I was tuning in to WGMI 1440 based out in Bremen & Carrollton this morning. First, the intro to the stream talks about the flip, and then the stream came on. They were playing some Sports programming. Then I went to http://www.wgmiradio.com/. Unfortunately, the Garner Family through their ministry Garner Ministries, Inc, cannot afford to keep the station operating Southern Gospel & some Traditional Gospel. They have had to borrow the money to keep the station going for the past 10 years, and they signed on the air back in 1993 which means WGMI has been on the air for a total of 17 years. When the flip takes place tomorrow night at 12AM (12 Midnight) going into Monday morning, you did read correctly in the title of this thread. WGMI will be flipping to Classic Hits. Also included in the flip are '50s-'80s music and some Sports programming like I heard this morning. They in a way will still keep the Southern Gospel & some Traditional Gospel, but it will be confined to Sundays only. Plus, any faith-based ministry programming they had been playing on Sunday mornings, they will still be able to keep that thus the Southern Gospel & some Traditional Gospel will be playing Sunday afternoons & evenings. The new name for WGMI will be known as WGMI 1440 AM The Train. More details about this flip are at http://www.wgmiradio.com/.
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WGMI to Flip to Classic Hits Tomorrow Night at 12 Midnight Going into Mon 8/23
- Thread starter AMFMRadFan
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That is a strange time for the transition. I might slot Wednesday night/Thursday morning with the idea that people listening on weekends might become a core audience. Also, I simply do not understand why a Gospel station cannot thrive in Georgia. I understand that some sponsors may not feel comfortable being associated with the format (someone explained that in a thread from months ago) but if the station has an audience, every one of them is a potential customer - and they are going to spend their money somewhere. As a business owner, I would want to be in their ears.
Georgia is not completely without Southern Gospel alternatives. There are 8 that I know of:
- 1300 AM WMTM in Moultrie (one station that doesn't stream via Internet)
- WLJA 101.1 FM in Ellijay (which also mixes Bluegrass Gospel & Country Gospel in their rotation)
- WCCV 91.7 FM-WJCK 88.3 FM (IBN (Immanuel Broadcasting Network) (THE PRAISE FM)) (WCCV is in Cartersville, GA while WJCK is in Piedmont, AL. IBN mixes Southern Gospel in their rotation.)
- Great 88/88.9 FM WMSL in Athens (home of "The Sounds of Faith" with Jim Hutto Sunday mornings 6AM-10AM) (Their studio is in Bogart on the campus of Prince Ave. Baptist Church & Christian School) (refer to this thread http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=92470.0 for more info on this station) (They air "Solid Southern Gospel" with Don Elrod (music director for WGTJ) (a mix of Country Gospel, Southern Gospel, and some Traditional Gospel) Saturday mornings 6AM-12PM (12 Noon))
- This leads into the next station: Glory 1330 AM WGTJ Murrayville-Gainesville (their rotation is mostly Southern Gospel with weekend exceptions such as 20: the Countdown Magazine (CCM countdown) with Jon Rivers Saturday mornings 10AM-12PM (12 Noon) as well as a block of Praise & Worship Gospel with Chip Cary (not to be confused with Chip Caray, Atlanta Braves TV & Radio announcer) Sunday mornings 6:30 A.M.-7:00 A.M. (WGTJ needs to expand that block until at least 10AM, but instead, they air their "Preaching & Teaching Time for 10 Hours from 7AM-1PM and again from 2PM-6PM. At 1PM, they play "Bill Gaither's Homecoming Radio".))
- WRAF Christian Radio 90.9 FM (Toccoa Falls Radio) airs a block of Southern Gospel in the show called "'Round the Country" with Lillian Cash weekdays 12:00 P.M. (12 Noon)-1:30 P.M. plus they air "The Gospel Greats" with Paul Heil Saturdays 12PM (12 Noon)-2PM. They also air "Bill Gaither's Homecoming Radio" right after "The Gospel Greats" from 2PM-3PM.
- WJJC Radio 1270 AM in Commerce (This station is known for News/Talk radio, but they do air Southern Gospel evenings & overnights after their 7PM sign-off until they sign back on at 7AM the next morning.)
