  The city is also the principal city in the Meridian Arbitron Radio Market , which includes 64 @,@ 500 people over the age of 12 . WJXM ( FM 105 @.@ 7 ) , headquartered at 3436 Highway 45 North , takes the largest share of ratings in the market at 14 @.@ 8 % in Fall 2009 . In the same period , WZKS ( FM 104 @.@ 1 ) was second with 11 @.@ 1 % , and WMOX ( AM 1010 ) was third with 7 @.@ 4 % . Other popular stations in the market include WUCL ( FM 97 @.@ 9 ) , WOKK ( FM 97 @.@ 1 ) , WEXR ( FM 106 @.@ 9 ) , WYHL ( AM 1450 ) , and WKZB ( FM 95 @.@ 1 ) . Mississippi Public Broadcasting can be found on WMAW @-@ FM ( FM 88 @.@ 1 ) .   = = Notable people = =   Meridian has produced or hosted many famous people in the arts and other areas . For example :   = = = In acting = = =   Alvin Childress , who played the lead role in the Amos ' n ' Andy Show , was born in the city in 1907 .   Diane Ladd was also born in the city in 1932 @,@    Sela Ward was born in Meridian , in 1956 .   = = = In business and politics = = =   Gil Carmichael , Meridian businessman and transportation specialist , was the Republican nominee for the Mississippi Senate in 1966 and 1967 , U.S. Senate in 1972 , governor in 1975 and 1979 , and lieutenant governor in 1983 .   Winfield Dunn , former Governor of Tennessee , lived in Meridian   John Fleming , current U.S. Representative for Louisiana 's 4th congressional district lived in Meridian ;   The late Lieutenant Governor Carroll Gartin , who was born in Meridian , lived in Laurel ;   Lewis McAllister , a businessman in Tuscaloosa , Alabama , was the first Republican to serve in the Mississippi House of Representatives since Reconstruction , 1962 @-@ 1968 ; he resided in Meridian prior to 1971 .   Gillespie V. Montgomery , former U.S. Representative , lived in Meridian   Hartley Peavey , founder of Peavey Electronics which is headquartered in Meridian , is a Meridian native .   Tom Stuart from 1973 to 1977 was the first Republican to serve as mayor of Meridian in the 20th century .   = = = In broadcasting = = =   Emmy award winning meteorologist Bill Evans ( meteorologist ) ( WABC @-@ TV New York ) was born in Meridian , where he held his first broadcasting jobs .   = = = In literature and comics = = =   Novelist Edwin Granberry , who won the 1932 O. Henry Award for Best Short Short Story , was born in Meridian . For 30 years , Granberry wrote the Buz Sawyer comic strip . Meridian is the birthplace of novelist and short story writer Barry Hannah .   = = = In music = = =   Classical composer John Luther Adams is a Meridian native .   The Island Def Jam rapper Big K.R.I.T. was born in Meridian . K.R.I.T is known for his many mixtapes and albums such as K.R.I.T. Wuz Here and Cadillactica . He has gained a large following for his lyricism and self @-@ produced beats as well as his ability to change his style on songs from slow and conscious tracks ( " The Vent " ) to fiery and upbeat tracks ( " Mt . Olympus " ) .   The guitarist @-@ songwriter George Cummings , born in Meridian in 1938 , was a founding member of Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show .   Paul Davis , a singer @-@ songwriter best known for the late 1970s and early 1980s pop hits " I Go Crazy " and " ' 65 Love Affair " , was born in Meridian in 1948 ; after retiring from the music business , he returned to the city where he remained until a fatal heart attack in 2008 .   