WTBF is a local low power Class D radio station serving the small university town of Troy AL from a small studio downtown. The WTBF main (daytime) transmitter is located northeast of town on Radio Transmitter Road (Source: Radio-Locator.com (
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WTBF-AM is licensed to broadcast at 5000 watts during the day and 45 watts at night. Source: FCC website (
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The WTBF Studios are located on the square in downtown Troy AL. WE thought it was an automated station, until we saw the DJ run into the studio holding his dinner, which he had picked up from a restaurant across the street. We tuned into the broadcast in time to hear him do a couple of local ads and spin some 1970s oldies. We think we saw Ralph, but it could have been Ray.
From the website: (
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WTBF is a community involved station. We've supported the City of Troy and surrounding counties for 70 years. The popular Morning Show, on 94.7 FM, supports community activities and events Monday thru Saturday mornings. This feature is filled with local and state news, agriculture, birthdays and anniversaries, weather, news for area schools, Troy University, churches, and civic clubs.
Sunday Mornings from 6:00-8:00AM is Southern Gospel Music with Liz taking your favorite Gospel requests.
94.7 programs WestwoodOne Oldies, hits of the late 60's,70's and 80's following The Morning Show.
WTBF AM 970 programs CBS Sports Talk 24/7 with Tiki and Tierney, Jim Rome, and others. We also carry Auburn, Troy University and area High School Football and locally produced Sports Programming throughout the year."
From Wikipedia: (
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"WTBF-FM (94.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a mixed Talk/Personality and oldies music format. Licensed to Troy, Alabama, USA. The station is currently owned by Troy Broadcasting Corp. and features programming from Citadel Media (formerly ABC Radio Networks).
WTBF-FM currently simulcasts the AM station during some dayparts, and breaks away for Rush Limbaugh, Clark Howard, Ken Hamblin and sports talk shows weekdays, and for sports and syndicated nostalgia shows on weekends. The station also airs music from Citadel's The True Oldies Channel radio network.
Jess Jordan and Bob "Pappy" Tolbert were the mainstays of WTBF Radio during its first 30 years. Their voices were very familiar to listeners in Pike County, and both were extremely active in the Troy community.
Joe Gilchrist is the original engineer, and still owns the station, along with Asa Dudley and Jim Roling. Jim Roling worked there as a teenager in the 1950s and 1960s, left for South Carolina, then returned in 1980 and bought out one of the original owners. Jim hosted "The Morning Show" since returning in 1980 until semi-retirement in 2007, and is a well-known icon in Pike County.
"Doc" Kirby (so nicknamed for his trumpet playing abilities) has been the Program Director since 1974, with one break from 1985-86 when he was a band director at a local school and was replaced by then Morning Show co-host, Joey Meredith. Since 1986, Doc has developed a weekly program called "On The Bookshelf," which is syndicated on the Alabama Radio Network. Doc also became a Methodist minister.
Other long-term employees include Ralph Black, who worked there from the late 1970s until the mid-1980s, when he started the Troy State Sports Network. He was the voice heard on every Troy broadcast game. Ralph was bought out by the college in 2002, and replaced by Barry McKnight, who hosts a sports call-in show on WMSP in Montgomery. Ralph came back to WTBF in 2002, and in 2007 became the host of "The Morning Show".
Many WTBF staffers have gone on to greener pastures—Tonya Terry (WSFA-TV), Michael Buchanan (the Auburn Network & play by play voice of the LaGrange High Grangers), Chris Ingram (Washington, DC radio), Russell Wells (program director at WSVH in Savannah, GA), and so on.
Other popular programs include "Crosby's Country Classics," which was hosted by local personality Ray Crosby from 1998-2006. Ray returned in 2008. In late 2007, Joey Meredith returned to the airwaves on WTBF helming the popular Sunday morning gospel music request show, Gospel Favorites. Allen Stevens helps Joey with the abundance of phone calls on Sunday mornings on the Gospel show.
