WWWC (AM)
Encyclopedia
WWWC also known as 3WC, is a 24-hour Southern Gospel
radio station
located in Wilkesboro, North Carolina
, U.S.A., serving Wilkes County, North Carolina
. The station is owned by Foothills Media, Inc. and broadcasts with 1 kilowatt at 1240 kHz on the AM
band, as well as over the internet.
The station's two-person morning team is John Wishon and Ted Hayes. Wishon is also the station's owner, general manager and program director.
In 1986 (?) 3WC celebrated its 20th anniversary by inviting personalities from the past to return. Many stories were told, and secrets revealed! For instance, few knew that a firearm had once been (accidentally) discharged in the control room!
In its Top-40 heyday, a sign once hung on the control-room wall proclaiming "the booth" as "Slave Quarters". In the '70s morning host Rick Ross was known to have (jokingly!) encouraged listeners to "change lanes this morning...drive on the left side!") In the '80s, 3WC generated lots of talk by running commercials for fake product, "Hiney Wine"...supposedly bottled in "Beautiful Downtown Laurel Springs". Ironically, this region of the state has since become known as the "wine region"! A few brief examples of the zaniness that once emerged from the lil' tower by the river...the memory of which still brings a smile to many faces. Speaking of the "lil' tower", when the Wilkes County Airport was on Highway 268 west of Wilkesboro, 3WC's tower was used by pilots to "line up with the runway", as it was precisely in-line for their approach.
The station went silent on November 11, 1992 until the station was purchased by Ken Byrd, Alan Combs and John Wishon and adopted its Southern Gospel format on July 11, 1994. 3WC is currently owned by John and Jackie Wishon, who bought out the station from co-owner Alan Combs in 2006.
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...
radio station
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...
located in Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Wilkesboro is a town in and the county seat of Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,159 at the 2000 census, and it is the second largest municipality in the county. The 2010 Census listed the town's population at 3,044. The town is located along the south bank of the...
, U.S.A., serving Wilkes County, North Carolina
Wilkes County, North Carolina
Wilkes County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The 2000 U.S. Census listed the county's population at 65,632; the 2010 U.S. Census listed the population at 69,340...
. The station is owned by Foothills Media, Inc. and broadcasts with 1 kilowatt at 1240 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...
band, as well as over the internet.
The station's two-person morning team is John Wishon and Ted Hayes. Wishon is also the station's owner, general manager and program director.
History
3WC came on the air as a country station, though the format shifted to Top 40 in the early '70s, and remained so for most of its first three decades (the format was officially dubbed as a hybrid of Top-40 and "Hot AC" in the 1980s when owned by Tomlinson Broadcasting, and programmed by Carmen James. Personalities at WWWC during its time as a Top-40/Rock outlet included Rick Ross, Ray "Records" Barber, Omer Tomlinson, Mike Walker, Carmen James, Larry Stone (a teenager at the time now of the NFL's Tennessee Titans), Stan Carmen, and many others. News Directors included Don Curtis (for many years), David Patterson, Barb Flemming (who was also important to the morning show during Mike Walker's tenure as morning host in the '80s). During the period when Tomlinson Broadcasting owned the station, one of its "claims to fame" was having the only two-person news team in the area, with Jeff Stein taking over in the afternoons from (alternately) News Director(s) David Patterson Barb Flemming. Mary Drew also did news for a time in the late '80s, before leaving for WXRC Charlotte. For many years 3WC was an ABC Radio affiliate, carrying shows by Howard Cossell, and of course Paul Harvey.In 1986 (?) 3WC celebrated its 20th anniversary by inviting personalities from the past to return. Many stories were told, and secrets revealed! For instance, few knew that a firearm had once been (accidentally) discharged in the control room!
In its Top-40 heyday, a sign once hung on the control-room wall proclaiming "the booth" as "Slave Quarters". In the '70s morning host Rick Ross was known to have (jokingly!) encouraged listeners to "change lanes this morning...drive on the left side!") In the '80s, 3WC generated lots of talk by running commercials for fake product, "Hiney Wine"...supposedly bottled in "Beautiful Downtown Laurel Springs". Ironically, this region of the state has since become known as the "wine region"! A few brief examples of the zaniness that once emerged from the lil' tower by the river...the memory of which still brings a smile to many faces. Speaking of the "lil' tower", when the Wilkes County Airport was on Highway 268 west of Wilkesboro, 3WC's tower was used by pilots to "line up with the runway", as it was precisely in-line for their approach.
The station went silent on November 11, 1992 until the station was purchased by Ken Byrd, Alan Combs and John Wishon and adopted its Southern Gospel format on July 11, 1994. 3WC is currently owned by John and Jackie Wishon, who bought out the station from co-owner Alan Combs in 2006.