| WELB | |
| Country: | US |
| Frequency: | 1350 kHz |
| Format: | Southern Gospel |
| Class: | D |
| Facility Id: | 19142 |
| Coordinates: | 31.4528°N -86.0667°W |
| Callsign Meaning: | Elba |
| Owner: | Rhett S. Snellgrove |
| Licensing Authority: | FCC |
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.[1]
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.[2] Less than a year later, it was sold to Jim Dowdy and Jim Wilson.[3] [4] Ivy Jackson King Jr. and Frances King, of Opp, acquired WELB in 1964.[5]
William "Doug" Holderfield purchased WELB in 1969; he ran the station through 2008, until selling to Rhett Snellgrove for $60,000.[6] 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.[7] 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,[8] as WELB had been silent since at least April 15, 2022.[9]