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Does anyone have info on the History of Christian Stations in Atlanta?
- Thread starter David67
- Start date
The Fish is the first 24 hour Christian music station in Atlanta and it started 7 and a half years ago. They are still the only station in the metro area that is all music, south metro's J 93.3 still has several hours of programs each week. Salem aquired the 104.7 signal from cox in 2000 which happened to be the time that Salem was going to launch 24 hour Christian music stations in cities across America. The Atlanta Fish is the second Fish from Salem and it signed on a few weeks after the Orange County California Fish debuted.
94.9 was home of the first 24 hour Christian FM station as WAVQ for a few years in the 70s before changing to Easy Listening WPCH. 93.3 was basically a Columbus station until 1998 when they moved their transmitter closer to Atlanta to blanket south metro. 93.3 has yet to totally dedicate programming to music but they are close. The Fall of 2001 brought gospel to FM on 97.5 for the first time in Atlanta radio. Cumming licensed 91.5 WWEV debuted in 1981 and covers Gwinnett and Cherokee counties of north metro and they play a wide range of musical styles and programming during their broadcasts.
On the AM band 860 WAEC is a long time home of Christian programming and music as Love 860 since 1977. Moody Radio owned 920 when it was WAFS in 1989 when WGST moved down the dial to 640, Moody sold 920 to Salem in 2004 and Salem placed its news/talk format on the stronger 920 signal from its home on 1190.
94.9 was home of the first 24 hour Christian FM station as WAVQ for a few years in the 70s before changing to Easy Listening WPCH. 93.3 was basically a Columbus station until 1998 when they moved their transmitter closer to Atlanta to blanket south metro. 93.3 has yet to totally dedicate programming to music but they are close. The Fall of 2001 brought gospel to FM on 97.5 for the first time in Atlanta radio. Cumming licensed 91.5 WWEV debuted in 1981 and covers Gwinnett and Cherokee counties of north metro and they play a wide range of musical styles and programming during their broadcasts.
On the AM band 860 WAEC is a long time home of Christian programming and music as Love 860 since 1977. Moody Radio owned 920 when it was WAFS in 1989 when WGST moved down the dial to 640, Moody sold 920 to Salem in 2004 and Salem placed its news/talk format on the stronger 920 signal from its home on 1190.
D
don stone
Guest
Hi, kind of an expert on this topic. I helped build WAEC, Love 86 as GM from 1979-1994. It came on the air Dec. 3, 1978 as the first Atlanta station to play contemporary Christian music. (Atlanta's, Electric Church). Played programs in the morning, music in the afternoon as a 1000 watt daytimer. Eventually got 5,000 watts, then 24 hours. Had to drop the music format in the mid-90s. Couldn't compete with the FMs.
I left in 1994 to pursue my publishing ventures doing the Braves Express and Georgia Tech Express newspapers. I also had created the Atlanta Christian Business Directory, which is now in its 37th edition. I had started a music newspaper called the Love 86 Express in 1987 and changed it to Atlanta Christian Magazine when I left in 1994. Still publishing that. www.atlantachristianweb.com.
Victory 91.5fm came on the air as a non-commercial on December 8, 1981. Barry Holt came on board four years later as gm and has done a great job ever since.
WVFJ than called "The Joy FM", came on the air in 1981 operating out of Manchester, GA. In 1998, they moved to Peachtree City and are now called J93.3.
104.7, The Fish, came on in 2000 and has dominated ever since.
Don Stone
I left in 1994 to pursue my publishing ventures doing the Braves Express and Georgia Tech Express newspapers. I also had created the Atlanta Christian Business Directory, which is now in its 37th edition. I had started a music newspaper called the Love 86 Express in 1987 and changed it to Atlanta Christian Magazine when I left in 1994. Still publishing that. www.atlantachristianweb.com.
Victory 91.5fm came on the air as a non-commercial on December 8, 1981. Barry Holt came on board four years later as gm and has done a great job ever since.
WVFJ than called "The Joy FM", came on the air in 1981 operating out of Manchester, GA. In 1998, they moved to Peachtree City and are now called J93.3.
104.7, The Fish, came on in 2000 and has dominated ever since.
Don Stone
In 1983, WCCV 91.7 in Cartersville signed on the air. It would become known as IBN (Immanuel Broadcasting Network) (THE PRAISE FM). They also signed on their secondary flagship WJCK-FM (frequency unknown back then) around that time in Cedartown. When power for the WJCK transmitter increased, they moved that transmitter to Piedmont, AL in 1994 on the 88.3 frequency.
