WTDR (1350 AM) is an American

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 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 ...

to serve Gadsden, Alabama, United States. The station was established in 1947, and the

broadcast license A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which vary f ...

is held by Rainbow Media Group LLC, owned by Jeff Beck. The FCC-approved sale was completed October 24, 201

Programming

WGAD changed to a news radio, news/

talk Talk may refer to: Communication * Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people * Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people * Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...

format on October 10, 2011. The "Gadsden's Gold" oldies format the station broadcast for many years was dropped, making it the second AM station in Gadsden to air news and talk programming. The new operators kept the 80's music and is featuring Big 80's & More weekends on Saturday and Sunday. In October 2012, the format again changed to simulcast country music from WTDR-FM, a sister station.

History

This station was assigned the "WGAD" call letters by 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 jurisdicti ...

(FCC) when it first went on the air in 1947. WGAD signed on with 1,000 watts day non-directional, and 1,000 watts at night with a two tower directional signal, towers located west of Gadsden proper in

Attalla, Alabama Attalla is a city in Etowah County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,048. History The town occupies the site of an Indian village which was of considerable importance during the Creek War. It was in Attall ...

. In 1949, Valley Broadcasting requested transfer of the license to General Newspapers for a reported price of $40,000. In 1954, Coos Broadcasting Company, headed by Dick Biddle, acquired WGAD for a reported $40,000 In 1957, WGAD was sold to a group of broadcasters consisting of Ed Z. Carrel - who also served as General Manager, Lavelle Jackson, and Congressman Albert Rains. The station's daytime power was raised to 5,000 watts. WGAD was Gadsden's only full-time station until 1960. The station was also the one of first to jump on the pop music bandwagon in the late 1950s, when it began broadcasting

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

music with ABC news and special programs. In 1961, WAVU announcer Bill Hagler accepted the job as program director of WGAD. In 1963, WGAD news reporter Charlie Hicks reported that an anonymous caller stated that civil rights activist William Lewis Moore was walking down the highway, and something newsworthy was about to happen. His body was located along the highway, shot in the head at close range. In 1985, WGAD switched to a news radio, news/

talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featu ...

format. In 2001, the station began broadcasting a satellite-fed

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as ...

music format. Gerald Dilts purchased WGAD in 2002 then sold it to Dave Hedrick and the DR Radio Group in 2004. In 2007 the station was sold to Coosa River Communications, owner of

Rainbow City, Alabama Rainbow City is a city in Etowah County, Alabama, United States. It incorporated in 1950. The population was 9,602 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area. History This city was named after U.S. Highway 411 ...

-based WJBY (930 AM), who effected a format and

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 assign ...

swap with its new sister station. On October 4, 2007, the WGAD call sign was moved from 1350 AM to 930 AM while sister station WJBY in

, had its call sign moved from 930 AM to 1350 AM. On October 5, 2010, a judgment by consent was reached between plaintiff Gadsden Broadcasting, Inc., and defendants Coosa River Communications, Inc., and its owners in settlement of claims over outstanding debts. The defendants agreed to turn over station property of AM 930 (WJBY) to the plaintiff, cease broadcasting, and file an application to return control of the station's broadcast license to the plaintiffs. On October 10, 2010, WJBY's broadcast signal went

dark Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of illumination, an absence of visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black or brown. Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low lu ...

, and WGAD was again back on AM-1350. In its application for special temporary authority to remain off the air, the station noted that its equipment had been repossessed. On October 20, 2010, an application was filed with the FCC to transfer the license for WGAD from Coosa River Communications to Gadsden Broadcasting Company, Inc. The application notes that this in settlement of a debt of just over $160,000. In October 2010, the stations began the process to regain their original (prior to 2007) call letters. This station regained the "WGAD" call sign on January 19, 2011. Gadsden Radio Media Inc., owned by Jeff Beck, began operating the station in June 2011 under a local marketing agreement while negotiations for the purchase of the station from The DR Group LLC were underway. The FCC approved the sale on August 22, 2011, and the transaction was consummated on October 24, 2011. Jeff Beck is sole owner of both Gadsden Radio Media Inc, and Rainbow City Media LLC, according to the application to transfer the license.

References

External links

Official website
{{Country Radio Stations in Alabama TDR (AM) Country radio stations in the United States Etowah County, Alabama Radio stations established in 1947 1947 establishments in Alabama