WRMF-AM 1060 Melbourne

WRMF History
From Brian Douglas; "...I don't remember when it went to 1060, but I'm thinking late 70s...WRMF was a "faux"-Top 40, sort of like WGTO, but maybe a little harder.

From Lou Josephs come more history of WRMF. "It moved to 1060 in 1973, and until 1978 was owned by Fairbanks Broadcasting (Richard M. Fairbanks),. "I was PD from 1976 to 1978. We also had the FM at 98.3, which split off in 1978 as Bonneville Beautiful Music. Jack Simpson's "Jazz on the Beach" was on the air on WRMF from 1975 thru the time I left in 78 Jack's a great guy. The night jock in 1973 was Billy Stevens who's day job was at the local bank. Seems he did some embezzling at the bank and when that became public he was blown out that would have been in 1975. Dave Shaw was his replacement."

From Lee Taylor; "That was a weird place. Transmitter/main studio was out in the swamp. I remember when they came out and pressure washed the building and I found it out was white. It had some many dirt dauber nests on it that it looked like it was brown. I showed up for a shift one time to find a big note on the door warning that a rattle snake was under Marla’s car! They bush hogged the grass out back and uncovered an alligator. It had a weird pattern. During the day I think it was 10,000 watts omni (directional), and you could get the station really well all over Central Florida, including Orlando. At night it went to 5,000 watts directional, and the main lobe of the pattern threw down across Brevard County to the south. They claim you could hear it like a local (station) in the Bahamas. Those sticks out in that brackish water swamp made one hell of a ground plane".

Todd Hyder
There was a little...bar called the Roadrunner about two miles east of the driveway on state road 46 toward the town of Mims. On weekends during the day (which I also worked alternatively with Lee Taylor), it was a huge challenge to get the board all set up during a sports or public service show and make a mad dash for a sandwich to go. The Roadrunner had some of the best BBQ sandwiches, and I'd always phone my order in and tell them to have it wrapped, bagged and ready for me to grab. Luckily for me, I always made it back in time before a local commercial spot break! I'm not the only one who got away with this, but I'll not say which one of my coworkers told me how to successfully pull off this stunt!
One of my most vivid memories of WRMF was when a couple of guys were pulling up into the parking lot and just hanging around. They would stay for hours and wouldn't go away. Despite their appeals to get a station "tour," I would never let them in the door. I spoke to them through the intercom (in the studio) and said something to the effect that my bosses would fire me if I allowed visitors in the building during non-business hours. They left, but them kept coming back a couple more nights in a row. On the third or fourth night, I ignored their signaling through the intercom and they gave up and went away. For weeks, they didn't show up, and I convinced myself that the problem had solved itself. Then, the listener line rang and it was some guy (obviously inebriated) saying he was going to "blow up" the whole #&^%@ radio station and that I had minutes to get out of the place. Like anyone else, I was rattled and immediately called the Brevard County Sheriff's department. Unbeknownst to me, they alerted Dale Moudy (waking him up at his home in Orlando) and then called me back to say it would be safer if I were to stay locked in the building rather than risk encountering this moron and his buddies by running outside. Within 10 minutes, two sheriff's patrol cars came barreling down the dirt driveway with lights flashing. I was never so relieved to see the police! A couple of deputies came inside the studio and looked around, while another deputy or two used searchlights to scan the swamps and found nothing. As would be expected, it was all a hoax. Dale Moudy phoned me up to confirm that all was OK and I said "yeah, I'm fine" He and the sheriff spoke in short sentences for about a minute and it was shortly thereafter I went back to spinning records as if nothing had happened...

Jim "Biff" Burns
"...WRMF, based in Titusville was sold by Fairbanks Broadcasting in 1977 to a Phoenix, Arizona-based group called Advance Communications that was run by a fellow named Pat Nugent. This was not the Pat Nugent who was President Lyndon Johnson's son-in-law, although he (Pat Nugent) boasted that many people thought that. In 1979, Advance sold the station before the then three year limit was up to Regional Broadcasting. So what I mean to say is that, Fairbanks did not sell it directly to Regional. Advance sold it to Regional. The general manager during the Advance tenure was Dale Moudy. Regional brought in Al Ruscito. Mike Lowe became program manager during the waning days of the Advance ownership and remained P.D. during the Regional ownership..."

Brevard's WRMF Sale Planned
Florida Today
Oct, 3, 1976
International Tapetronics Corp. (ITC) has signed an agreement to purchase Radio Stations WRMF-AM and WRMF-FM Titusville. Price agreed upon for the transaction, which is subject to Federal Communications Commission approval and other conditions, will be $575,000. Fairbanks Broadcasting Co., which has stations in Indianapolis, Boston, Philadelphia and Dallas, owns all of the stock of WRMF, Inc., said Bob Bright, manager of the stations. WRMF, at 10,000 watts, Brevard's most powerful station, could become ITCs'property\ by about February at the earliest, Bright said. The buyers will keep all personnel except him, the manager told TODAY.

WRMF Personalities

Lou Joseph (Joseph Louis Buczynski)-1973-Music Director/1976-1978-Program Director-WRMF, Inc. Biography In Memory

Kevin P. McCourt-1973-Middays-WRMF, Inc.

