Coordinates: 36.696111°N 97.

051944°W

WBBZ (AM)
WBBZ 1230 AM is a radio station licensed to Ponca
City, Oklahoma. The station broadcasts an adult WBBZ
contemporary format and is owned by Sterling
Broadcasting, LLC.[2]

History
City Ponca City, Oklahoma
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) records list Frequency 1230 kHz
WBBZ's "Date First Licensed" as September 9, 1925.[3]
However, due to the station's complicated history, there Branding Sunny 1230
are alternate chronologies that trace its founding to both Programming
early 1924, and January 1928. Format Adult contemporary
In early 1924 Noble B. Watson in Indianapolis, Indiana, Ownership
was issued a license for a new station with the Owner Sterling Broadcasting, LLC
sequentially assigned call letters WBBZ.[4] Nobel
Sister KQSN
ceased operating the station in May 1925, and the stations
Department of Commerce, regulators of radio at the
time, reported that the station had been deleted.[5] History
However, Noble sold the station equipment to C. L. First air January 30, 1928[1]
Carrell of Chicago, Illinois,[6] who on September 9, date
1925 received a new station license that retained the Former 1470 kHz (1928-1929)
WBBZ call letters.[7] frequencies 1200 kHz (1929-1941)

Carrell outfitted WBBZ as a portable broadcasting Call sign None (sequentially assigned)
meaning
station, joining what would eventually be a roster of
seven stations that he controlled. These stations were Technical information
generally hired out for a few weeks at a time to theaters, Facility ID 52931
mostly located in small midwestern towns that didn't
have their own radio stations, to be used for special Class C
programs broadcast to the local community. WBBZ Power 1,000 watts
reportedly made its first Ponca City appearance Transmitter 36.696111°N 97.051944°W
sometime in 1927, when Carrell associate Harry Kyler coordinates
brought the station to town for a week-long run at the
Links
Poncan Theatre. The station later returned for a longer
stay at the Theatre, beginning with a broadcast at Webcast Listen live (https://streamdb9web.s
7:00 p.m. on January 30, 1928.[1] ecurenetsystems.net/v5/WBBZ)
Website https://www.poncapost.com/sunny-
In May 1928, the recently formed Federal Radio
104-7
Commission announced it would soon end the licensing
of portable facilities, and the stations were notified that
they would be deleted if they didn't find permanent homes.[9] Carrell decided to keep WBBZ permanently in
Ponca City,[10] while retaining full ownership.

WBBZ was a charter member of the Oklahoma Network when it was formed in 1937.[11]
 C. L. Carrell operated WBBZ until his death in
1933, after which his widow, Adelaide Lillian
Carrell, took over as owner and station manager.
She in turn made arrangements in 1948 to sell the
station to the Ponca City Publishing Co., which
was finalized early the next year.[12]

On September 12, 2018, WBBZ changed

formats from classic hits to adult contemporary,
branded as "Sunny 1230", a format transferred
February 1926 advertisement promoting WBBZ's theater from sister station KQSN 104.7 FM Ponca City,
broadcasts at Manitowoc, Wisconsin[8] which switched to country.[13]

References
1. "WBBZ History" (https://www.poncapost.com/wbbz-history) (poncapost.com) Accessed January
12, 2019
2. AM Query Results: WBBZ (https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?list=0&facid=52931)
(FCC.gov) Accessed January 12, 2019
3. "Date First Licensed" (https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_ex
h.cgi?import_letter_id=50605), FCC History Cards for WBBZ.
4. "New Stations" (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?
id=uc1.b3221817&view=1up&seq=278),Radio Service Bulletin, March 1, 1924, page 4.
5. "Strike Out All Particulars" (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3221817&view=1up&seq
=604) Radio Service Bulletin, July 1, 1925, page 10.
6. "Noble B. Watson Dies; Pioneer Broadcaster", Indianapolis Star, May 18, 1972, page 37.
7. "New Stations" (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3221817&view=1up&seq=649),
Radio Service Bulletin, October 1, 1925, page 3.
8. Mikadow Theatre (advertisement), Manitowoc (Wisconsin) Herald-News, February 26, 1926,
page 6.
9. "Portable stations no longer licensed" (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3221818&vie
w=1up&seq=594) (General Order No. 30, May 10, 1928), Radio Service Bulletin, May 31, 1928,
page 8.
10. "Alterations and Corrections" (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112106763078&vie
w=1up&seq=395), Radio Service Bulletin, July 31, 1928, page 17.
11. "New Okla. Network" (https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-Daily/RD-1937/RA
-1937-Feb.pdf) (PDF). Radio Daily. February 9, 1937. p. 1. (americanradiohistory.com)
12. "Actions of the FCC: January 7 Decisions: Assignment of License" (https://archive.org/stream/b
roadcasting36unse#page/n250/mode/1up), Broadcasting, January 17, 1949, page 61.
13. "Double Flip in Ponca City" (https://radioinsight.com/headlines/170514/double-flip-in-ponca-cit
y/) by Lance Venta, Radioinsight, September 12, 2018.

External links
WBBZ (https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?call=WBBZ) in the FCC's AM station database
WBBZ (https://radio-locator.com/info/WBBZ-AM) on Radio-Locator
WBBZ (https://www1.arbitron.com/sip/displaySip.do?surveyID=FA20&band=am&callLetter=W
BBZ) in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
 FCC History Cards for WBBZ (https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportle
tter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=50605) (covering 1927-1980)

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This page was last edited on 13 August 2020, at 16:18 (UTC).

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