106.9 FM радиостанциясының тарихы

The 106.9 frequency has been the home of several formats and call signs throughout its history. It signed on as WBRC FM in 1957, the second attempt at an FM station from WBRC (one had operated from 1948 to December 3, 1949, at 102.5 MHz, broadcasting with 546,000 watts). Throughout the 1960s, the FM station simulcasted WBRC AM, a typical practice for its day. By 1971, WBRC FM was playing Top 40 music, but it was not successful in competing against the AM Top 40 powerhouses WSGN or WVOK. In 1972, both the AM and FM radio stations were sold by Taft Broadcasting to Mooney Broadcasting; as a result, the call signs of the radio stations were changed to WERC AM and FM, respectively. The AM station dropped "middle of the road" music (a precursor to today's adult contemporary format) in favor of Top 40. The FM station repeated the AM station's daytime programming, while at night it featured separate album oriented rock shows. In 1977, the broadcast facilities of WERC FM were upgraded, and in July of that year the callsign was changed to WKXX. After several weeks of stunting, WKXX became the only Top 40 station on the FM dial in Birmingham, with the branding "Kicks 106" on August 5, 1977. By the next year, "Kicks 106" had become the top rated radio station in Birmingham, dethroning the longstanding ratings leader, WSGN "the Big 610" (now WAGG). The success of "Kicks 106" eventually forced both WSGN and WKXX's own AM sister station, branded "96 ERC", to abandon their Top 40 formats. Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, WKXX was the dominant FM Top 40 station in Birmingham. As late as 1984, "Kicks 106" held the top spot in ratings among Birmingham stations. The callsign WKXX is now used in Gadsden for a classic country station at 102.9 FM. On December 20, 2022, WBPT rebranded as "Classic Rock 106.9".

On January 15, 2024, WBPT launched an alternative rock on its HD2 subchannel, branded as "X100.1" (simulcast on translator W261BX 100.1 FM Birmingham).