WFIR is the second oldest radio station in Virginia, preceded by only WNIS in Norfolk, which was first licensed September 21, 1923. WFIR was first licensed, as WDBJ, on May 5, 1924, to the Richardson-Wayland Electrical Corporation at 106 Church Avenue, transmitting on 1310 kHz.[14] On June 20, 1924, WDBJ officially went on the air.[15] The studios were in the back of the company's store. The first program was a live banjo player.[16] The original call sign was randomly assigned from roster of available call letters.
This company already had some limited broadcasting experience. Employee Frank E. Maddox had begun experimenting with radio broadcasts in Roanoke with amateur radio station 3BIY.[17] A March 16, 1922 advertisement for Richardson-Wayland referred to the 3BIY broadcasts, stating that "Saturday nights we give a concert to which all are cordially invited".[18] However, in early 1922 the Department of Commerce, regulators of radio at this time, issued regulations that prohibited amateur radio stations from making broadcasts.[19] A couple years later, Richardson-Wayland asked Maddox to establish a commercial radio station. The company sold radio receivers, but because people in the Roanoke area had no local stations to listen to, they could only pick up distant signals after sunset.
In 1926, WDBJ moved to new studios at The American Theater on Jefferson Street and Campbell Avenue in Roanoke. In 1929, WDBJ began broadcasting at 930 kHz at 500 watts power, and also became the Roanoke affiliate of CBS Radio—a link that would last for more than 70 years. The station was sold to The Roanoke Times newspaper in 1931.[20] Power increased to 1000 watts in 1934. In 1939, Chief Engineer J.W. Robertson increased the power to 5000 watts.[21] In 1941, under the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement or NARBA, the station moved to its current dial position at AM 960. During the 1940s, 50s and 60s, WDBJ mixed bluegrass music and country music with adult standards and middle of the road popular tunes, while also carrying CBS Network dramas, comedies and sports.[22] In October 1955, WDBJ-TV signed on the air[23] as Roanoke's CBS television affiliate.
WFIR
Times-World Corporation, owner of the Times, merged with Landmark Communications in 1969. As a condition of the merger, Times-World sold ts broadcasting properties. Channel 7 kept the historic WDBJ call letters, with AM 960 becoming WFIR, standing for First in Roanoke, reflecting its status as the first broadcasting operation in the Roanoke Valley. In 1979, WFIR was purchased by Jim Gibbons, the former play-by-play announcer for the Washington Redskinsfootball team. Gibbons added more news and sports programming. In 1979, WFIR began carrying the syndicatedLarry King Show overnight, and later, family financial adviser Bruce Williams in the evening. Through the 1980s, WFIR aired a full serviceadult contemporary format, keeping WFIR among the top ten radio stations in the Roanoke-Lynchburgmedia market ratings, despite the shift to FM radio listening.[24] In 1987, the station added Rush Limbaugh to its midday schedule, one of his first affiliates.
In 1989 WFIR became a full-time News/Talk radio station. In 2000, it was bought by Mel Wheeler, Inc., which owns eight radio stations in the Roanoke-Lynchburg market. In 2001, WFIR switched from CBS Radio News to ABC News Radio hourly newscasts in order to be able to air Paul Harvey news which was dropped from WROV several years earlier.[25]
Translators
In addition to the main station, WFIR is relayed by two FM translators to widen its broadcast area.[26]
^The leading "3" in the 3BIY call sign specified that the station was located in the third radio district. The fact that the letter "B" was in the range of A to W meant that it was licensed as a standard amateur station.
