WBFJ 1550 AM is a

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

broadcasting a Christian teaching and talk format. Licensed in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

, United States, it serves the Piedmont Triad area and is currently owned by Triad Family Network, Inc.

History

The station began broadcasting in 1960 from a transmitter and studios on Northwest Blvd. in Winston-Salem with the call letters WPEG (based on the name of then-owner Nick Reisenweaver's wife, Peggy). The theme song was "Peg O' My Heart". The station broadcast a

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

and light classical format, mostly instrumental with "lush strings and a lot of

show tunes A show tune is a song originally written as part of the score of a work of musical theatre or musical film, especially if the piece in question has become a standard, more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context. Th ...

". WPEG became the area's first

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

station in 1963, also playing

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

. A plan to move to 1560 AM and increase to 10,000 watts was never carried out. In October 1966, Suburban Radio Group of

Belmont, North Carolina Belmont is a small suburban city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, located about west of uptown Charlotte and east of Gastonia. The population was 10,076 at the 2010 census. Once known as Garibaldi Station, it was named for th ...

, bought WPEG and changed its call letters to WFCM. After its 1971 sale to Rev. Robert A. Mayer, Pastor D.W. Long of

Thomasville, North Carolina Thomasville is a city in Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 27,183 at the 2020 census. The city was once notable for its furniture industry, as were its neighbors High Point and Lexington. This Piedmont Triad comm ...

, became manager and WFCM switched to

Southern Gospel Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States. Its lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as ...

and

preaching A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...

. The station was previously owned by Forsyth Broadcasting and Quality Media. In 1979, after its sale to Word of Life Broadcasting, Inc., the station changed its callsign to WBFJ, moved its studios to Trenwest Drive in Winston-Salem, and began playing a mix of

Contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...

(CCM) and evangelical Christian and Charismatic teaching & talk. In the early 1990s, WBFJ moved its studios to the current location on North Trade Street in Winston-Salem and began broadcasting in AM stereo, while retaining the same format. In September 1994, sister station

WBFJ-FM WBFJ-FM (89.3 MHz/Channel 207) is an FM radio station licensed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, m ...

, 89.3 Winston-Salem, signed on the air with a mostly-music CCM format; the AM station expanded its Christian teaching-and-talk lineup, dropping most of its music blocks but retaining its stereo signal. WBFJ 1550 reverted to AM mono broadcasting in March 2010. Around 2016, WBFJ aired

Dave Ramsey David Lawrence Ramsey III (born September 3, 1960) is an American personal finance personality, radio show host, author, and businessman. An evangelical Christian, he hosts the nationally syndicated radio program ''The Ramsey Show''. Ramsey has ...

's financial advice show., but the show is no longer heard on the station. Effective November 23, 2016, Word of Life Broadcasting was dissolved and WBFJ was acquired by Triad Family Network, Inc., which also owns WBFJ-FM.

References

External links

Official website

FCC History Cards for WBFJ
BFJ Moody Radio affiliate stations Radio stations established in 1960 BFJ BFJ {{NorthCarolina-radio-station-stub