WMDG (1260 AM; "Fox FM") 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

classic hits Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...

format Format may refer to: Printing and visual media * Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements * Paper formats, or paper size standards * Newspaper format, the size of the paper page Computing * File format, particular way that informatio ...

Licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

East Point, Georgia East Point is a suburban city located southwest of Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,358. The city name ...

, the station serves the

Atlanta metropolitan area Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Alpharetta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ...

. The station is owned by Christopher Murray’s Georgia Radio Alliance, LLC. As of August 30, 2022, WMDG is now a part of the classic hits formatted "Fox FM" branded stations across Georgia. "Fox FM" is programmed by former WSTR "Star 94" midday host Kevin Steele; Steele also hosts mornings on "Fox FM." Aside from Steele, other local personalities on the station include Jeremy "Hawk" Hawkins, who hosts afternoons on "Fox FM," (Hawkins also serves as Fox FM's voice-over talent) and former

WKHX WKHX-FM (101.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Marietta, Georgia, featuring a country music format known as "New Country 101.Five". Owned by Cumulus Media, the station serves the Atlanta metropolitan area. WKHX-FM's studios are lo ...

night jock TJ Kelley who hosts the Totally 80's Friday Night show. Syndicated programming on Fox FM includes Daily Dees hosted by Rick Dees in middays and Scott Shannon Presents America's Greatest Hits on weekends. WMDG, as well as translators W271CV at 102.1 and W261DL at 100.1 are the main stations in the Atlanta Fox network of stations owned by Georgia Radio Alliance. Simulcasters of WMDG include WFDR 1370 AM along with an FM translator at 97.3 in

Manchester, Georgia Manchester is a town in Meriwether County, Georgia, Meriwether and Talbot County, Georgia, Talbot Counties in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, although primarily in Meriwether. The population was 4,230 at the 2010 census. CSX Trans ...

, and WBAF 1090 AM along with an FM translator at 104.9 in

Barnesville, Georgia Barnesville is a city in Lamar County, Georgia, Lamar County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,755, up from 5,972 at the 2000 census. The city is the cou ...

. A localized Fox network also exists in

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

with WFXM-HD3/W234CQ 94.7 being the main station of that network. Macon's Fox is also simulcasted in

Warner Robins Warner Robins (typically ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located in Houston and Peach counties in the central part of the state. It is currently Georgia's eleventh-largest incorporated city, with an estimated population of 80,308 in th ...

WBML WBML (1350 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station licensed to Warner Robins, Georgia and serves the Macon, Georgia area. Broadcasting a classic hits radio format, format branded as "Fox FM", the station can also be heard on two FM translators in ...

1350/95.5 W238CG. Macon's Fox programming and music is identical to Atlanta aside from stopsets and imaging.

History

AM 1260 East Point

A station first

signed on Signing may refer to: * Using sign language * Signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...

in 1949 in East Point as 1260

WTJH WTJH was an AM broadcasting station licensed to the city of East Point, Georgia, United States, broadcasting on the frequency of 1260 kHz with 5,000 Watts of power during daytime hours, and only 39 Watts of power during nighttime hours with a no ...

. It was a

daytimer A clear-channel station is an AM radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. The system exists to ensure the viability of cross-coun ...

, powered at 1,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

s and required to go off the air at sunset to protect existing stations already on

AM 1260 The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1260 kHz: There are 55 stations in the United States which broadcast on 1260 AM; the Federal Communications Commission classifies 1260 AM as a regional frequency. Argentina * LT14 Gral ...

. It was owned by James and Doris Rivers, with James serving as the company president. By 1970, its daytime-only power output had been boosted to 5,000

s. By 2000, it was owned by Wilkes Broadcasting and aired a

Christian talk and teaching Christian radio is a Christian media radio format that focus on programming with a Christian message. Many such broadcasters play contemporary Christian music, though many programs include sermons, radio dramas, as well as news and talk programm ...

format.

AM 1270 Cartersville

Another station, this one on

AM 1270 The following radio broadcasting, radio stations broadcast on AM broadcasting, AM frequency 1270 kHz: 1270 AM is a list of broadcast station classes, Regional broadcast frequency. In Argentina * LRA20 in Las Lomitas * LS11 Provincia in La Pla ...

Cartersville, Georgia Cartersville is a city in Bartow County, Georgia, United States; it is located within the northwest edge of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 23,187. Cartersville is the county seat of Bartow Coun ...

, signed on the air on September 21, 1961. WKRW was also a daytimer, powered at 500 watts and owned by the Bartow County Broadcasting Company. It later changed its

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

to WYXC. On December 7, 2009, WYXC experienced a "catastrophic equipment failure" involving the station's automation system. After evaluating the costs of repairing or replacing the equipment, the station's owners decided to close down the station, as they could not afford the cost of repairs.

Major Damage

On December 21, 2012, WYXC went under new ownership with John and Brandi Underwood along with partner Greg Detscher, forming the NewsTalk Corporation. In June 2014, NewsTalk Corp. defaulted on the lease with Clarion Communications. Intruders vandalized the station causing major damage. Clarion Communications took over operation of the station, and spent many hours in engineering expenses getting the damage repaired. The station returned to the air under the "Fox News & Sports" logo. Effective June 3, 2016, Clarion Communications sold WYXC to Anthony D. St. Cyr for $1. Michael and Dara Glinter’s Northwest Georgia Broadcasting filed an $180,000 deal to buy WYXC from Anthony St. Cyr. Northwest Georgia Broadcasting doesn’t own any other stations.

Pensacola Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ci ...

-based Michael and Dara Glinter previously attempted to buy the now-defunct WTJH 1260 in the Atlanta metro but 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) deleted the station’s license after it remained off the air for too long. Meanwhile, WYXC remained off the air pending its sale and relocation. The purchase by Northwest Georgia Broadcasting was consummated on December 1, 2016. On May 2, 2017, the station changed its call sign to WMDG.

Restoring the Station

Effective October 3, 2018, WMDG was issued a

construction permit Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building perm ...

by the FCC to move its

city of license In American, Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator. In North American broa ...

from Cartersville to East Point, to move from 1270 AM to 1260 AM, and to both increase its daytime power and decrease its nighttime power. The new station would replace WTJH, the defunct station that had broadcast from East Point on AM 1260. The station is once again on the air featuring a Christian format; much of its programming is relayed from

KGMS KGMS (940 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Christian talk format, licensed to Tucson, Arizona, United States. The station is currently owned by Robert and Luann Wilkins, through licensee Tucson Christian Radio, Inc. The station operates wit ...

in Tucson, Arizona. In 2022, Christopher Murray's Georgia Radio Alliance acquired WMDG from Northwest Georgia Broadcasting.

References

External links

{{News/Talk Radio Stations in Georgia

MDG The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 that had been established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millenniu ...

Radio stations established in 1961 1961 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) News and talk radio stations in the United States East Point, Georgia