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WABB-FM 97.5 Sold To Religious Broadcasting Company
February 18, 2012
WABB 97.5 — one of the oldest Top 40 radio stations in the country — has been sold to not-for-profit EMF (Educational Media Foundation) of Rocklin, CA.
EMF will take over all programming and the format for the station on March 1. EMF is a religious broadcast that controls the programming on stations across the country, mostly with their K-Love and Air1 formats. Both play Christian music. The company has not yet made any official announcements concerning WABB.
WABB has been a family owned station for 52 years. Bernie Dittman bought WABB-AM in 1959 and put WABB-FM on the air in 1973 with a Top 40 format. A legendary icon in the broadcasting industry, Dittman was devoted throughout his career to maintaining WABB as an independent, family owned station. The family continued to operate the station after his death in 2006.
Despite the station’s success, the next generation of the family no longer resides in the Mobile area and, as a result, the family viewed the sale as a logical transition.
“This was a very difficult and emotional decision for our family,” said Judith Dittman, Bernie’s wife. “WABB-FM has enjoyed decades of success and being an integral part of the Mobile-Pensacola communities. But the time has come for us to move into another phase of life and spend more time together as a family.”
Comments
22 Responses to “WABB-FM 97.5 Sold To Religious Broadcasting Company”
I’m very sad. Even tho I listen to klove sometimes… We already have a station here that we can listen to with that music. My daughter says to me “what station will the music I like be on???” So sad. Don’t know what station we will listen to now.
Use to listen to K-love when we lived out west. So excited! Much better than Power88.
Man that’s sucks that wabb is leaving now I don’t have a radio station to listen to now in the morrings when I get ready for school and coming home from school); I just shush that they didn’t have to be a Christian station bc nobody really listen to the stations at all. But Ihope y’all find a good job that u will like and enjoy it would be good if there was another radio station that could be starting like wabb! Thanks for everything I gonna miss yall had fun listen to yall all these years!!!!(:
I grew up listening to WABB and loved it, but lately it’s all become trash like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. I’m very excited to see K-LOVE coming to the area because I’m a huge fan of K-LOVE and its positive Christian message
Imma miss WABB! Well taking 97.5 off my favorite settings because I don’t wanna listen to it after march 1
Broadcast radio is SO last century. I resisted having to actually pay for satelite radio, but it came with the last car I bought, and it’s really worth it.
Anyone remember Trey and Bill (Trey Matthews and Bill Evans) The crazy white guys or somethign like that. I believe Bill was also the weather man at WALA Ch 10 at the time as well.
@ 85 Aggie:
I remember that. The song was “Whip Me Beat Me Call Me Edna”
Do you remember the 9 o’clock rock wars?
They should have sold it to someone who is going to keep the same format?
I should sell my car to someone who is going to drive it the same way.
If you want the same format, please feel free to buy the station. But be advised….if it got put up for sale, it’s probably not making a lot of money with that format.
WABB WABB WABB WABB WABB WABB WABB WABB WABB WABB WABB WABB.
Anyone remember this or that time the DJ locked their selves in the studio and played the same song over and over?
Anyone here old enough to remember “Slack Time”, when I was in middle school, WABB was the only FM station , we would listen to WBSR AM in Pensacola. But once a week , late at night, WABB would play an entire album uninterrupted and of course we would all record it to tape. The stereo sound was a different world compared to AM radio. I watched it go from one deep voiced DJ late at night to as many as three morning DJ’s. Gonna miss WABB, but best wishes to the family. I will listen to the new format!
WABB was the only station I listened to as a kid. I just may start listening to it again if it goes to Contemporary Christian. Can’t have too many K-Love stations around. We all need some music with a positive message in our lives.
Now, not only will we have 95.7, but we’ll have 97.5 K-Love!
Let’s not forget about (Power 88) 88.5, 90.9, 91.1, 91.7
Take the 30 day challenge! Listen to 88.5 or 95.7 for 30 days and see what a difference it will make in your life.
if they drop like flies its their loss. Glad to putting some more of God’s messages to where more people can be reached ! Great decision !
When I was growing up, WABB was the only station around here where you could hear “album rock”. Many a local boy and girl cut their teeth on Led Zeppelin, Chicago, Alice Cooper and Rare Earth while listening to WABB.
For that I am forever grateful.
Can’t say I’ll ever listen to a Christian radio station though. Just not my cup of mushroom tea.
I love Power 88,5, but look forward to another station that shares the love of God to a struggling world!
I don’t really like this station anymore so I am glad that there will be another awesome Christian station like KLOVE!! I am very excited
The moment they start playing religious music, is when the listeners will drop like flies.
Sean all you have to do is turn it to 93 blx, it plays the same talking with computer generated sounds.
I hope that we continue to get more stations as K-Love! Not knocking other music, but it is awesome to hear that we may possibly have another Christian station coming to the area which can reach many more people. LOVE IT!
KUDOS….Bernie Dittman, you made an awesome decision! Thank you!
So where are we going to go for good music. I have listen to this station since 1985. I think they should have sold it to someone who is going to keep the same format.
Jimbo, not sure it was the station as much as the music.
WABB had degenerated over the past 20 years to something that did’nt even resemble the station as it was in the 70s and 80s. I’m glad the family made this wise decision.