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WAPI (AM)
WAPI (1070 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Birmingham, Alabama, United States, that is currently silent. It is owned by Cumulus Media, with studios on Goodwin Crest Drive in Homewood and a transmitter in Forestdale. Prior to going silent in March 2025, WAPI simulcast the conservative talk format of co-owned WZRR. WAPI also broadcast in HD Radio.
The Department of Commerce regulated radio stations in the United States from 1912 until the 1927 formation of the Federal Radio Commission. Originally there were no restrictions on which radio stations could make broadcasts intended for the general public. However, effective December 1, 1921, a regulation was adopted limiting broadcasting to stations operating under a Limited Commercial license that authorized operation on designated wavelengths of 360 meters (833 kHz) for "entertainment", and 485 meters (619 kHz) for "market and weather reports".
The station was first licensed, as WMAV, on October 3, 1922, to the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (API) in Auburn (now Auburn University), for operation on both wavelengths. The call sign was randomly assigned from a sequential list. WMAV was the fourth broadcasting station licensed in Alabama.
Separately, in Birmingham, the Alabama Power Company was issued a license for WSY on March 29, 1922; it was the state's second radio station. This call sign was also randomly assigned, but were used by the station as the basis for the slogan "We Serve You". Alabama Power decided to exit the radio business, and WSY was deleted on October 30, 1924.
WSY's former equipment was donated to API. In November 1924, the call sign for WMAV in Auburn was changed to WSY. The call letters were changed again in August 1925 to WAPI, standing for Alabama Polytechnic Institute.
On November 11, 1928, with the implementation of the Federal Radio Commission's General Order 40, WAPI was assigned to 1140 kHz, sharing this frequency with KVOO in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1928, WAPI returned to Birmingham, in part due to the NBC Red Network's interest in affiliating with a station in Alabama's largest city. In 1929, ownership of the station was split among API, the University of Alabama, and the Alabama College for Women (now the University of Montevallo). The broadcast power was increased to 5,000 watts. In 1932, the colleges sold the station to a group of investors, doing business as "The Voice of Alabama". WAPI remained affiliated with NBC until 1940, when it became an affiliate of CBS Radio.
In March 1941, with the implementation of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement, WAPI moved to 1170 kHz. The next year it moved to its present frequency, 1070 kHz. On December 1, 1947, it launched an FM sister station, WAFM. In 1949, WAPI launched the first television station in Alabama, WAFM-TV.
The Birmingham News purchased WAPI and its FM and television sister stations in 1953, switching WAFM-TV's call letters to WABT and changing that station's affiliation to NBC the following year. The Newhouse chain bought The Birmingham News in 1956; two years later, it renamed WAFM and WABT as WAPI-FM and WAPI-TV to match the AM station. Newhouse sold off the broadcast outlets to separate owners in 1980, at which time the TV station acquired its current WVTM-TV call sign. WAPI-FM would eventually become WJOX-FM.
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WAPI (AM)
WAPI (1070 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Birmingham, Alabama, United States, that is currently silent. It is owned by Cumulus Media, with studios on Goodwin Crest Drive in Homewood and a transmitter in Forestdale. Prior to going silent in March 2025, WAPI simulcast the conservative talk format of co-owned WZRR. WAPI also broadcast in HD Radio.
The Department of Commerce regulated radio stations in the United States from 1912 until the 1927 formation of the Federal Radio Commission. Originally there were no restrictions on which radio stations could make broadcasts intended for the general public. However, effective December 1, 1921, a regulation was adopted limiting broadcasting to stations operating under a Limited Commercial license that authorized operation on designated wavelengths of 360 meters (833 kHz) for "entertainment", and 485 meters (619 kHz) for "market and weather reports".
The station was first licensed, as WMAV, on October 3, 1922, to the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (API) in Auburn (now Auburn University), for operation on both wavelengths. The call sign was randomly assigned from a sequential list. WMAV was the fourth broadcasting station licensed in Alabama.
Separately, in Birmingham, the Alabama Power Company was issued a license for WSY on March 29, 1922; it was the state's second radio station. This call sign was also randomly assigned, but were used by the station as the basis for the slogan "We Serve You". Alabama Power decided to exit the radio business, and WSY was deleted on October 30, 1924.
WSY's former equipment was donated to API. In November 1924, the call sign for WMAV in Auburn was changed to WSY. The call letters were changed again in August 1925 to WAPI, standing for Alabama Polytechnic Institute.
On November 11, 1928, with the implementation of the Federal Radio Commission's General Order 40, WAPI was assigned to 1140 kHz, sharing this frequency with KVOO in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1928, WAPI returned to Birmingham, in part due to the NBC Red Network's interest in affiliating with a station in Alabama's largest city. In 1929, ownership of the station was split among API, the University of Alabama, and the Alabama College for Women (now the University of Montevallo). The broadcast power was increased to 5,000 watts. In 1932, the colleges sold the station to a group of investors, doing business as "The Voice of Alabama". WAPI remained affiliated with NBC until 1940, when it became an affiliate of CBS Radio.
In March 1941, with the implementation of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement, WAPI moved to 1170 kHz. The next year it moved to its present frequency, 1070 kHz. On December 1, 1947, it launched an FM sister station, WAFM. In 1949, WAPI launched the first television station in Alabama, WAFM-TV.
The Birmingham News purchased WAPI and its FM and television sister stations in 1953, switching WAFM-TV's call letters to WABT and changing that station's affiliation to NBC the following year. The Newhouse chain bought The Birmingham News in 1956; two years later, it renamed WAFM and WABT as WAPI-FM and WAPI-TV to match the AM station. Newhouse sold off the broadcast outlets to separate owners in 1980, at which time the TV station acquired its current WVTM-TV call sign. WAPI-FM would eventually become WJOX-FM.