WBCM-LP
 |
|
| City | Bristol, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area |
Bristol, Virginia Bristol, Tennessee |
| Branding | "WBCM Radio Bristol" |
| Frequency | 100.1 FM MHz |
| First air date | August 8, 2015 |
| Format |
Classic Country Bluegrass Americana |
| Power | 64 watts |
| HAAT | 38 meters (125 ft) |
| Class | L1 |
| Facility ID | 193386 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 36°35′45.0″N 82°9′42.0″W / 36.595833°N 82.161667°W |
| Callsign meaning | W Birthplace (of) Country Music |
| Owner | The Birthplace of Country Music Museum (Birthplace of Country Music, Inc.) |
| Webcast | WBCM-LP Webstream |
| Website | WBCM-LP Online |
WBCM-LP is a classic country, bluegrass, and Americana-formatted broadcast radio station. Licensed to Bristol, Virginia, the station serves the twin cities of Bristol in Virginia and in Tennessee. The Birthplace of Country Music Museum owns and operates WBCM-LP.
The station, a working exhibit inside of the museum, went on the air for the first time in August 2015. The planning for the station dates back to late 2013. Programming includes live concerts held at the museum and the revival of "Farm and Fun Time". The latter program, a live and local radio music show, aired on Bristol's WCYB from the 1940s to the 1960s.
The Birthplace of Country Music Museum applied for a construction permit to start a new low-power radio station, as part of the FCC's October 18, 2013, LPFM filing window. The application was granted and the construction permit issued on March 13, 2014. The station was to originally launch on 103.5 FM.
The company proposed, in its original application, that the station would "produce content that looks back at recording and radio technologies' impact on the world" along with "early country music, and current trends in roots and traditional music". It was also proposed that the station would "broadcast archival recordings of a variety of influential sources". The station would broadcast from inside The Birthplace of Country Music museum, located in Bristol, Virginia. Using vintage restored broadcasting equipment, the station would be a working exhibit inside the museum. The station's antenna would be placed on the WOPI tower, located on Delaney Street in Bristol, Virginia.
On April 14, 2014, the station received its call sign, WBCM-LP. The museum opened to the public on August 2, 2014. In March 2015, Tony Lawson, founder of Knoxville, Tennessee, radio station WDVX, was hired by the museum as station manager. He was tasked to "create a radio station and media center for the museum". Lawson had been consulting with The Birthplace of Country Music prior to being hired.
...
Wikipedia