WYDE (AM)
| City | Birmingham, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Birmingham and Jefferson County |
| Branding | Superstation 101 WYDE |
| Frequency | 1260 kHz (also on HD Radio) |
| Translator(s) | 95.3 W237EK (Birmingham) |
| First air date | 1953 (as WCRT) |
| Format | Talk (WYDE-FM simulcast) |
| Power | 5,000 watts (day) 41 watts (night) |
| Class | D |
| Facility ID | 34822 |
| Former callsigns | WLGD (2006-2007) WYDE (2003-2006) WLGS (1999-2003) WDJC (1994-1999) WCEO (1991-1994) WCRT (1953-1991) |
| Owner | Crawford Broadcasting Company |
| Sister stations | WDJC-FM, WXJC, WXJC-FM, WYDE-FM |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 101wyde.com |
WYDE (1260 AM) is a radio station currently acting as a simulcast partner of WYDE-FM. It was formerly known as WLGD, an adult standards/oldies radio station that served Birmingham, Alabama, and nearly all of Jefferson County. The station was previously known on the air as "Legends 1260". The station is owned by Crawford Broadcasting Company. The transmitter for WYDE is located near the eastern edge of downtown Birmingham, and studios are in Homewood.
The station broadcasting at 1260 AM in Birmingham signed on in 1953 as 'WCRT, a "middle of the road" easy listening station. Due to FCC restrictions, WCRT broadcast only during the daytime and signed off at sunset. The owners of WCRT were also instrumental in the launch of WCFT-TV 33 in Tuscaloosa; hence the similarity in the call signs. In 1961 WCRT-AM launched a companion FM station. Initially, WCRT-FM was a simulcast of its AM partner. In the 1970s the FM station relaunched as easy listening WQEZ; today that station is heritage adult contemporary station WMJJ.
During the 1970s, WCRT was an adult standards station that used the syndicated Music of Your Life format. In 1982, sister station WQEZ-FM was sold, and by 1983, the owners of WCRT were looking to get out of the radio business. Later that year, the station was sold to a group of Christian businessmen who planned to drop adult standards in favor of contemporary Christian music. Before the sales transaction could be completed, a fire destroyed the station’s studios and offices, and WCRT was forced off the air for several months.
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