WCIS (760 AM), "Western Carolina Inspiration Station," 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

Southern Gospel Music 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 w ...

format. Licensed to

Morganton, North Carolina Morganton is a city in and the county seat of Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 16,918 at the 2010 census. Morganton is approximately northwest of Charlotte. Morganton is one of the principal cities in the Hick ...

, United States, it serves the area. The station is currently owned by WFM Incorporated.

History

In December 1985, the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...

(FCC) granted a license to American Beacon Broadcasting, majority owned by Ernie Penley, Jr., station manager of

WPTL WPTL (920 AM) is a radio station broadcasting the Real Country music format from Westwood One Networks. WPTL is licensed to Canton, North Carolina Canton is the second largest town in Haywood County, North Carolina, United States. It is locate ...

Canton, North Carolina Canton is the second largest town in Haywood County, North Carolina, United States. It is located about west of Asheville and is part of that city's metropolitan area. The town is named after the city of Canton, Ohio. The population was 4,227 a ...

. Sherrill Greene of Glen Alpine was the other owner. The plan was to play

Contemporary Christian Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

music by such artists as

Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christia ...

and

Sandi Patti Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty (born July 12, 1956) is an American Christian music singer, known for her wide soprano vocal range and expressive flexibility. Biography Early life Patty was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, into a family of musician ...

, with a target audience of 25 to 45. WCIS did not sign on until March 1988, and the format changed to Southern Gospel in January 1989. Many listeners were over 50. On February 1, 2008, the station's building was destroyed by fire. John Whisnant, Jr., who had won the Southern Gospel DJ of the Year award three times, said he believed the fire was intentionally set to cover up a burglary. WCIS returned to the air on March 1 with automation and a backup transmitter, with plans to begin live broadcasts eventually. A new studio was planned on Highway 126.

WMIT WMIT (106.9 MHz, "106.9 The Light") is a non-profit FM radio station licensed to Black Mountain, North Carolina. WMIT is a listener-supported ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. It airs a mix of Contemporary Christian musi ...

sent its chief engineer to get the station running again, and station employees were helping with construction of the new studio.

References

External links

Southern Gospel radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1988 1988 establishments in North Carolina

CIS Cis or cis- may refer to: Places * Cis, Trentino, in Italy * In Poland: ** Cis, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, south-central ** Cis, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, north Math, science and biology * cis (mathematics) (cis(''θ'')), a trigonome ...

{{NorthCarolina-radio-station-stub