WGDN (1350 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 radi ...
licensed to
Gladwin, Michigan
Gladwin is a city in Gladwin County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,933 at the 2010 census. Gladwin is the county seat of Gladwin County.
The city is at the southwest corner of Gladwin Township, but the two are administered ...
broadcasting a
religious
Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatur ...
format. It is a
daytime only station broadcasting on a frequency of
1350 kHz at a power output of 250 watts, non-directional.
History
Beginnings
WGDN's construction permit was issued on November 28, 1973, to Gladwin Broadcasting Company, headed by George Benko, a resident of Croswell, in Michigan's Thumb Area. Benko today owns Sanilac Broadcasting, licensee of
WMIC
WMIC (660 AM) is a full service radio station licensed to Sandusky, Michigan at 660 kHz on the AM dial, with an power output of 1,000 watts. WMIC covers Sanilac County, Michigan and The Thumb area of Michigan. The station is owned by Sanil ...
,
WTGV
WTGV-FM (97.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits/oldies format, serving Sandusky and the Thumb and Blue Water area of Michigan. WTGV is owned and operated by Sanilac Broadcasting.
History
The station began broadcasting in 1971 ...
, and
WBGV
WBGV (92.5 FM, "Country 92.5") is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Marlette, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1999. It serves the central area of Michigan's Thumb, and parts of the Blue Water Area. It can ...
.
The station made its debut on December 7, 1974 as WJEB, broadcasting a country music format. The station did broadcast on its current frequency, but did so using a two-tower directional antenna system, allowing it to operate with an output power of 1,000 watts, but still daytime only. The station's studios, offices and transmitter facility were located at 3601 West Woods Road in Gladwin, and remain there today.
On December 10, 1974, shortly after its initial sign-on, the FCC granted WGDN pre-sunrise authorization to operate at 350 watts two hours before local sunrise, allowing it to sign-on at 6am year-round, rather than local sunrise time.
In 1977, Gladwin Broadcasting Company was granted a construction permit for an FM station. That station,
WGMM, went on the air February 7, 1979 with an easy-listening format.
Sale to Apple Broadcasting
In December 1986, Gladwin Broadcasting Company agreed to sell WGDN and WGMM to Apple Broadcasting Company, for $75,000. The company was headed by Michael Baker, who also served as station general manager, sales manager, and chief engineer. Concurrent with the ownership change, approved the following March, was a call letter change for both stations to its current incarnation. The format offerings for both stations remained relatively unchanged.
This changed in 1989, when the owner principals of Apple Broadcasting Company changed. Timothy Coston became company president, and Steve Coston assumed the position of general manager. The Costons are brothers. In 1991, both radio stations were programming an easy listening format, though still separate entities.
In 1993, WGDN changed its format to adult contemporary, while WGDN-FM maintained its easy listening format. The latter also received an increase to its current power level that year.
In 2001, WGDN adopted a religious format, which continues today. Concurrent with this format flip was WGDN-FM's move to
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, ...
, both formats continue today.
In 2011, Timothy Coston sold his shares in Apple Broadcasting to Steve Coston and another shareholder, Ralph Haines III, giving his brother controlling interest in the station (51%).
References
Michiguide.com - WGDN HistoryFCC History Cards - WGDNBroadcasting and Cable Yearbook - 1974Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook - 1988Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook - 1989Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook - 1992Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook - 1994Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook - 1998Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook - 2001Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook - 2005
External links
{{coord, 43, 57, 03, N, 84, 30, 34, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
GDN (AM)
Radio stations established in 1974
GDN
1974 establishments in Michigan