Billy Stevens-1973-Nights-WRMF, Inc.

Jon Mathews-1973-News Director. Went to an AM in Houston-WRMF, Inc.

Bill Cummins-1973-WRMF, Inc.

Alan Moore-1973-News Director-WRMF, Inc.

Craig Hudson-1973-Program director/Music Director-WRMF, Inc.

Larry Knight-1974-Program Manager/Promotions Manager-WRMF, Inc.

Bill Cummings-1974-News Director-WRMF, Inc.

Jack Simpson-1975-"Jazz on the Beach"-Sat-10PM-Fairbanks Broadcasting In Memory

Todd Douglas-1977-1979-10PM-6AM-Advance Communications/Radio Brevard/Brevard Broadcasting Co.

Kris Kelly (Ken Bundy)-1978-Program Manager/Afternoon Drive/Promotions Manager-Advance Communications Net

Jim 'Biff" Burns-1978-News Director-Advance Communications Net Biography

"Fast Bobby" Bob Alfano-1979 Biography

Karen Kay-1992-1993-Radio Brevard, Inc. Biography

Lee Taylor

Dave Shaw

Lee Gregory-(Marla Meyer Grabill)-Evenings

Dan Fiorucci-News Anchor

Alan Thompson-Mid Days

Steve Singer

Nate Webb-News

Michael W. Lowe-Program Director Biography

Gary Tee

Dade Marco

Paul Goddard

Jeff Mattison "The Overnight Sensation"-Midnight-6AM

Pat "The Rev." Maggio

Paul Gardiner

Larry Spilman Biography

Alan Wilkerson

Judy Jorolan-News

Tom Gilligan-Overnights

Alan Thompson-Mid-days

Dade Marko

Michael Kelly-News Director

Other Names In WRMF History

Richard M. Fairbanks-1957-President-Melbourne On The Air, Inc./1958-President-WRMF, Inc.

R. L. "Bob" Bright-1957-General Manager/Commercial Manager-Melbourne On The Air, Inc./1958-General Manager/ Commercial Manager-WRMF, Inc./1959-General Manager/Commercial Manager/News Director-WRMF, Inc/1960-General Manager/Commercial Manager/News Director/Program Director-WRMF, Inc/1962-Secretary Treasurer/General Manager -WRMF, Inc/1975-General Manager /Commercial Manager-Fairbanks Broadcasting In Memory

Palmer Boland-1970-1974-Chief Engineer-WRMF, Inc.

Fred Chapman-1974-Chief Engineer-WRMF, Inc.

Alan Sterger-1974-1977-Chief Engineer-WRMF, Inc.

Jas C. Hilliard-1975-Executive Vice President-Fairbanks Broadcasting

Mark Simpson-1975-Promotions Manager-Fairbanks Broadcasting

Mark McKibben-1977-Chief Engineer-Advance Communications

F. P. (Pat) Nugent-1978-President-Advance Communications

Dale Moudy-1978-General Manager/Commercial Manager-Advance Communications

Al Ruscito-1978-General Manager

John Miller-Engineer

Al Richards

Bob Alfano supplies photos from his time at WRMF
click photos for a full sized view

Network Affiliation(s):	ABC Information
	Associates Press Audio
	ESPN Radio
	Westwood One

Owner(s):	1957-Melbourne On The Air, Inc.
	1958-WRMF, Inc.
	1973-Fairbanks Broadcasting
	1977-Advance Communications
	1978-Radio Brevard
	1979-Brevard Broadcasting Co. (Regional Broadcasting Co.)
	1984-Ogden Broadcasting
	1986-Frazer Broadcasting Corp.
	1989-Sage Broadcasting (WAMT-AM/WSCF-FM 98.3 in Titusville for $3 million)
	1989-Angel Bocanegra
	1992-Radio Brevard, Inc ($265,000)
	1996-Spinney Broadcasting Corp.
	2000-Genesis Communications I ($650,000)
	2008-Whiskey River Broadcasting (LMA)
	2008-Genesis Communications I
	2023-MARC Radio

History Of Call Letters and Formats:	WRMF-1957-Soft Adult Contemporary "The Nifty 1050" (on 1050)
	WRMF-1973-Adult Contemporary Moved to 1060
	WRMF-1975-MOR
	WAMT-1978-Country
	WRMF-1979-Full Service/Oldies
	WAMT-1986-Country
	WAMT-1989-Spanish
	WAMT-1992-Oldies
	WAMT-1992-Talk
	WAMT-1996-Silent for 3 months
	WAMT-1996-Easy Listening
	WAMT-1997-Classic Country (Branson Music Network)
	WAMT-2000-News/Talk
	WIXC-2000-Big Bands
	WIXC-2001-Nostalgia "Wixie 1060"
	WIXC-2002-Sports Talk "ESPN 1060"
	WIXC-2008-Classic Country "Wixie 1060"
	WIXC-2008-Adult Standards "Wixie 1060"
	WIXC-2008-Talk "Brevard's Big Talker"

Bob Alfano and Steve Singer (standing)	Bob Alfano on the air

The Gates Console	Jim "Biff" Burns
The AM transmitter