WCKS-AM 860 Cocoa

Original Call Letters: WKKO

Originally Licensed: Jan. 4, 1951

Original City of License: Cocoa

Original Frequency: 860

Origin of Call Letters:

Original Power: 1,000 wastes daytime/121 watts nighttime

Original Location: Burnett Road, south of State Road 520

Original Format: Top 40

WCKS-AM History
When Capitol Broadcasting Co. of Raleigh, N.C., took control in 1985, of Cape Canaveral's WJZX-AM 860 it became WCKS-AM 860 and adopted the slogan ''Brevard's No. 1 Hit Music Station.'' WCKS-AM began life as WKKO-AM here is the history of WKKO from Mr. Davis E. Wilson. "Since I was the original chief engineer and co owner of WKKO-AM 860, I thought I might bring you up to date a bit on the beginning of the station. Carl Collins and I were at WDLP-AM in Panama City in 1951 when we decided to build a station in Cocoa. The station was actually located about three miles west of downtown Cocoa and about 2 miles south of SR 520. Carl and I found that Emerson Browne (then at WTRR-AM 1400 in Sanford) had also applied to the FCC for a station in Cocoa, so rather than fight, we joined in a partnership as Brevard Broadcasting Company. We finally received our construction permit in the summer of 1952. We had hoped to be on the air by Christmas, but didn't get our final OK from the FCC until after Christmas. Our first day on the air was Sunday, January 4, 1953. (I still think of that as the most hectic day of my life), Carl (Collins) and I later bought Emerson's interest in the station and became the owners in 1954. Carl was General Manager and I was Chief Engineer. We were Cocoa's first radio station and Brevard County's second, after WMMB-AM 1240. We were a very small-time operation at first, with only five of us as full time personnel. We were daytime only, which was the way we wanted it. We started out at 250 watts, with an old 1935 Gates transmitter that had been used in Toccoa, Georgia. Around 1954 (we) decided to go to 1,000 watts. I designed the new transmitter (a modified version of the Collins kilowatt of the day), obtained FCC approval, and built it to fit into the existing 250 watt transmitter rack. One night we removed the 250 watt chassis and replaced it with the 1000 watt chassis. For about ten years or so the station must have been one of the few in this country with a "home made" transmitter.

Orlando Sentinel Aug. 19, 1987
WCKS-AM, an oldies station based in Cocoa, is off the air because its operator was evicted from the studio for not making lease payments to the mortgage holder and previous owner. Fox Radio Inc. shut down WCKS Friday after Emcom Associates Ltd. obtained a court judgment against it. Fox, owned by Alan Dickson, still holds the operating license for the station. The Federal Communications Commission said it has received a request to transfer the license to Emcom.

From Brian Douglas; "...This station was WCKS (using CK-101's former call letters) playing Top 40 in 1987. By 1993, WWKO was an R&B station. Alan Dickson was the GM through this time. The Owner Contact was Keith Walker..." "...It became a Nostalgia station soon after, before going dark in a buyout (to enable WGUL, Dunedin [also on 860] to improve its coverage)."

Owner(s):	1952-Brevard Broadcasting Company
	1959-Marvin Rothschild
	1970-Cocoa One Inc.
	1975-Emcom Associates Ltd.
	1984-Dickson/Fry Broadcast Group, Inc.
	1984-Fox Radio Inc.
	1985-Capitol Broadcasting Co.
	1988-Christian Radio Communications, Inc.
	1992-Walker Broadcasting
	1993-Brevard Broadcasting, Inc. ($90,000)
	1993-Walker Info & Ed Institute Inc.
	1998-Carl Marcocci
	2005-Bible Broadcasting Network ($250,000)

History Of Call Letters and Formats:	WKKO-1952-Block Programming
	WKKO-1981-MOR
	WJZX-1984-Urban "Fox 86"
	WJZX-1985-Adult Contemporary
	WCKS-1986-Top 40 ''Brevard's No. 1 Hit Music Station''
	WCKS-1986-'50s and '60s
	WCKS-1987-Top 40
	WCKS-1987-Silent
	WWKO-1989-Urban Contemporary "KO 860 Knockin' Out The Hits"
	WRFB-1993-News/Talk "Radio For Brevard"
	WRFB-1998-Nostalgia
	WRFB-2000-Silent (4-4-2000)
	WRFB-2004-License Cancelled (2-1-2004)