Visit Macon showcases 97.9 FM WIBB’s impact on music, culture in new video series
97.9 FM WIBB was established as Macon's first Black radio station in the 1950s and served as a starting point for many artists' careers.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – If you’re a fan of hip hop, or if you’ve ever just gone channel surfing the radio, there’s a good chance you may have tuned in to Macon’s 97.9 FM WIBB.
For more than 60 years, the radio station has brought music by Black artists to radios across Middle Georgia. Now, it’s being recognized for its legacy in the region.
Shirley Harris-Ellis, also known as Mama Mia, began her career as a radio personality in 1982 at Macon’s 1280 AM WIBB.
“I went over, I met Big George and we talked and we talked and we talked,” Harris-Ellis remembered. “He said, ‘Can you start tomorrow?’ And I said, ‘Sure.’ And the next day, I was there, 1280 WIBB AM.”
Back then, the channel broadcast out of Macon’s Robert E. Lee building located on Mulberry Street.
As a local celebrity, Mama Mia trained under Big George Threat who was hired as on-air personalities when WIBB was established as Macon’s first Black radio station.
At a time of civil unrest, the station provided a platform for Black performers in Macon to reach wider audiences.
“During that time in the 50s, that was basically almost unheard of,” Harris-Ellis explained.
WIBB served as the starting point for many radio personalities and musicians, from the “Three Horsemen” to the King of Soul himself, James Brown.
Now located on Industrial Highway as 97.9 FM WIBB, the station is being recognized for its history by the Visit Macon visitor’s center as part of the “Macon Music” video series.
According to the Director of Marketing for Visit Macon, Marisa Rodgers, the short form video highlights Macon’s musical legacy as well as the city’s current arts and entertainment scene.
“What we wanted to do is tell the story about what WIBB did for Macon, as well as what they’re continuing to do on the air right now,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers says she hopes the video will encourage listeners to tune in to a piece of Macon’s music history.
Though a lot has changed since Mama Mia started, she says WIBB continues to be an asset to Middle Georgia’s culture.
“It’s beautiful for this community to have people in the area that I guess that they can depend on, they can listen to, and I appreciate me being in it so long and I’m still accepted by this community,” said Harris-Ellis.
The short form video on WIBB is expected to be released next month. You can find the full Macon Music series by clicking here.
You can also listen to WIBB on the radio at 97.9 FM or through the iHeart Radio app.
