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Praize 102.9

KyleSmith1988

KyleSmith1988

I've been hearing a faint signal on 102.9 lately here on the south end of Greenville, SC.
They say they are in Greenville, SC and call themselves Praize 102.9 WGFE.
FCC records show there is no WGFE....
So is this a pirate radio station? any other info about it or does anyone else know about it?

Here is their website: http://praize1029.com/
and address: 32 Parade Drive, Greenville, SC 29605
 
The nearest thing I could find in the FCC records were multiple applications by Augusta Radio Fellowship Institute to seek a construction permit for that frequency in Saluda, SC which is maybe 40 miles south east of Greenille but the apps have been dismissed and it would have been a TRANSLATOR if it had been granted.
 
So it's gotta be pirate radio of some kind, I guess. I'm about 2 miles away from it,
they even have commercials & a morning show (Yolanda Adams) like a commercial radio station
and it seems like a legit broadcast. The station plays what they call "Holy Hip Hop"
with the slogan "Keeping it crunk for Christ..."

I couldn't hear it at all near the Haywood Mall (was getting WLYT),
and it sounds fringe as I head east of Lake Conestee towards Mauldin.
I'm guessing the signal is coming from inside a house on Parade drive in south Greenville
(In a residential neighborhood near White Horse Rd at Augusta Rd),
which is also right near the Donaldson Center Airport.

They have a Facebook page as well describing the station, lots of fans I'm surprised:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/WGFE-Praize-1029-FM/159696243708

Can't find any other info on it but they do stream their audio online:
http://stream1.securenetsystems.net/WGFE
 
Yep, looks definitely like a pirate (look at their 2nd FB profile picture). I do find it interesting that they're getting away with running Yolonda's show which is, as far as I know, only available to commercial stations.
 
KyleAndMelissa22 said:
So it's gotta be pirate radio of some kind, I guess. I'm about 2 miles away from it,
they even have commercials & a morning show (Yolanda Adams) like a commercial radio station
and it seems like a legit broadcast. The station plays what they call "Holy Hip Hop"
with the slogan "Keeping it crunk for Christ..."
Click to expand...

Well, Yolanda Adams has a commerical promoting her morning and even saying "Praize 102.9"
 
ShawtyBlack_ATL said:
Well, Yolanda Adams has a commerical promoting her morning and even saying "Praize 102.9"
Click to expand...

Yea I can't understand that either, but again I guess they can get away with broadcasting by giving out a callsign,
even though it's not actually valid, and plus they have some commercials.
I guess most of their listeners are streaming online anyway.
Also, it seems like the signal got a little stronger over the last few days,
now sometimes causing interference with co-channel 103.1 WRIX in Anderson.
I wonder what equipment they are using to broadcast from their home.

carolinaradio said:
Yep, looks definitely like a pirate (look at their 2nd FB profile picture).
I do find it interesting that they're getting away with running Yolonda's show which is, as far as I know, only available to commercial stations.
Click to expand...

Yup and they are giving themselves away, they listed their address! :D
 
carolinaradio said:
Yep, looks definitely like a pirate (look at their 2nd FB profile picture). I do find it interesting that they're getting away with running Yolonda's show which is, as far as I know, only available to commercial stations.
Click to expand...

Yolanda Admas isn't the only syndicated show on Praize 102.9. This is the sign of format holes in the Upstate of South Carolina. Of course it's been mentioned Greenville/Spartunburg/Anderson doesn't have an Urban station. Most cities now have FM Gospel stations that actually do pretty well like Charleston, Columbia, Charlotte and Augusta are just a few.
 
I have long thought the Upstate could support Urban gospel (it ran for about a year under LMA on 103.3 from 05-06). WPJM 800 (http://www.800wpjm.com) sort of fills that hole, but it's on AM and has a limited signal.

96.7 would have been a perfect signal for Urban Gospel instead of another CCM station. The signal is good for it and that would have done better than what they are doing now.

This Praize is interesting. If I'm around Mauldin this weekend I'll try to pick it up.
 
carolinaradio said:
This Praize is interesting. If I'm around Mauldin this weekend I'll try to pick it up.
Click to expand...

Cool let us know, however I believe the signal is much weaker in Mauldin,
but I know it comes in ok along I-85 between exits 44 & 46,
and it starts to come better in when you head west of Mauldin on Butler Rd / Mauldin Rd.
 
Didn't make it to Mauldin, but it was coming in on 385 between exits 31-34 (276 to Butler Rd). Faint, but I heard it. Lite overpowered after that.
 
found out that WGFE is not their actual call letters, but rather something they had for years as an internet only station that means Where God Favors Eternally W.G.F.E..