- 102.7 FM WGUS in New Ellenton, SC in the Augusta, GA market
Interesting. I did not realize there were so many doing well. I was thinking about commercial stations mostly, but it stands to reason that the not-for-profit stations are facing economic pressures as well. I do believe the LP operating on 1055.7 out of Guyton has gone dark after Rev. Davis passed away. WSGV ran on the force of his will as much as it ran on electricity; someone tried to keep it going for a while, but it seems to have been for naught.
Wow! Their timing could not be worse. An anticipated FM competitor with a classic hits format looms in the background! This should be interesting. Stay tuned!
I wonder how long the preachers stay? I predict they'll jump ship and head over to an FM competitor that is all gospel/Christian 24/7.
I wonder how long the preachers stay? I predict they'll jump ship and head over to an FM competitor that is all gospel/Christian 24/7.
Wow! I am surprised that the Garners kept the station gospel for as long as they did. 17 years is a long time. I worked for WGMI's predecessor WBKI for a year and decided to quit when the Garners bought the property in September '93. Kudos to them for keeping the little 2,500 watt station on-the-air as long as they did. My question to anyone who knows: has Southern Gospel ever been a viable format? I struggled as a DJ and programmer bouncing up and down the dial for a dozen years always feeling that I was wasting my time trying to find businesses who would consistently sponsor a gospel station. Without exception everyone of my radio homes relied on preachers for income not spots. BTW here's a shameless plug for my radio blogs: http://www.gospelaircheck.com and http://www.thepeanutwhistle.com
I work in Bremen and I've been listening. Everything I've heard so far is 70s-80s, mostly rock and some AC.
Part of their problem may have been a new southern gospel FM with a huge signal just across the Alabama line, 89.1 WKNG-FM (great calls, eh?) in Heflin. They're based in Tallapoosa (10 miles west of Bremen). This is not to be confused with the venerable 50,000 WKNG-AM (classic country) that is licensed to Tallapoosa.
So what's this about a classic hits FM coming to West Georgia?????
- Dan
Part of their problem may have been a new southern gospel FM with a huge signal just across the Alabama line, 89.1 WKNG-FM (great calls, eh?) in Heflin. They're based in Tallapoosa (10 miles west of Bremen). This is not to be confused with the venerable 50,000 WKNG-AM (classic country) that is licensed to Tallapoosa.
So what's this about a classic hits FM coming to West Georgia?????
- Dan
Is there still “bad blood” between WKNG and the Bremen AM station? I know there were some personality conflicts (air staff and ownership) in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s between the two.
jimoneal said:
Many times, those sponsors you sought simply did not want the public perception of their business affected by the fact they advertised on a Southern Gospel station. It's really schizophrenic if you think of it. I have been in businesses where Gospel was playing in the background as the owner refused to advertise on the very station he was enjoying. There is this fear, I guess, that the tire store or whatever will be associated with Gospel music and this will scare away more patrons than it attracts. I suppose that, in the minds of some people, SG music also may be associated with an older audience, who won't be interested in the business's products and services, although I have absolutely nothing to back this up. Perhaps the businessman feels that his money will be wasted if he advertises on the station. If I am correct about this, the problem becomes how to dispell these misconceptions. When you figure out how to do this, let me know.
*Another* Graddick station? Yikes. Thanks for the info.
If I were WGMI, I'd be playing slightly older and broader music, something in the "True Oldies" vein (like what they say they're doing, instead of what they are doing). 106.7 in Atlanta doesn't come in that great out here, and there's a decent hole for that, and it would be compatible with trying to be a local community station. Also, Haralson County is demographically older. On the other hand, I may just be showing my own pro-oldies bias from my former career.
If I were WGMI, I'd be playing slightly older and broader music, something in the "True Oldies" vein (like what they say they're doing, instead of what they are doing). 106.7 in Atlanta doesn't come in that great out here, and there's a decent hole for that, and it would be compatible with trying to be a local community station. Also, Haralson County is demographically older. On the other hand, I may just be showing my own pro-oldies bias from my former career.
Dan, thanks for the memo about Rejoice 89.1 FM WKNG in Heflin, AL. Yes, the call letters are great. There is one more Southern Gospel station here in Georgia that still exists that I failed to mention 3 months ago around the time I started this thread. That station is AM 1270 WSHE in Columbus. That is all everyone. Thank you.
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