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WELB (1350 AM) was a radio station licensed to serve the community of Elba, Alabama, United States. The station operated from 1958 to 2022 and was last owned by Rhett S. Snellgrove, airing a Southern Gospel music format.

WELB began broadcasting on November 16, 1958. It was owned by Howard Parrish Jr., associated with station WOZK in Ozark, and began as a 1,000-watt, daytime-only outlet. Less than a year later, it was sold to Jim Dowdy and Jim Wilson. Ivy Jackson King Jr. and Frances King, of Opp, acquired WELB in 1964.

William "Doug" Holderfield purchased WELB in 1969; he ran the station through 2008, until selling to Rhett Snellgrove for $60,000. Derek Snellgrove had worked at the station since the age of 15. Holderfield, in addition to WELB, started WZTZ (later WVVL) in 1986; he was the longtime voice of Elba High School football. At the time of the sale, the station had a format of country and gospel music. The Federal Communications Commission cancelled the station’s license on February 9, 2024, as WELB had been silent since at least April 15, 2022.

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for WELB". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
3. "Radio Station Starts Daily Programs Here". The Elba Clipper. Elba, Alabama. November 20, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved March 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Station WELB Radio Sale Is Confirmed". The Elba Clipper. Elba, Alabama. October 8, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved March 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ "WELB history cards" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
6. "WELB Radio Sold To Opp's Jack King". The Elba Clipper. Elba, Alabama. March 26, 1964. p. 1. Retrieved March 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "Deals - 5/26/2008". Broadcasting & Cable. 2008-05-26.
8. Wise, Jeremy (May 31, 2017). "Voice of the Elba Tigers: Longtime radio station owner dies". The Enterprise Ledger. Enterprise, Alabama. pp. 1A, 5A. Retrieved March 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "License Cancelled". Federal Communications Commission Licensing and Management System. February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
10. Shuldiner, Albert (February 9, 2024). "In re: WELB(AM), Elba, AL … Notification of License Cancellation" (PDF). Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved February 9, 2024.

External links

• Facility details for Facility ID 19142 (WELB) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WELB in Nielsen Audio's AM station database

• Defunct religious radio stations in the United States
• Christian radio stations in Alabama
• Coffee County, Alabama
• Radio stations established in 1959
• 1959 establishments in Alabama
• Radio stations disestablished in 2024
• 2024 disestablishments in Alabama
• Defunct mass media in Alabama
• Defunct radio stations in the United States