WGIV
Encyclopedia
WGIV is an African american
formatted radio station currently found at 1370 on the AM radio dial. Its city of license is Pineville, North Carolina
. Its programming, which includes talk
, gospel music
, classic soul
, old school hip hop
, and urban adult contemporary
, is simulcast on Chester, South Carolina
studios of co-owned WGCD-AM.
in the late 1940s as a daytime operation with the call letters WLTC, which stood for "World's Largest Textile Center", a slogan for the City of Gastonia. For most of the WLTC years, the station broadcast country music
, except for the midday show which was Southern Gospel
music with popular host "Miss Tillie" Lowery.
In the late 1980s the station was acquired by Ford Broadcasting of China Grove, North Carolina
, which began full-time operation of the station with a format of Southern Gospel Music. "Miss Tillie" retired in 1995 after hosting the midday show for more than 25 years.
Ford Broadcasting sold WLTC to Frank Neely, owner of WGCD, in 1998, and the station's format changed to urban contemporary gospel
music. The station retained the WLTC call letters until early in 2005. Shortly after acquiring the WGIV call letters, the station changed its city of license to Pineville, built a new transmitter site in Charlotte, North Carolina
and increased its daytime power to 3000 watts. They have recently increased daytime power to 16,000 watts, which makes the station the second most powerful AM radio station
broadcasting from within the corporate limits of Charlotte.
In 2009, WGIV added W277CB, a translator
on 103.3 FM.
. The 1600 frequency first appeared in that city with the WGIV call letters in 1947. It was the first station in that city to target black listeners. Popular DJs of the station in the 1950s and 1960s included "Genial Gene" Potts, Chattie Hattie and "Rockin' Ray" Gooding.
For two years ending in 1985, WGIV aired the Class AA Charlotte O's baseball team.
By the early 1990s the owners of WPEG had purchased what was left of WGIV. Late in 1991, WPEG and WGIV were airing the same programming. Later, WGIV changed to a solid gold soul
format with the call letters WBAV
. The owners of the two stations had also purchased Gastonia, North Carolina
-based Kiss 102 and changed it to an Adult R&B format under the calls WBAV-FM.
When the soul music
format proved not to be successful, pressure from Charlotte's urban community forced the owners to change the station in 1997 to a Urban Gospel format and to re-adopt the WGIV call letters. The station call letters and format then remained unchanged for nearly a decade, until 2003 when the station's owners surrendered the license in favor of an expanded band
frequency on 1660 AM. The new station was given the call letters WFNA
and paired with WGIV's co-owned sports outlet WFNZ
.
Therefore, the 1600 frequency went silent in Charlotte after nearly 56 years of continuous service.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
formatted radio station currently found at 1370 on the AM radio dial. Its city of license is Pineville, North Carolina
Pineville, North Carolina
Pineville is a suburban town in the southernmost portion of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina situated in the Waxhaws district between Charlotte, North Carolina and Rock Hill, South Carolina....
. Its programming, which includes talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
, gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, classic soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, old school hip hop
Old school hip hop
Old school hip hop describes the earliest commercially recorded hip hop music , and the music in the period preceding it from which it was directly descended . Old school hip hop is said to end around 1983 or 1984 with the emergence of Run–D.M.C., the first new school hip hop group...
, and urban adult contemporary
Urban Adult Contemporary
Urban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast...
, is simulcast on Chester, South Carolina
Chester, South Carolina
Chester is a small city in Chester County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 6,476 at the 2000 census and a center urban cluster population of 11,140...
studios of co-owned WGCD-AM.
History on 1370 AM
The station on 1370 originated in Gastonia, North CarolinaGastonia, North Carolina
Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is also the third largest suburb of the Charlotte Area, behind Concord and Rock Hill. The population was 71,226 as of Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina,...
in the late 1940s as a daytime operation with the call letters WLTC, which stood for "World's Largest Textile Center", a slogan for the City of Gastonia. For most of the WLTC years, the station broadcast country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, except for the midday show which was Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel music—at one time also known as "quartet music"—is music whose lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
music with popular host "Miss Tillie" Lowery.
