City Vicksburg, Mississippi First air date February 18, 1928 | Frequency 1420 kHz Format Silent | |
Broadcast area Jackson, Mississippi Metropolitan Area Power 1,000 watts day
500 watts night | ||
WQBC is an AM broadcasting station licensed on 1420 kHz at Vicksburg, Mississippi. It was licensed on February 18, 1928, and makes the claim of being the oldest operating radio station is Mississippi and one of the few remaining stations that still have their original call signs. It has been silent since March 12, 2010.
Well-known alumni of WQBC include Blues extraordinaire Willie Dixon, and his Jubilee Singers, Adrian Cronauer, the inspiration for Good Morning, Vietnam; and Woodie Assaf, longest-serving weatherman in the United States, who began his broadcasting career at WQBC in the 1940s, before moving to 620 WJDX (AM) in Jackson, Mississippi and serving at its sister station WLBT TV 3 from sign-on in December 1953.
History
The station was built and first operated by engineer I.R. Jones, and was originally licensed for Utica, Mississippi. It 1931, it was bought by the Cashman family, owners of the Vicksburg Evening Post, and moved to Vicksburg. When Federal Communications Commission rules banned cross ownership of newspapers and broadcast stations in the same area, WQBC was sold a Mr. Frank Hollifield, then to a Mrs. Elizabeth Owens. Mr. Bill Stanford bought the station in 1987. The station was later owned by Michael Corley.
Today WQBC radio is owned by Costar Broadcast Group a Chicago IL based multi-media communications firm. The company's President is Michael M. Davis a native son of Lorman, Mississippi- the site of Alcorn State University, the first African-American land grant institution in the United States
The station lost the lease on its tower site and went silent on March 12, 2010 while the sale to Michael M. Davis was pending. It received an extension to remain silent on November 18, 2010, pending studies for a new construction permit.
On June 1, 2016 WQBC went silent.