WTMP (AM)

WTMP
Urban oldies;
Affiliations	Premiere Networks
Ownership
Owner	Neal Ardman; (NIA Broadcasting, Inc.);
Sister stations	WTMP-FM
History
First air date	December 1954; 69 years ago.
Call sign meaning	TaMPa
Technical information
Facility ID	74108
Class	B
Power	10,000 watts day; 500 watts night
Translator(s)	102.1 W271DL (Egypt Lake); 92.9 W225CQ (Tampa);
Repeater(s)	96.1 WTMP-HD2 (Dade City);
Links
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	am1150wtmp.com

WTMP (1150

studios

are on Howard Avenue in West Tampa.

By day, WTMP is powered at 10,000

FM translators: W271DL on 102.1 MHz in Egypt Lake and W225CQ on 92.9 MHz in Tampa.^[2]

Station history

African-American voice

WTMP

Urban Gospel, talk and news. Noted R&B vocalist and Tampa native King Coleman got his start as a disc jockey

on WTMP in the 1950s.

In the late 1990s, the station, then-owned by Broadcast Capital, was bought by Tama Broadcasting, which has headquarters in Tampa. Long controlled by the Cherry family, Tama also owns stations in

syndicated show Russ Parr in the Morning. Even after a format change to rhythmic oldies, the FM station did not do well due to its rimshot signal, so it ended up as a simulcast of WTMP a year later. The rimshot signal, which barely reaches the Hillsborough County line from its transmitter southeast of Brooksville

, also couldn't be moved closer to Tampa or upgraded with changes to the tower or transmitter power, due to interference issues with other stations broadcasting on 96.1 and nearby frequencies.

Spanish Tropical

At 3pm on September 2, 2011, after a 57-year run, WTMP's legacy as an R&B outlet came to an abrupt end. Davidson Media Group took over operation of the station under a local marketing agreement (LMA) from Tama, which filed for bankruptcy protection and placed the station in court-ordered receivership. Davidson then flipped the combo to a Spanish Tropical music format. All of WTMP's airstaff and syndicated shows were already pink-slipped a day before the flip.^[4] The Tropical format lasted only three years.

It was announced that WTMP would return to an Urban AC format on May 1, 2014.^[5] The two stations were split from common operation with the flip, as the operation of WTMP was taken over by WestCoast Media, while the FM was retained by Davidson.^[6]

On March 14, 2016, WTMP flipped to classic hip hop as "Boomin' 1150".^[7]

NIA Broadcasting

Both WTMP 1150 AM and WTMP-FM 96.1 were purchased out of bankruptcy by Neal Ardman's NIA Broadcasting, Inc. effective May 18, 2017. The purchase price was $500,000. In March, 2022, one of WTMP's translators moved from 97.5 to 102.1 MHz.^[8]

On October 1, 2022, WTMP added a translator at 92.9 MHz to boost its coverage into downtown Tampa on the FM dial. This is the first time since the station was on 97.5FM that the station could be heard on FM in and around Tampa.

Former logos

References

^ Radio-Locator.com/WTMP-AM
^ Radio-Locator.com/W248CA
^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1958 page A-267, Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
^ "WTMP-AM may end 57-year history as voice of Tampa's black community at 6 p.m. Friday" from Tampabay.com (September 1, 2011)
^ "WTMP radio returning to urban contemporary format" Tampa Tribune, April 29, 2014.
^ "WTMP to Return to Urban AC/Talk".
^ Classic Hip-Hop Is Boomin In Tampa
^ "97X Tampa Bay Finds New Home". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2022-03-15.

External links

Official WTMP (AM) Website

WTMP in the FCC AM station database
WTMP in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
W248CA in the FCC FM station database
W271DL in the FCC FM station database
FCC History Cards for WTMP

28°00′42″N 82°29′53″W / 28.01167°N 82.49806°W / 28.01167; -82.49806

[1] Radio-Locator.com/WTMP-AM

[2] Radio-Locator.com/W248CA

[3] Broadcasting Yearbook 1958 page A-267, Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved July 3, 2023.

[4] "WTMP-AM may end 57-year history as voice of Tampa's black community at 6 p.m. Friday" from Tampabay.com (September 1, 2011)

[5] "WTMP radio returning to urban contemporary format" Tampa Tribune, April 29, 2014.

[6] "WTMP to Return to Urban AC/Talk".

[7] Classic Hip-Hop Is Boomin In Tampa

[8] "97X Tampa Bay Finds New Home". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2022-03-15.

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[4]

[5]

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