The engineer is Wade Giddens, who spends three days a week at WTBF and four days a week at WAAO in Andalusia. Joe Gilchrist retired after 59 years on the job, but still owns the station.
WTBF was located on the Troy University campus by the lagoon, from 1947-1997. This original site was torn down in February, 2008.
On June 18, 1997, Joe Gilchrist flipped the switch at the transmitter site. Larry Wells was operating with one CD player at what staffers called "Skylab", the old studios, and Jim Roling and Doc Kirby were waiting at the brand new studios at 67 West Court Square. At 3:00 p.m., Larry faded the music, Joe flipped the switch, and Jim and Doc signed on from the new location.
WTBF Today
AM 970 has updated their format to an all sports programming. The AM station broadcasts CBS's popular sports line up 24 hours a day Monday-Saturday. Pausing for religious programming and local church services on Sundays until 1:00pm. FM 94.7, licensed to Brundidge, airs about 4 hours per day of live local programming, but tune in the rest of the day an you'll hear "Good Time Oldies" playing the top billboard hits from the late 60s through mid 80s. FM 94.7 provides its listeners with Crosby's Country Classics Saturday mornings from 6:00-10:00, while Sunday Mornings are devoted to gospel music and other religious programming until noon. WTBF FM and AM proudly serves as a training ground for countless broadcast majors every year."
And for WTBF-AM, from Wikipedia: (
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"WTBF (970 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a sports format. Licensed to Troy, Alabama, USA, the station is currently owned by Troy Broadcasting Corp. and features programming from ABC Radio
History of Troy Broadcasting Corporation
WTBF began broadcasting in 1947. A classic example of a small town station, they played all kinds of music during the day, from MOR to country music, even with an occasional Talk program.
WTBF signed on at 12 noon on February 25, 1947, with the roll of the timpani leading into "The Star Spangled Banner", played by the Troy High School Band. That drum roll was played by the future Mrs. Ann Gilchrist (wife of owner Joe Gilchrist). The station was then signed on for the very first time by Samuel F. (Sam) Townsend, who in 1949 purchased AM radio station WCNU in Crestview, Florida and relocated there. The original calls were to be WTBC, for Troy Broadcasting Corporation, but those letters were already taken, so they settled on WTBF.
For the first few years, WTBF was at 1490 on the dial, then moved down to 970 during the 1950s. Bob "Pappy" Tolbert, Jess Jordan, and Joe Gilchrist did wild morning shows before the genre was invented. Joe interviewed pigs who lived at the transmitter site; Pappy gave away junk records with crazy trivia questions. Birthdays, anniversaries, giveaways, obituaries, weather, local news (bake sales, gospel sings, barbecues, yard sales, etc.) are part of the Morning Show to this very day.
On July 16, 1969, Joe Gilchrist did a live remote of the Apollo 11 launch from Cape Canaveral.
The original tower was over 300 feet tall and was located directly behind the station. It is now owned by a radio station in Puerto Rico.
The AM still uses its original audio processor, which has only been disconnected one time—when locations changed.
WTBF programming through the years
At night, the programming targeted teens and college students. By 1970, the tempo was more Top 40 feeling with MOR music. From 1973 to 1978, the station played country during the day. From 1978 to 1985, it was all AC during the day. From 1985 to 1988, they went back to a hodgepodge of music. All during these periods, WTBF was still Top 40 at night, and some during the weekends. At night the program was called "Night Flight". In 1988, the late night AC stopped and WTBF went country all the way.
In October 1994, WTBF made an unusual move and started "Night Visions", a modern rock program airing at 8pm on weeknights. That became a revival of "Night Flight" by 1996; it lasted until 2003. There was a night of R&B and Blues, 70s music, 80s music, jazz, classic rock and even contemporary Christian. This interesting arrangement continued off and on, between 1998 and 2000, before ending altogether.
On January 13, 2015, WTBF changed their format from talk/personality to sports, with programming from CBS Sports Radio."