WRGA
 | |
| City | Rome, Georgia |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Rome GA area |
| Branding | 98.7 FM - 1470 AM |
| Slogan | Local News Now |
| Frequency | 1470 kHz |
| Translator(s) | 98.7 MHz (W254CF) |
| First air date | 1929 (1929) |
| Format | News/talk |
| Power | 5,000 watts day 5,000 watts night |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 40856 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 34°18′5.00″N 85°9′19.00″W / 34.3013889°N 85.1552778°W / 34.3013889; -85.1552778Coordinates: 34°18′5.00″N 85°9′19.00″W / 34.3013889°N 85.1552778°W / 34.3013889; -85.1552778 |
| Callsign meaning | Rome, GeorgiA[1] |
| Former callsigns | WFDV (1929–1934)[2] |
| Affiliations | ABC News Radio Westwood One News The Weather Channel Bloomberg Radio |
| Owner | Rome Radio Partners, LLC |
| Webcast | wrga.streamon.fm Listen Live |
| Website | wrganews.com |
WRGA AM 1470 and W254CF FM 98.7 ( "News Talk 98.7 and AM 1470 ") is a radio station broadcasting a news talk information format. Licensed to serve Rome, Georgia, United States, the station serves Floyd and adjacent counties of northwest Georgia and a sliver of northeast Alabama. The station is currently owned by Rome Radio Partners, LLC [3]
Prior to spring 2009, WRGA was owned by McDougald Broadcasting, and was run by Southern Broadcasting Company, which is the owner-operator of WSRM FM 93.5, WQTU FM 102.3, WTSH FM 107.1, and WGJK AM 1360, from its studios on John Davenport Drive in Rome.
From spring 2004 to July 9, 2009, WRGA simulcast a substantially stronger and better quality signal on WSRM-FM. Until spring 2009, WSRM's radio tower was located in Coosa, Georgia; however after the ownership change the tower was moved to Mount Alto in Rome, and the carrier frequency was changed from 95.3 to 93.5 FM. The result was a substantial increase in the size of WSRM's coverage area, which led to issues which resulted in Rome Radio Partners having to end the five-year-old FM simulcast. WSRM's format was changed on July 9, 2009, to "Life FM", an "eclectic blend of Christian and secular adult contemporary" music.
WRGA operates under the tagline "Rome's NewsTalk". WRGA carries Brian Kilmeade, Dana Loesch, and Sean Hannity during their daily program schedule. ABC News Radio is carried at the top of the hour and Westwood One News at the bottom of the hour.
Locally produced programming on WRGA includes Hometown Radio Headlines, hosted by John Druckenmiller. "Druck" typically works four topics per morning, one per half-hour segment, and has local newsmakers as guests in-studio or by phone. Each segment is brief, a maximum of about 12 minutes with a 60-second commercial break, because the program has hard boundaries to coincide with news and feature breaks. Other locally produced programming includes Talk of the Town, hosted by Nelle Reagan.
WRGA is the only station in Rome with a full-time news team including David Crowder and Austin Trevors. Spot news coverage is provided as situations necessitate. Election coverage live from the Floyd County Courthouse is provided any day the polls are open.
As of March 1, 2014, WRGA also simulcasts on a broadcast translator at 98.7, with broadcast callsign W254CF. This change was partly to extend the coverage area at night, when skywave RF interference reduces the AM station's broadcast range. (Previously this was prohibited by the FCC, with translators reserved only for FM stations to cover gaps caused by terrain, a change which blocks frequencies that community LPFM stations could otherwise use locally.) The addition of the FM signal was soon followed by a rebranding as "News Talk 98.7 and AM 1470, WRGA". The station has also been using the tag line "Local News Now" more heavily in 2014.
History
The station began operation in 1929 as WFDV,[4] operating on 1500 kHz.[5] On May 16, 1948, WRGA changed its frequency from 1490 kHz to 1470 kHz with a concurrent increase in power from 250 W to 5 KW.[4]
References
^ Nelson, Bob (April 15, 2018). "Call Letter Origins: Key and Listing". The Broadcast Archive. Retrieved November 20, 2018..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "WRGA history cards" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ "WRGA Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
^ ab "WRGA Moves to 1470 kc, Increases Power to 5 kw" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 24, 1948. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
^ "Rome". The Georgia Radio Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
External links
- Official website
- Query the FCC's AM station database for WRGA
- Radio-Locator Information on WRGA
- Query Nielsen Audio's AM station database for WRGA
