Anyone who has lived in Indianola for any period of time is surely familiar with the city’s only radio station, WNLA, in one format or another. From the previous FM adult contemporary format to the still popular AM gospel format, the local station has stood the test of time.
Now after more than six decades, WNLA has received two major upgrades in just less than one year. Owned and operated by Delta Radio Network, the small-town radio station doubled its AM output wattage from 500 to 1000 watts in July of 2020. And on Monday night WNLA-AM received its second boost when the station began simulcasting its programming at 6000 watts of power on FM frequency 95.3 MHz.
Vice President of Engineering and IT, Delta Radio, Kirk Harnack said, "6000 Watts, that's more powerful than WNLA-FM has ever been. And it's 330 feet up in the air on a 350 foot tower.” The tower is located on Highway 8, just three miles east of Cleveland.
WNLA station manager Regina Hawkins ceremonially pressed the button to transfer the station's current AM signal 330 feet skyward to a FM antenna that is installed at the Highway 8 site.
President and CEO Larry Fuss said the 6000 watts of power coming from the station’s FM antenna is enough to push the signal all over Sunflower, Washington and Bolivar counties.
Harnack said, “We’re excited for Regina Hawkins and her staff at WNLA and this new outreach to listeners in the Mississippi Delta.”
Listeners who tune in to the new FM frequency will still hear the same programs and music that is currently being aired on WNLA-AM, just with an enhanced sound quality and a wider footprint in the Delta.