Chris Ethridge ( February 10 , 1947 – April 23 , 2012 ) was an American country rock bass guitarist . He was a member of the International Submarine Band ( ISB ) and The Flying Burrito Brothers , and he co @-@ wrote several songs with Gram Parsons . Ethridge worked with Jackson Browne , Judy Collins , Ry Cooder , Whitney Houston , Willie Nelson , Randy Newman , Linda Ronstadt , Leon Russell , Nancy Sinatra , Johnny Winter , and The Byrds .   The singer @-@ songwriter Steve Forbert was born in Meridian in 1954 .   Jimmie Rodgers , the " Father of Country Music " , was born in the city in 1897 . The Jimmie Rodgers Museum is located in Meridian , and
Ġ ĠThe Ġcity Ġis Ġalso Ġthe Ġprincipal Ġcity Ġin Ġthe ĠMeridian ĠArbit ron ĠRadio ĠMarket Ġ, Ġwhich Ġincludes Ġ64 Ġ@ , @ Ġ500 Ġpeople Ġover Ġthe Ġage Ġof Ġ12 Ġ. ĠW J XM Ġ( ĠFM Ġ105 Ġ@ . @ Ġ7 Ġ) Ġ, Ġheadquartered Ġat Ġ34 36 ĠHighway Ġ45 ĠNorth Ġ, Ġtakes Ġthe Ġlargest Ġshare Ġof Ġratings Ġin Ġthe Ġmarket Ġat Ġ14 Ġ@ . @ Ġ8 Ġ% Ġin ĠFall Ġ2009 Ġ. ĠIn Ġthe Ġsame Ġperiod Ġ, ĠW Z KS Ġ( ĠFM Ġ104 Ġ@ . @ Ġ1 Ġ) Ġwas Ġsecond Ġwith Ġ11 Ġ@ . @ Ġ1 Ġ% Ġ, Ġand ĠW MO X Ġ( ĠAM Ġ101 0 Ġ) Ġwas Ġthird Ġwith Ġ7 Ġ@ . @ Ġ4 Ġ% Ġ. ĠOther Ġpopular Ġstations Ġin Ġthe Ġmarket Ġinclude ĠW U CL Ġ( ĠFM Ġ97 Ġ@ . @ Ġ9 Ġ) Ġ, ĠW OK K Ġ( ĠFM Ġ97 Ġ@ . @ Ġ1 Ġ) Ġ, ĠW EX R Ġ( ĠFM Ġ106 Ġ@ . @ Ġ9 Ġ) Ġ, ĠW Y HL Ġ( ĠAM Ġ14 50 Ġ) Ġ, Ġand ĠW K Z B Ġ( ĠFM Ġ95 Ġ@ . @ Ġ1 Ġ) Ġ. ĠMississippi ĠPublic ĠBroadcasting Ġcan Ġbe Ġfound Ġon ĠW MA W Ġ@ - @ ĠFM Ġ( ĠFM Ġ88 Ġ@ . @ Ġ1 Ġ) Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠNot able Ġpeople Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠMeridian Ġhas Ġproduced Ġor Ġhosted Ġmany Ġfamous Ġpeople Ġin Ġthe Ġarts Ġand Ġother Ġareas Ġ. ĠFor Ġexample Ġ: Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= ĠIn Ġacting Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠAlvin ĠChild ress Ġ, Ġwho Ġplayed Ġthe Ġlead Ġrole Ġin Ġthe ĠAmos Ġ' Ġn Ġ' ĠAndy ĠShow Ġ, Ġwas Ġborn Ġin Ġthe Ġcity Ġin Ġ1907 Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠDiane ĠL add Ġwas Ġalso Ġborn Ġin Ġthe Ġcity Ġin Ġ1932 Ġ@ , @ Ġ Ġ Ġ ĠS ela ĠWard Ġwas Ġborn Ġin ĠMeridian Ġ, Ġin Ġ1956 Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= ĠIn Ġbusiness Ġand Ġpolitics Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠGil ĠCarm ichael Ġ, ĠMeridian Ġbusinessman Ġand Ġtransportation Ġspecialist Ġ, Ġwas Ġthe ĠRepublican Ġnominee Ġfor Ġthe ĠMississippi ĠSenate Ġin Ġ1966 Ġand Ġ1967 Ġ, ĠU . S . ĠSenate Ġin Ġ1972 Ġ, Ġgovernor Ġin Ġ1975 Ġand Ġ1979 Ġ, Ġand Ġlieutenant Ġgovernor Ġin Ġ1983 Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠWin field ĠDunn Ġ, Ġformer ĠGovernor Ġof ĠTennessee Ġ, Ġlived Ġin ĠMeridian Ġ Ġ ĠJohn ĠFleming Ġ, Ġcurrent ĠU . S . ĠRepresentative Ġfor ĠLouisiana Ġ' s Ġ4 th Ġcongressional Ġdistrict Ġlived Ġin ĠMeridian Ġ; Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġlate ĠLieutenant ĠGovernor ĠCarroll ĠG art in Ġ, Ġwho Ġwas Ġborn Ġin ĠMeridian Ġ, Ġlived Ġin ĠLaurel Ġ; Ġ Ġ ĠLewis ĠMc All ister Ġ, Ġa Ġbusinessman Ġin ĠT usc alo osa Ġ, ĠAlabama Ġ, Ġwas Ġthe Ġfirst ĠRepublican Ġto Ġserve Ġin Ġthe ĠMississippi ĠHouse Ġof ĠRepresentatives Ġsince ĠReconstruction Ġ, Ġ1962 Ġ@ - @ Ġ1968 Ġ; Ġhe Ġresided Ġin ĠMeridian Ġprior Ġto Ġ1971 Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠGillespie ĠV . ĠMontgomery Ġ, Ġformer ĠU . S . ĠRepresentative Ġ, Ġlived Ġin ĠMeridian Ġ Ġ ĠHart ley ĠPe ave y Ġ, Ġfounder Ġof ĠPe ave y ĠElectronics Ġwhich Ġis Ġheadquartered Ġin ĠMeridian Ġ, Ġis Ġa ĠMeridian Ġnative Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠTom ĠStuart Ġfrom Ġ1973 Ġto Ġ1977 Ġwas Ġthe Ġfirst ĠRepublican Ġto Ġserve Ġas Ġmayor Ġof ĠMeridian Ġin Ġthe Ġ20 th Ġcentury Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= ĠIn Ġbroadcasting Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠEmmy Ġaward Ġwinning Ġmeteor ologist ĠBill ĠEvans Ġ( Ġmeteor ologist Ġ) Ġ( ĠWA BC Ġ@ - @ ĠTV ĠNew ĠYork Ġ) Ġwas Ġborn Ġin ĠMeridian Ġ, Ġwhere Ġhe Ġheld Ġhis Ġfirst Ġbroadcasting Ġjobs Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= ĠIn Ġliterature Ġand Ġcomics Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠNovel ist ĠEdwin ĠGran berry Ġ, Ġwho Ġwon Ġthe Ġ1932 ĠO . ĠHenry ĠAward Ġfor ĠBest ĠShort ĠShort ĠStory Ġ, Ġwas Ġborn Ġin ĠMeridian Ġ. ĠFor Ġ30 Ġyears Ġ, ĠGran berry Ġwrote Ġthe ĠBu z ĠSawyer Ġcomic Ġstrip Ġ. ĠMeridian Ġis Ġthe Ġbirthplace Ġof Ġnovelist Ġand Ġshort Ġstory Ġwriter ĠBarry ĠHannah Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= ĠIn Ġmusic Ġ= Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠClassical Ġcomposer ĠJohn ĠLuther ĠAdams Ġis Ġa ĠMeridian Ġnative Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe ĠIsland ĠDef ĠJam Ġrapper ĠBig ĠK . R . I . T . Ġwas Ġborn Ġin ĠMeridian Ġ. ĠK . R . I . T Ġis Ġknown Ġfor Ġhis Ġmany Ġm ixt apes Ġand Ġalbums Ġsuch Ġas ĠK . R . I . T . ĠW uz ĠHere Ġand ĠCad ill act ica Ġ. ĠHe Ġhas Ġgained Ġa Ġlarge Ġfollowing Ġfor Ġhis Ġlyric ism Ġand Ġself Ġ@ - @ Ġproduced Ġbeats Ġas Ġwell Ġas Ġhis Ġability Ġto Ġchange Ġhis Ġstyle Ġon Ġsongs Ġfrom Ġslow Ġand Ġconscious Ġtracks Ġ( Ġ" ĠThe ĠVent Ġ" Ġ) Ġto Ġfiery Ġand Ġupbeat Ġtracks Ġ( Ġ" ĠMt Ġ. ĠOlympus Ġ" Ġ) Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġguitarist Ġ@ - @ Ġsong writer ĠGeorge ĠCummings Ġ, Ġborn Ġin ĠMeridian Ġin Ġ1938 Ġ, Ġwas Ġa Ġfounding Ġmember Ġof ĠDr . ĠHook Ġ& Ġthe ĠMedicine ĠShow Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠPaul ĠDavis Ġ, Ġa Ġsinger Ġ@ - @ Ġsong writer Ġbest Ġknown Ġfor Ġthe Ġlate Ġ1970 s Ġand Ġearly Ġ1980 s Ġpop Ġhits Ġ" ĠI ĠGo ĠCrazy Ġ" Ġand Ġ" Ġ' Ġ65 ĠLove ĠAff air Ġ" Ġ, Ġwas Ġborn Ġin ĠMeridian Ġin Ġ1948 Ġ; Ġafter Ġretiring Ġfrom Ġthe Ġmusic Ġbusiness Ġ, Ġhe Ġreturned Ġto Ġthe Ġcity Ġwhere Ġhe Ġremained Ġuntil Ġa Ġfatal Ġheart Ġattack Ġin Ġ2008 Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠChris ĠEth ridge Ġ( ĠFebruary Ġ10 Ġ, Ġ1947 ĠâĢĵ ĠApril Ġ23 Ġ, Ġ2012 Ġ) Ġwas Ġan ĠAmerican Ġcountry Ġrock Ġbass Ġguitarist Ġ. ĠHe Ġwas Ġa Ġmember Ġof Ġthe ĠInternational ĠSub marine ĠBand Ġ( ĠIS B Ġ) Ġand ĠThe ĠFlying ĠBur rito ĠBrothers Ġ, Ġand Ġhe Ġco Ġ@ - @ Ġwrote Ġseveral Ġsongs Ġwith ĠGram ĠParsons Ġ. ĠEth ridge Ġworked Ġwith ĠJackson ĠBrowne Ġ, ĠJudy ĠCollins Ġ, ĠRy ĠC ood er Ġ, ĠWhitney ĠHouston Ġ, ĠWillie ĠNelson Ġ, ĠRandy ĠNewman Ġ, ĠLinda ĠRon stadt Ġ, ĠLeon ĠRussell Ġ, ĠNancy ĠSin atra Ġ, ĠJohnny ĠWinter Ġ, Ġand ĠThe ĠByr ds Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġsinger Ġ@ - @ Ġsong writer ĠSteve ĠFor bert Ġwas Ġborn Ġin ĠMeridian Ġin Ġ1954 Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠJim mie ĠRodgers Ġ, Ġthe Ġ" ĠFather Ġof ĠCountry ĠMusic Ġ" Ġ, Ġwas Ġborn Ġin Ġthe Ġcity Ġin Ġ1897 Ġ. ĠThe ĠJim mie ĠRodgers ĠMuseum Ġis Ġlocated Ġin ĠMeridian Ġ, Ġand