WWAL-FM

WWAL-FM (104.9 FM, "WWAL 105") is a radio station licensed to and serving the area with it's heritage urban contemporary format. The station is owned by, with studios located in The Shoppes at River Crossing mall in Macon and transmission facilities on Ocmulgee East Boulevard (Route 87), near Interstate 16 in Macon. WWAL-FM's morning show since 1968, Carlton & Carlton, featuring a mix of music and talk, has a legacy in Macon and has been syndicated to other Southern U.S. markets in recent years.

The station broadcasts a country format, competing with and, on it's HD2 subchannel as "107.3 The Wolf" (simulcast on translator W297AE at 107.3 FM).

Early years
WWAL-FM would launch in May 7, 1959. The station was initially owned by local business man, Wesley Alton Lennings who also owned sister station AM 1030 WWAL (now WCGA). Throughout its first years of broadcasting, WWAL-FM simulcasted WWAL-AM and both stations carried WWAL-AM's black-oriented format. WWAL-AM-FM were also part-time affiliates of the NBC Radio Network. On May 8, 1968 during the 9th anniversary of the station's launch, WWAL-FM would launch its most successful morning show, Carlton & Carlton hosted by brothers Jim Carlton and William "Willie" Carlton. The show is one of the longest running radio shows in Georgia, and is extremely popular within Macon and has been syndicated to many southern urban contemporary stations since then. As FM radio began to overtake AM radio in popularity, by 1973 WWAL-FM took over the black-oriented format full-time and WWAL-AM switched to a beautiful music format.

Urban Contemporary and later years
In 1978, WWAL-FM would decide to expand its black-oriented format following music in radio stations moving from AM to FM, and would adopt an urban contemporary which is still the format of the station to this day. Wesley Alton Lennings would sell WCGA and WWAL-FM to EZ Communications on April 6, 1983. Under EZ ownership, the station would upgrade its music library adding more hip hop, R&B, and other black-oriented music into the mix.

Throughout the early, mid and late 80s, WWAL-FM remained constantly on the top as Macon's #1 urban contemporary station, despite having competition with. When 1990 rolled around, WWAL-FM added more music in the lineup further expanding the station's library. WCGA and WWAL-FM would be sold once again to SFX Broadcasting in 1991. SFX Broadcasting would merge with Capstar in 1996. Capstar would have its own merger with Chancellor Media (owners of WBGJ-AM-FM) to form AMFM in 1999. AMFM became a part of Clear Channel and merge into it by 2000. In 2007, Clear Channel moved WWAL-FM and WBGJ-FM to the Aloha Station Trust due to their buyout eliminating the Macon cluster's grandfathered status.

On December 15, 2008, Clear Channel and CBS Radio announced a multi-station swap: WFXM-FM, WWAL-FM, WCGA, and WBGJ-AM-FM in Macon (WWAL-FM and WBGJ-FM were part of the Aloha Station Trust at the time) along with sister stations KHMX and KLOL in Houston would go to CBS Radio, while CBS Radio-owned stations WQSR in Baltimore, KBKS in Seattle, KLTH and KXJM in Portland, Oregon and KQJK in Sacramento would go to Clear Channel. The sale was approved on March 31, 2009, and was consummated on April 1.

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom. The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th.

In popular culture
WWAL-FM was responsible for popularizing two no. 1 hits. In September 2000, program director Jonathan Serano added the song "Freestyler" into the station's playlist, and had Jim Carlton play it during Carlton & Carlton. Although Jim Carlton intended to play it as a one-off to appease Serano, it soon became the most requested and most played song on the station. Jim described the audience's response to the song as "overwhelming", and eventually other urban and Top 40 radio stations nationally followed suit and began playing the song. This encouraged to re-release the single and the album it came off, In Stereo, in the United States. On November 4, 2000, "Freestyler" reached number one in the US. In July 2004, Serano added the track "Feel Me (Ladies' Man)" by Canadian R&B singer Damarius Jason to the station's playlist, and the song quickly caught on nationally. It ended up peaking at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 2004.