a country music format on November 3, 1965. In 1971, Sheppard transferred the license to a company named Mellow Sound Broadcasting.^[4] The city of Scottsboro later honored Sheppard by declaring April 30, 2008, as "Dr. Ralph Sheppard Day" in honor of his many contributions to the community.^[3]

In July 1981, Mellow Sound Broadcasting, Inc., made a deal to sell this station to KEA Radio, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on September 28, 1981.^[5] The new owners had the FCC assign new call letters WKEA-FM on October 1, 1981.^[6]

In late August 2013, the station debuted a translator (W289BV) on 105.7 MHz, relaying WKEA. In a curious move, despite being a simulcast, the translator has its own branding, as "Lake 105.7".^[7]

On August 19, 2019, WKEA rebranded as "98.3 Wild Country".^[8] The station became part of a landmark local radio deal in February 2019 when The Southern Torch newspaper and website companies made a deal to buy the KEA Radio properties, WKEA, and sister station WMXN-FM 101.7 to start Southern Torch Media, Inc. The purchase was consummated on April 1, 2019, at a price of $600,000.

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