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WBTG (AM)
Encyclopedia
WBTG is a radio station
licensed
to serve Sheffield, Alabama
. The station is owned by Slatton & Associates Broadcasters, Inc. It airs an Adult Standards
format positioned as "Memory Music".
In addition to its usual music programming, each weekday morning the station airs a half-hour program called Focus on the Family
hosted by James Dobson
. Monday through Saturday mornings include a two-hour tradio
program known as the Party Line which allows listeners to buy or sell personal items. On Sunday mornings, WBTG airs a half-hour program called In Touch hosted by Charles Stanley.
.
In April 1985, Sheffield Broadcasting Co., Inc,. reached an agreement to sell Country-formatted WSHF to Comco, Inc. The deal was approved by the Federal Communications Commission
on May 31, 1985, and the transaction was consummated on September 3, 1985. The station's callsign was changed from WSHF to WHCM on November 18, 1985.
In October 1987, Comco Inc. reached an agreement to sell WHCM to Slatton & Associates Broadcasters Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on December 7, 1987, and the transaction was consummated on December 17, 1987. The station's call letters were changed from WHCM to the current WBTG on December 17, 1987
. The new owners changed the programming to Contemporary Christian music and later Christian Talk
as counterparts to the Southern Gospel
format on WBTG-FM
before settling on the current "Memory Music" Adult Standards format.
via a broadcast translator. In his application for special temporary authority, Paul Slatton cited a desire to "serve the Shoals area better at night" when the station is forced to lower its broadcast power from 1000 watts to just 79 watts and that this authority "would only be until the Commission starts receiving applications for licenses to do this same thing." The FCC approved such a measure the following year.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to serve Sheffield, Alabama
Sheffield, Alabama
Sheffield is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States, and is included in The Shoals MSA. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 9,652. Sheffield is the birthplace of notable attorney, actor, former senator and presidential contender Fred Thompson...
. The station is owned by Slatton & Associates Broadcasters, Inc. It airs an Adult Standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
format positioned as "Memory Music".
In addition to its usual music programming, each weekday morning the station airs a half-hour program called Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s...
hosted by James Dobson
James Dobson
James Clayton "Jim" Dobson, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian author, psychologist, and founder in 1977 of Focus on the Family , which he led until 2003. In the 1980s he was ranked as one of the most influential spokesman for conservative social positions in American public life...
. Monday through Saturday mornings include a two-hour tradio
Tradio
Tradio is the name given to a type of talk radio show format where listeners call in to buy or sell items. The concept of is analogous to classified ads in local newspapers....
program known as the Party Line which allows listeners to buy or sell personal items. On Sunday mornings, WBTG airs a half-hour program called In Touch hosted by Charles Stanley.
History
WSHF AM 1290 signed on the air from its studios in Sheffield on November 6, 1963 with 1,000 watts daytime-only power. At the time, the station positioned itself as "WSHF - Where the Shoals Has Fun!" and aired an MOR format, but later in the 70's changed to CountryCountry
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
.
In April 1985, Sheffield Broadcasting Co., Inc,. reached an agreement to sell Country-formatted WSHF to Comco, Inc. The deal was approved by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
on May 31, 1985, and the transaction was consummated on September 3, 1985. The station's callsign was changed from WSHF to WHCM on November 18, 1985.
In October 1987, Comco Inc. reached an agreement to sell WHCM to Slatton & Associates Broadcasters Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on December 7, 1987, and the transaction was consummated on December 17, 1987. The station's call letters were changed from WHCM to the current WBTG on December 17, 1987
1987 in radio
The year 1987 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*January 1 — WBEA-FM in Elyria, Ohio drops their "B107" top 40 format to become the second affiliate for the Satellite Music Network's "Z Rock" service, with new WCZR calls....
. The new owners changed the programming to Contemporary Christian music and later Christian Talk
Christian radio
Christian radio is a category of radio formats that focus on transmitting programming with a Christian message. In the United States, where it is more established, many such broadcasters play popular music of Christian influence, though many programs have talk or news programming covering...
as counterparts to the 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...
format on WBTG-FM
WBTG-FM
WBTG-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Sheffield, Alabama. The station was founded by Paul Slatton and is owned by Slatton & Associates Broadcasters, Inc...
before settling on the current "Memory Music" Adult Standards format.
Broadcast translator
On August 12, 2008, WBTG received permission from the FCC to retransmit its programming on 94.3 FMFM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
via a broadcast translator. In his application for special temporary authority, Paul Slatton cited a desire to "serve the Shoals area better at night" when the station is forced to lower its broadcast power from 1000 watts to just 79 watts and that this authority "would only be until the Commission starts receiving applications for licenses to do this same thing." The FCC approved such a measure the following year.