That is why we could not find them on the FCC site. Not sure what their real call letters are, but did investigate that so far. I think they are under different call letters as far as the FCC is concerned.
 
No, no. I didn't search by call letters. I did a search by geography and frequency.

If, BIG IF, they are a pirate station, THERE WILL BE NO FCC RECORDS, NO "REAL" call letters.

The FCC does NOT issue call letters to pirate stations. You are probably looking for records and call letters that DO NOT EXIST.

People who are operating illegal stations do not send a letter to the FCC saying: "We are in business and 123 Main Street. Stop in a see us sometime. By the way, if you have some left over call letters you aren't using, could you send them to us for our pirate station?"
 
Goat Rodeo Cowboy said:
No, no. I didn't search by call letters. I did a search by geography and frequency.

If, BIG IF, they are a pirate station, THERE WILL BE NO FCC RECORDS, NO "REAL" call letters.

The FCC does NOT issue call letters to pirate stations. You are probably looking for records and call letters that DO NOT EXIST.

People who are operating illegal stations do not send a letter to the FCC saying: "We are in business and 123 Main Street. Stop in a see us sometime. By the way, if you have some left over call letters you aren't using, could you send them to us for our pirate station?"
Click to expand...
It's a pirate, Cowboy. I've known Greenville radio for ages and this is not legit. Looks like they started online and got a transmitter (you can get them through Ramsey Electronics, Hobbytron, etc).

And they claim to be "Christian" and are clearly breaking the law...
 
carolinaradio said:
It's a pirate, Cowboy. I've known Greenville radio for ages and this is not legit. Looks like they started online and got a transmitter (you can get them through Ramsey Electronics, Hobbytron, etc).

And they claim to be "Christian" and are clearly breaking the law...
Click to expand...

Clearly a pirate station, and it's only been up for the last few weeks, I've been in Greenville so far a few months.
I would like to know why they gave out their address and phone number,
when that is clearly gonna get them in trouble much faster, as they made it easier for the FCC to find them.
Maybe they don't think they're breaking the law?
But in my opinion there are better frequency choices they could use to broadcast on in Greenville/Conestee,
such as 92.1, 97.7, 99.5 & 101.7, they would get out further than 102.9.

I just made a Radio-Locator style coverage map to give an idea of the signal of this station,
I believe this to be very accurate based on my observations, but it's still possible to hear the signal even further than indicated:

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/4917/praise1029coveragearea.jpg
 
If they are christian then why don't they turn off the transmitter till the next open window for LPFM which should be very soon. Do the paper work so to speak get licensed and then do their thing as a christian station they should not have any trouble applying for an open LP slot on the next window and I am sure there range would increase greatly with a real 100 foot tower. The way there headed now will catch up with them sooner or later. If it is about the christian side of things then an LPFM will work for them but if it's about money then nothing but a commerical station or NCE will do what they want. As far as I know there hasn't been a window for commerical FM radio for as long as I remember at the FCC so good luck with that but there was a NCE window last year, seems like they would have gone for that.
 
I haven't heard them for a few days now. I even drove to the street they are on. No longer on the airways of 102.9 FM. Maybe they were only testing equipment or maybe they have applied and waiting on their paperwork. One thing for sure is it is not against the law as long as they remain as an internet station which it seems they are clearly doing as I only hear them online. People can name their internet station what they want. Ive seen several that take on names like powerfm or 98.9.com
etc... ;)
 
KyleAndMelissa22 said:
carolinaradio said:
It's a pirate, Cowboy. I've known Greenville radio for ages and this is not legit. Looks like they started online and got a transmitter (you can get them through Ramsey Electronics, Hobbytron, etc).

And they claim to be "Christian" and are clearly breaking the law...
Click to expand...

Clearly a pirate station, and it's only been up for the last few weeks, I've been in Greenville so far a few months.
I would like to know why they gave out their address and phone number,
when that is clearly gonna get them in trouble much faster, as they made it easier for the FCC to find them.
Maybe they don't think they're breaking the law?
But in my opinion there are better frequency choices they could use to broadcast on in Greenville/Conestee,
such as 92.1, 97.7, 99.5 & 101.7, they would get out further than 102.9.

I just made a Radio-Locator style coverage map to give an idea of the signal of this station,
I believe this to be very accurate based on my observations, but it's still possible to hear the signal even further than indicated:

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/4917/praise1029coveragearea.jpg
Click to expand...
Interesting map.
I see on their website they are selling advertising. That's even worse. Selling advertising on a non-licensed station is not good.

Hey, could this be hooked up with or be the group that ran "Praize 103.3" (remember the urban gospel people that licensed WOLT/103.3 out for the first year except for 6-10am)? It was spelled that way. I know they didn't pay the LMA fees or something and got kicked off. Maybe they are trying to come back.
 
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