WGNS
Encyclopedia
WGNS is a radio station
based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee
, United States
operating at 1450 kHz on the AM
dial. It signed on the air on January 1, 1947. The call letters are an acronym representing the phrase, "Good Neighbor Station". The station covers Murfreesboro, Tennessee proper as well as the surrounding counties! WGNS also operates class A television station WETV-LP
channel 11, which simulcasts the audio from WGNS and local talk programming.
station, having served in this capacity until the early 1990s, when the station, like many former AM music outlets, switched to a talk radio
format. It is currently an ABC
radio affiliate in addition to carrying various syndicated talk shows. The station has served as an Atlanta Braves
baseball
radio affiliate since 1981.
WGNS broadcast its signal in C-QUAM
AM
stereo
from the mid 1980s until it changed formats in the early 1990s.
The station's original self-supporting tower
, which was 328 feet (100 m) tall and dated back to the World War II
-era, was destroyed during a severe thunderstorm
on April 15, 2001!
On March 1, 2007, WGNS began simulcasting its signal over two FM translators, at 101.9 MHz (call sign
, W270AF) and 100.5 MHz (call sign
, W263AI). WGNS was the first AM radio station in the United States to broadcast with this new type of FM translator. WRHI in Rock Hill, SC became the second AM broadcaster in the nation to begin this service. Their first broadcast was on the next day (March 2, 2007). Station owner Bart Walker had been working on getting regulations passed to allow this for almost a decade!
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...
based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
operating at 1450 kHz on the AM
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...
dial. It signed on the air on January 1, 1947. The call letters are an acronym representing the phrase, "Good Neighbor Station". The station covers Murfreesboro, Tennessee proper as well as the surrounding counties! WGNS also operates class A television station WETV-LP
WETV-LP
WETV-LP is a low power television station serving the Murfreesboro, Tennessee area. It broadcasts its analog signal on VHF channel 11. Its transmitter is located at the intersection of Northwest Broad Street and South Church Street in Murfreesboro, sharing tower space with WGNS AM 1450.WETV is...
channel 11, which simulcasts the audio from WGNS and local talk programming.
History
WGNS was initially a popular musicPopular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
station, having served in this capacity until the early 1990s, when the station, like many former AM music outlets, switched to a talk radio
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...
format. It is currently an ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
radio affiliate in addition to carrying various syndicated talk shows. The station has served as an Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
radio affiliate since 1981.
WGNS broadcast its signal in C-QUAM
C-QUAM
C-QUAM is the method of AM stereo broadcasting used in Canada, the United States and most other countries. It was invented in 1977 by Norman Parker, Francis Hilbert, and Yoshio Sakaie, and published in an IEEE journal....
AM
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...
stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
from the mid 1980s until it changed formats in the early 1990s.
The station's original self-supporting tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
, which was 328 feet (100 m) tall and dated back to the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-era, was destroyed during a severe thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
on April 15, 2001!
On March 1, 2007, WGNS began simulcasting its signal over two FM translators, at 101.9 MHz (call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
, W270AF) and 100.5 MHz (call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
, W263AI). WGNS was the first AM radio station in the United States to broadcast with this new type of FM translator. WRHI in Rock Hill, SC became the second AM broadcaster in the nation to begin this service. Their first broadcast was on the next day (March 2, 2007). Station owner Bart Walker had been working on getting regulations passed to allow this for almost a decade!