WTCF is a Contemporary Christian formatted

broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...

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 ...

licensed to

Wardensville, West Virginia Wardensville is a town in Hardy County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 265 at the 2020 census. Originally named Trout Run, Wardensville was chartered in Virginia in 1832 and incorporated in West Virginia in 1879. Wardensville is ...

, serving the Northern

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and the Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. WTCF is owned and operated by

Educational Media Foundation Educational Media Foundation (formerly EMF Broadcasting, abbreviated EMF) is an American nonprofit Christian media ministry based in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. EMF is the parent company of K-LOVE and Air1—the world's largest ...

Pre-broadcast history

On May 23, 2011, 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) announced Alex Media, Inc. as high bidder and winner of the auction for the 103.3 FM frequency to be located in Wardensville, West Virginia, part of Auction 91. Alex Media filed 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 ...

on August 17, 2011, for a radio station to broadcast on that frequency and transmit from

Little North Mountain Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

in western Frederick County, Virginia. A potential problem between the new station and existing station WLTK, which was also broadcasting on 103.3, was corrected after Alex Media asked the FCC to file a "Show Cause" notice asking WLTK to move to vacant frequency 102.9 FM. On November 7, 2011, WLTK filed to move from 103.3 FM to 102.9 FM, allowing Alex Media to begin broadcasting on 103.3 FM without interference. On June 15, 2012, the owners of WLTK applied for and were granted a new broadcast license moving it from 103.3 to 102.9, but from the same location and tower, at the same power and over the same coverage area as previously. On June 19, 2012, WLTK officially switched frequencies from 103.3 to 102.9 MHz. The

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 ...

WTCF was awarded on March 19, 2012, and on June 21, 2012, it was announced on "The Cross FM", a web-only radio station broadcasting from WTRM's studios in

Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...

, that it would launch on WTCF in "45 to 60 days". On June 25, 2012, Alex Media entered into an Option Agreement to sell WTCF to WTRM owners Timber Ridge Ministries, Inc. for $650,000. A time brokerage agreement was also entered on the same date. On the same day, Alex Media applied for a construction permit to move to another tower, from the authorized tower, with an increase in power, from 340 watts to 350 watts. One day later on July 26, 2012, the station announced via their official Facebook page, that they would be launching on September 4, 2012, but will be in "testing mode" during the month of August. At 10:00am, on August 15, 2012, WTCF began operations in "testing mode". On August 28, 2012, Alex Media filed an "Application for Construction Permit for Commercial Broadcast Station" for WTCF in advance of the station's September 4 launch. It would not be until one month later, on September 28, that WTCF would apply for and be granted an FM broadcast license. WTCF ended their "testing mode" programming and officially launched on September 4, 2012 at 9:00 am.

Sale of WTRM

On February 6, 2013, Timber Ridge Ministries sold then-sister station WTRM to the

American Family Association The American Family Association (AFA) is a Christian fundamentalist 501(c)(3) organization based in the United States.

for $1.1 million. The sale was approved by the

(FCC) on March 28, 2013 and was closed on April 11, 2013. At 8:30 pm on April 11, 2013, WTRM officially switched to

American Family Radio American Family Radio (AFR) is a network of more than 180 radio stations broadcasting Christian Conservative Christianity, Christian-oriented programming to over 30 states. WTCF was not part of the sale and programming on WTCF was not affected.

Sale of WTCF

Alex Media, Inc. filed an Asset Purchase Agreement with the

(FCC) on July 5, 2013, beginning the process of selling WTCF to Timber Ridge Ministries for $650,000. Alex Media had previously entered into an Option Agreement to sell WTCF to Timber Ridge Ministries for $650,000 back on June 25, 2012. An application to assign the WTCF license to Timber Ridge Ministries was filed on August 26, 2013, and was consummated on September 1, 2013.

Format Flip

WTCF signed off its hybrid Contemporary Christian/

Christian Rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

Christian Hip Hop Christian hip hop (originally gospel rap, also known as Christian rap, gospel hip hop or holy hip hop) is a subgenre of contemporary Christian music and hip hop music. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United S ...

after just 18 months on the air, switching 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 ...

as "Southern Light" at 12Noon on March 27, 2014. The "Southern Light" format was previously heard on former sister-station WTRM.

Sold Again

On May 19, 2014,

(EMF) purchased WTCF, from owner Timber Ridge Ministries, for $425,000. Timber Ridge sold the station for $175,000 less than what they purchased it for in 2013. In its filing with the FCC, EMF announced plans to make WTCF an affiliate of their K-LOVE network. The FCC granted the sale of WTCF on July 2, 2014. Timber Ridge closed on a sale of nearby station,

WVRS WVRS is a Southern Gospel formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Gore, Virginia, serving Western Frederick County, Virginia and Eastern Hampshire County, West Virginia. WVRS is owned and operated by Point FM Ministries, Inc. History an ...

, on July 3, 2014. Four days later, the station began simulcasting its

format on WVRS. At 12:00am on August 1, the simulcast of WVRS and WTCF ended. The Southern Gospel format remained on WVRS, with K-LOVE programming beginning on WTCF. The sale of WTCF to EMF was closed on September 2, 2014.

References

External links

K-LOVE Online
* {{K-LOVE 2012 establishments in West Virginia Contemporary Christian radio stations in the United States K-Love radio stations Radio stations established in 2012 Educational Media Foundation radio stations TCF