WROA AM 1390

A commercial AM radio station licensed to Gulfport, Mississippi, broadcasting on 1390 kHz. Owned through licensee JLE, Incorporated by Lisa Stiglets and Elizabeth McQueen, the station carries a classic country format under the brand name "Merle 100.1" — a reference to the late country artist Merle Haggard. In addition to its AM signal, WROA is heard on FM translator W261CU at 100.1 MHz. The station's studios and offices are on Lorraine Road in Gulfport, with the transmitter located on Bayou View Road near the Biloxi River. WROA first signed on the air on February 27, 1955, initially operating at 5,000 watts around the clock with a Top 40 format that continued through the 1960s and 1970s. Charles and Morgan Dowdy acquired the station in 1959, remaining the licensees under the Dowdy & Dowdy Partnership name for decades. In 1964, WROA launched an FM simulcast on 107.1 MHz, a signal that later became WLGF after separating from WROA to carry its own format. In March 2019, the station shifted from adult standards to classic country, adopting the Merle 100.1 branding. Ownership transferred from Dowdy & Dowdy to JLE, Incorporated effective May 19, 2022, as part of a transaction covering WROA, five sister stations, and three translators valued at approximately $3.26 million.