WTHB (1550 AM) and WTHB-FM (96.9 FM), are

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

radio stations Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio signal, 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-b ...

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...

ing an

urban gospel Urban/contemporary gospel is a modern subgenre of gospel music. Although the style developed gradually, early forms are generally dated to the 1970s, and the genre was well established by the end of the 1980s. The radio format is pitched prima ...

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 ...

, serving the Augusta metropolitan area and owned by

Perry Publishing and Broadcasting Perry Publishing and Broadcasting is a print media, local cable television show producer and radio broadcasting group based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, targeting the local African American community. Russell M. Perry is the owner and president of t ...

. The FM station is

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 ...

Wrens, Georgia Wrens is a city in Jefferson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,187 at the 2010 census. It is located on U.S. Route 1, thirty miles south of Augusta. History Wrens was laid out in 1884 when the railroad was extended to that poi ...

, and the AM station is licensed to

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

. The

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

s and the AM

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...

are co-located on Broadcast Drive at Radio Station Road in

North Augusta, South Carolina North Augusta is a city in Aiken and Edgefield counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina, on the north bank of the Savannah River. The population was 21,348 at the 2010 census. The city is included in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) ...

. Both stations carry the nationally syndicated morning gospel show hosted by

Erica Campbell Erica Monique Campbell (''née'', Atkins; born April 29, 1972) is an American urban contemporary gospel, Christian R&B and contemporary R&B singer and songwriter. She started her music career in 1998 with her younger sister, Tina Campbell, as p ...

and an afternoon

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 featur ...

show hosted by

Al Sharpton Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights activist, Baptist minister, talk show host and politician. Sharpton is the founder of the National Action Network. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic ...

. WTHB-FM has an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...

(ERP) of 6,200

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. Its

off

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

at County Road 32 in

Matthews, Georgia Matthews is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 146 as of the 2020 census. Georgia State Route 88 State Route 88 (SR 88) is a state highway that trav ...

. By day, WTHB (AM) is powered at 5,000 watts. But

AM 1550 AM or Am may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * A minor, a minor scale in music * ''A.M.'' (Chris Young album) * ''A.M.'' (Wilco album) * ''AM'' (Abraham Mateo album) * ''AM'' (Arctic Monkeys album) * AM (musician), American musici ...

is a clear channel frequency reserved for

CBEF CBEF (1550 AM) is a non-commercial radio station in Windsor, Ontario. It airs the programming of Radio-Canada's Première network. CBEF is a Class A station broadcasting on the clear-channel frequency of 1550 AM, and is the only full power sta ...

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. So at night, WTHB (AM) greatly drops its power to 11 watts to avoid interference. It uses a

non-directional antenna In radio communication, an omnidirectional antenna is a class of antenna (electronics), antenna which radiates equal radio power in all directions perpendicular to an axis (mathematics), axis (azimuthal directions), with power varying with angle ...

.Radio-Locator.com/WTHB-AM
/ref>

History

96.9

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 ...

as WYFA in 1988 as an outlet for the

Bible Broadcasting Network The Bible Broadcasting Network (BBN) is a listener-supported global Conservative Christian radio network staffed and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was founded in 1971 by Lowell Davey, who was the network's president until his de ...

. It was sold, becoming WAEW in 1993 and WAEJ in 1994 (The latter as a simulcast of UC formatted

WAEG WAEG (92.3 FM) is a commercial smooth jazz radio station in Evans, Georgia, broadcasting to the Augusta, Georgia area. The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 6 ...

as "The New 92.3 and 100.9 The Beat"). Radio One acquired the station(s) in 2001 and flipped to a mostly-automated CHR format while still using "The Beat" branding. By 2002, the simulcast with 92.3 was dropped and 100.9 switched to Urban Gospel under the WTHB call sign. In August 2007, Radio One sold its Augusta stations (including WTHB) to Perry Broadcasting. On January 11, 2008, the station switched frequencies with sister

WAKB WAKB (100.9 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Hephzibah, Georgia, and serving the Augusta metropolitan area. It is owned by Perry Broadcasting and broadcasts an urban adult contemporary radio format. The radio studios and offic ...

and moved to 96.9 FM, a weaker signal. To boost its coverage, it simulcasts with WTHB 1550 AM. WTHB 1550 AM originally signed on the air in May 1960. For nearly all its history, it has broadcast to Augusta's

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

community.

References

External links

PRAISE 96.9
— official website * {{coord, 33, 30, 00, N, 81, 56, 03, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title Radio stations established in 1988 Gospel radio stations in the United States THB

History

See also

References

External links