In the late 1980s the station was acquired by Ford Broadcasting of China Grove, North Carolina
China Grove, North Carolina
China Grove is a town in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,616 at the 2000 census. The town is located just north of Kannapolis, NC and south of Salisbury, NC.-Geography:China Grove is located at ....
, which began full-time operation of the station with a format of Southern Gospel Music. "Miss Tillie" retired in 1995 after hosting the midday show for more than 25 years.
Ford Broadcasting sold WLTC to Frank Neely, owner of WGCD, in 1998, and the station's format changed to urban contemporary gospel
Urban contemporary gospel
Traditional black gospel is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
music. The station retained the WLTC call letters until early in 2005. Shortly after acquiring the WGIV call letters, the station changed its city of license to Pineville, built a new transmitter site in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
and increased its daytime power to 3000 watts. They have recently increased daytime power to 16,000 watts, which makes the station the second most powerful AM radio station
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
broadcasting from within the corporate limits of Charlotte.
In 2009, WGIV added W277CB, a translator
Broadcast relay station
A broadcast relay station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator , rebroadcaster , or repeater is a broadcast transmitter which relays, repeats, or reflects the signal of another radio station or television station, usually to an area not covered by the signal of the originating station...
on 103.3 FM.
History on 1600 AM
The WGIV calls have a much more extensive history in Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. The 1600 frequency first appeared in that city with the WGIV call letters in 1947. It was the first station in that city to target black listeners. Popular DJs of the station in the 1950s and 1960s included "Genial Gene" Potts, Chattie Hattie and "Rockin' Ray" Gooding.
For two years ending in 1985, WGIV aired the Class AA Charlotte O's baseball team.
By the early 1990s the owners of WPEG had purchased what was left of WGIV. Late in 1991, WPEG and WGIV were airing the same programming. Later, WGIV changed to a solid gold soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
format with the call letters WBAV
WBAV
WBAV-FM is an Urban Adult Contemporary radio station licensed to Gastonia, North Carolina and serving the Charlotte market on 101.9FM. Syndicated programs include Steve Harvey in mornings, and Michael Baisden in afternoons...
. The owners of the two stations had also purchased Gastonia, North Carolina
Gastonia, North Carolina
Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is also the third largest suburb of the Charlotte Area, behind Concord and Rock Hill. The population was 71,226 as of Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina,...
-based Kiss 102 and changed it to an Adult R&B format under the calls WBAV-FM.
When the soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
format proved not to be successful, pressure from Charlotte's urban community forced the owners to change the station in 1997 to a Urban Gospel format and to re-adopt the WGIV call letters. The station call letters and format then remained unchanged for nearly a decade, until 2003 when the station's owners surrendered the license in favor of an expanded band
Extended AM broadcast band
The extended mediumwave broadcast band, commonly known as the [AM] expanded band, is a broadcast frequency allocation which moved the upper limit of the AM bandplan from 1610 to 1700 kHz.- History :...
frequency on 1660 AM. The new station was given the call letters WFNA
WFNZ
WFNZ "610 AM The Fan" is a Sports Talk format radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:WFNZ signed on in 1941 as WAYS . For much of the 1960s through early 1980s, it was Charlotte's top-rated Top 40 station under the moniker "61 Big Ways." The morning show was aired on both WAYS and...
and paired with WGIV's co-owned sports outlet WFNZ
WFNZ
WFNZ "610 AM The Fan" is a Sports Talk format radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:WFNZ signed on in 1941 as WAYS . For much of the 1960s through early 1980s, it was Charlotte's top-rated Top 40 station under the moniker "61 Big Ways." The morning show was aired on both WAYS and...
.
Therefore, the 1600 frequency went silent in Charlotte after nearly 56 years of continuous service.