WABB-FM Agrees to be Purchased by Educational Media Foundation
End of an Era in the Mobile, Alabama Radio Market
Mobile, AL –February 17, 2012–Legendary Top 40 radio station WABB-FM
Mobile, AL has entered into an agreement to be acquired by EMF
(Educational Media Foundation) of Rocklin, CA, a not-for-profit
organization.
WABB –FM has been a powerhouse along the Gulf Coast
for decades and one of the longest running Top-40 radio stations in the
United States. Bernie Dittman bought WABB-AM in 1959 and put WABB-FM
on the air in 1973. The stations have been owned by the family for 52
years.
Many of radio’s major talents and programmers launched
their careers at WABB including Mike McVay, Scott Shannon, Randy Lane,
Leslie Fram, Mark St. John, Paul Fuller, Bill Evans, Lee Chesnut and
many more.
Dittman, who passed away in 2006, was an icon in the
radio industry and one of the last of the great independent
broadcasters. WABB has been a mainstay in the Mobile community, serving
as the primary Gulf Coast Emergency Broadcast System station and playing
a crucial role in providing vital information during Hurricanes
Frederick (1979) and Ivan (2004). Dittman was honored as the Alabama
Association of Broadcasters “Broadcaster of the Year” in 2005.
The
sale of WABB-FM marks the end of an era in the Mobile market.
Throughout his career, Bernie Dittman was devoted to maintaining WABB as
an independent, family owned station. Despite the station’s success,
the next generation of the family no longer resides in the Mobile area
and consequently, the sale was viewed as a logical transition.
"This
was a very difficult and emotional decision for our family,” said
Judith Dittman, Bernie’s wife. “WABB-FM has enjoyed decades of success
and being an integral part of the Mobile-Pensacola communities. But the
time has come for us to move into another phase of life and spend more
time together as a family.” Mrs. Dittman went on to say, “WABB has
appreciated the support that its listeners, the city of Mobile and its
advertisers have shown us over the years.”