In 1988, Great 88/88.9 FM WMSL licensed back then in Bogart signed on the air. The transmitter is now licensed in Athens, however, the station still resides in Bogart on the campus of Prince Ave. Baptist Church & Christian School. They primarily launched similar programming to that that which was on what was 94.9 WAVQ from back in the '70s. Jim Hutto was GM back then at WAVQ, and is now GM at WMSL. He launched The Sounds of Faith in 1972 on WAVQ. That program would eventually move to WMSL. Even after moving the program to WMSL, The Sounds of Faith would continue to stay on the 94.9 frequency. The Sounds of Faith's format is Sunday morning Inspirational Gospel & Praise & Worship Gospel. That program was on at 94.9 all the way until about the Summer or Fall of last year in 2009 which would make it 36.5 years. It continues to live on Sunday mornings 6AM-10AM on WMSL. WMSL primarily serves the area of Athens & Northeast Georgia. They are the only full-service Christian radio station serving that area with 22 hours of programming during the week, and 23 hours of programming on the weekends. The times that they're not playing Christian music are from 12PM (12 Noon)-1PM during the week, and from 8PM-9PM every night including weekends. You may be able to get it if you're as far west as Lawrenceville. Lawrenceville is in the fringe coverage area of WMSL. If you don't live in WMSL's coverage area, you can listen online at http://www.great88.net/.
In 1988, Great 88/88.9 FM WMSL licensed back then in Bogart signed on the air. The transmitter is now licensed in Athens, however, the station still resides in Bogart on the campus of Prince Ave. Baptist Church & Christian School. They primarily launched similar programming to that that which was on what was 94.9 WAVQ from back in the '70s. Jim Hutto was GM back then at WAVQ, and is now GM at WMSL. He launched The Sounds of Faith in 1972 on WAVQ. That program would eventually move to WMSL. Even after moving the program to WMSL, The Sounds of Faith would continue to stay on the 94.9 frequency. The Sounds of Faith's format is Sunday morning Inspirational Gospel & Praise & Worship Gospel. That program was on at 94.9 all the way until about the Summer or Fall of last year in 2009 which would make it 36.5 years. It continues to live on Sunday mornings 6AM-10AM on WMSL. WMSL primarily serves the area of Athens & Northeast Georgia. They are the only full-service Christian radio station serving that area with 22 hours of programming during the week, and 23 hours of programming on the weekends. The times that they're not playing Christian music are from 12PM (12 Noon)-1PM during the week, and from 8PM-9PM every night including weekends. You may be able to get it if you're as far west as Lawrenceville. Lawrenceville is in the fringe coverage area of WMSL. If you don't live in WMSL's coverage area, you can listen online at http://www.great88.net/.
AMFMRadFan - What about the formats for those stations. - soft christian music most likely with some southern gospel perhaps?
When you put it that way, yes, that is correct. Immanuel Broadcasting does mix in some of the more contemporary music as well as Classical Worship, Inspirational, Instrumentals, Opera/Choral Worship, Praise & Worship, Southern Gospel, Traditional Gospel, and very little black Urban Gospel. WMSL does the same thing. There is a correction on the year WMSL signed on the air. It was in December 1987.
David67 said:
Depending on "how Christian", it probably goes back to the very earliest days of radio, when church services and religious talks were part of the regular schedule on most otherwise-secular stations.
I don't promise there wasn't someone else there first, but it appears the first fully-Christian station in Atlanta was probably WAVO-1420. It's listed in 1963 as having been owned by the Great Commission Gospel Association Inc. since it signed on the air on July 19, 1958.
What is WAEC doing now? A few years back I checked their website and they had become another dollar a holler station, which is sad for them to go that route. But when I checked the website today it says under construction, and the link to listen live isn't working. I hope they're getting away from allowing anything on for a buck on, but I'm not holding my breath.
I guess when you refer to "christian radio" in Atlanta you're only referring to music stations? We could talk a long time about WYNX (1550) or WNIV or WAFS (920 which Moody owned). We could deal with WVFJ which has been around long before the Fish and we could even hit WWEV put in before them all by Mt Paran church of God in part to carry Paul Walkers sermons. We could perhaps delve into the varying format on WWEV, the declining ratings. And we might even attempt to confirm reports that WWEV could be bought right now and wonder who'd buy a non com and what format they'd pursue.
We could also wonder about the flat music sales and how that will impact ratings success as there is a pattern now of flat CCM ratings. What's the potential of this format? And we could even ask for the high number of churches in Atlanta and a higher per capita church membership in market size #7, WHY don't more christian formatted stations do better?
Obviously that conversation took take spins and turns and be weaved with facts and excuses, but I will always feel Atlanta should have been stronger in Christian listening levels just by the number and size of active churches here. Makes you wonder if the success story is also giving a lack of success side to it.
We could also wonder about the flat music sales and how that will impact ratings success as there is a pattern now of flat CCM ratings. What's the potential of this format? And we could even ask for the high number of churches in Atlanta and a higher per capita church membership in market size #7, WHY don't more christian formatted stations do better?
Obviously that conversation took take spins and turns and be weaved with facts and excuses, but I will always feel Atlanta should have been stronger in Christian listening levels just by the number and size of active churches here. Makes you wonder if the success story is also giving a lack of success side to it.
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