For many years they were WCAY a very locally run country station and their competitor for many years was WQXL 1470 which is now silent. WCAY did get basically get killed by mis-management and WCOS-FM becoming the country power house here in Columbia. After that it was WLFE for several years in the early and middle 80's known at WLFE the Music of your Life until it became the Gospel Highway. It was never a sister station to WZLD as I recall.It and WZLD did change stuido locations one time because 620 originally was on State in Cayce and WZLD originally was out by the Airport on Airport Blvd.DudeFan said:I don't know. They were WTGH the Gospel Highway for as long as I can remember. In 1988, they were already a stand-lone operation.
Lhsh said:DudeFan said:. It was never a sister station to WZLD as I recall.It and WZLD did change stuido locations one time because 620 originally was on State in Cayce and WZLD originally was out by the Airport on Airport Blvd.
Actually, WCAY was originally on airport blvd, in that unusual building. The owner lived up-stairs over the station. It later moved into the old WZLD studios on State St. . WZLD was on State St. across from BC High School in 1978 and maybe was there when it signed on around 74.
Al Timiter said:It was on State St. back in the 60's and 1970"s until WZLD came to twon in 197391974 and then that is when it moved to the Airport Blvd. site.Lhsh said:DudeFan said:. It was never a sister station to WZLD as I recall.It and WZLD did change stuido locations one time because 620 originally was on State in Cayce and WZLD originally was out by the Airport on Airport Blvd.
Actually, WCAY was originally on airport blvd, in that unusual building. The owner lived up-stairs over the station. It later moved into the old WZLD studios on State St. . WZLD was on State St. across from BC High School in 1978 and maybe was there when it signed on around 74.
fortmill said:WCAY was a fairly big deal in Cola in the late 60s and early 70s. Not only was it the ONLY country station in the area, but it also had a reputation for its right-wing politics and some would say racist atitude. The morning host threw in lots of conservative commentary and views on school desegregation and the such. At the time Columbia was basically a 5 station town--MOR-WIS, Top 40--WCOS-AM and WNOK-AM, R&B-WOIC, and WCAY-country. WQXL was already gospel. WXRY came on with "beautiful music" about 1971, otherwise WCOS was the first to seriously try to do anything with FM,with a progressive rock format. That didn't last long asthey flipped to country about 1973, after which WCAY slowly sank into the sunset.
Lhsh said:That is an extremely accurate depiction of what was going on here at the time. WQXL went godpel sometime in 1972 and WNOK-FM was a beautiful music station until the spring of 2973 when it went to a top 40 format and was pretty innovative for FM and it did not have any real competition until WZLD came along in 1973 or 1974.
fortmill said:]
Well.......um......i think you're fairly accurate about WQXL going gospel around '72. But... In regard to WNOK-FM...they messed around with a rather bland version of Soft A/C in the mid 70's. WZLD signed on in late 73 or early 74 and became #1 in the Spring 74 book with a kind of Hot A/C format. WNOK-FM went full blown top 40 in December 0f '76 and knocked WZLD down from the mountain pretty hard.