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The History of WRJW

Moseley Brothers FCC Radio Permit For Daytime Only​

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                                            THE PICAYUNE ITEM NEWSPAPER DATED THURSDAY, June 16, 1949

                                            The federal Communication Commision, Washington, D.C. has granted Moseley Brothers                                               of this city, a grant to operate an AM radio station on 1320 kilocycles and 1,000 watts of                                             power.

 

                                            Call letters will be WPIC. The station will be daytime only, the FCC grant states.

                                            According to W. L. Moseley, operation of the station on the air should be sometime in                                                   September. He stated that he had made a trip through Southwest Louisiana seeking                                                     competent personnel for station. Equipment had been purchased, Mr Moseley said, and                                               construction on the station will start in about 20 days. The location of the station is yet to                                             be decided, as FCC must also approve the selected site.

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Initial Broadcast By Local Station Set For Saturday​

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                                            THE PICAYUNE ITEM NEWSPAPER DATED THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24TH, 1949

                                            The maiden broadcast of one of the newest broadcasting stations in the nation will be                                                   made Saturday, when radio station WRJW, of Picayune, Mississippi goes on the air at                                                     “sun-up”.

 

                                            The new station, operating on 1320 kilocycles, will be one the air daily after Saturday                                                   from sun-up until sundown and is a 1,000 watt station. Moseley Brothers, operators of                                                 the Ritz Theatre and Lane’s, are owners of the station and will operate it as a partnership,                                             with Mr. Felix. Adams, whose home is in Cincinnati, formerly connected with station                                                     WHSV in that city as manager.

 

                                            With studios and transmitter rooms built around the antennas, two miles east of Picayune                                             on the Kiln road, the station is reported to be one of the best equipped small stations in                                               the South and according to W.L. “Pic” Moseley of the firm, downtown studios will be provided as soon as the new “Pic” Theatre building is completed.

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Mr. Moseley stated this morning that no set programs have been arranged for the new station, however, the Mississippi State, Ole Miss Game will be broadcast Saturday afternoon beginning at 1:45. This game will be broadcast through a Mississippi Network hookup. The new station, according to Mr. Moseley, will not for the time being, be connected with any of the radio chains.

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Mr. Charles Tucker of Linden, Ala., will be the Chief engineer, and Mr. Archie Rushing, now with station KULP at Elcampo, Texas will take over as assistant engineer on December 1.

 

Dedicate Radio Station WRJW Sunday Afternoon​

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                                      THE PICAYUNE ITEM NEWSPAPER, DATED THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1ST, 1949

                                             Radio Station WRJW, located on the Kiln road two miles east of Picayune, will be formally                                              dedicated Sunday, December 4, according to an announcement by Felix Adams, Jr.,                                                      manager of the local station. Open house will be held from 1 p.m. Sunday until 5 p.m.                                                  with city buses providing transportation to and from the station, free of charge.

 

                                             Supreme Court Clerk, Tom Q. Ellis, will be the featured speaker for the dedication                                                        ceremonies. Ray M. Stewart, prominent Picayune attorney and state president of the Jr.                                                  Chamber of Commerce, will deliver the dedicatorial address.​

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                                             Johnnie Grice, co-owner of the local Quick & Grice store, and president of the Board of                                                  Trustees of Pearl River Junior College, will act as master of ceremonies.

 

Ray M. Stewart Dedicates Radio Station Sunday​

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                                      THE PICAYUNE ITEM NEWSPAPER DATED THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1949

                                             Dedication ceremonies for Picayune’s new $50,000 radio station were held                                                                    Sunday at 1:30 p.m. from the stage of the Ritz Theatre with J. A. Grice, local                                                                  businessman as master of ceremonies.

 

                                             Ray M. Stewart, local attorney, delivered the dedicatory address. He was                                                                        absent from the city at the time of the ceremonies and his discourse was                                                                      made by transcription.

 

                                             Elder L. S. Walker, pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church made the                                                                              invocation. The main address of the afternoon was made by Tom Q. Ellis of Jackson,                                                    clerk of the Mississippi Supreme Court. W. L. and R. E. Moseley, owners and operators and station managers were introduced.

 

Other dignitaries appearing on the program were Mayor C. McDonald, Major M. H. Ward, deputy recruiting officer for the State of Mississippi Army Air Corps, Rev. H. H. Bridges, C. H. Cole, Chuck Wright of radio station WFOR Hattiesburg, S. G. Thigpen, G. H. Williams, and A. E. Nestler.

 

The girls’ ensemble and glee club of Picayune Memorial High School, under the direction of Mrs. Tate Thigpen, entertained with several musical selections.

 

Rounding out the program was the Hurt Family Quartet of Hattiesburg, singing sacred music.

 

Open house was held at the main studios in the Ritz building, and at the station, located one mile east of the city, following the dedication ceremonies.

 

The call letters of the station are WRJW, and operates on an assigned frequency of 1320 AM. (The story was followed by a picture taken inside the WRJW studios showing the transmitter and control board, with an engineer at the controls)

Picayune Item

When John and Dot Pigott bought WRJW back in 1991, their commitment to Picayune and the surrounding area was clear when he told the Picayune Item in a story about the purchase that he "knows the public in Pearl River County wants local news and representation and he plans to provide it". That vision has not changed. Today, Pearl River Communications, Inc. (WRJW’s official parent company) is still committed to being the locals’ choice for entertainment and information as well as an avenue for local area businesses to promote their goods and services.

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Today, WRJW provides local news six (6) days a week with a 7:30am, 12:10pm, and 4:30pm report Monday through Friday and a 7:30am report on Saturday. The focus of the reports includes local and surrounding area news, sports, and weather. As part of our news reports, we read obituary notices so our listeners are aware of those who have lost loved ones in our communities.

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