WIOK - A History
WIOK-AM 1150 Tampa –WIOK went on the air in 1954 as a one-kilowatt daytime R&B station with a mixed format of music, gospel and community affairs. Although it was white-owned, an all-black air staff was employed. Studios and transmitter/tower were located on Washington Boulevard, off Adamo Drive (State Road 60), east of Tampa’s downtown area.
WIOK was owned by H.C. “Cal” Young, Jr., a Nashville broadcaster who founded WSOK, Music City’s first full-time R&B station, in 1951. Rounsaville Radio of Atlanta (Robert Rounsavilla, president) acquired WIOK in 1956 and changed the calls to WTMP shortly thereafter.
Other names from WIOK’s brief history include Edwin Young (GM-1955), H.J. “Henry” Cassady (chief engineer-1955), deejays Goldie Thompson (1955), B.J. Jones (1955), and Noble Blackwell (1955), Marlene Phillips (traffic/copy-1955), George A. Stover (sales manager-1955), Bill Perkins (news director-1955), Barbara Ann Ware (home economist-1955), Zeda O. Reckner (bookkeeper-1955), J.D. Byars (chief engineer-1956), B.J. Jones (sports director-1956), Carla McNeill (women’s director-1956), Jack Everbach (ass’t manager-1957), John Sanders (sales manager-1957), and Warren Kauffman (PD/chief engineer-1957).
(Thanks to Dick Wheeler for sharing information used in the writing of this history. Please contact us if you have additional information about WIOK.)
Station History
1954 - 1956 Other Tampa Bay Area Stations (History)
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