WGNZ (1110

kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that on ...

"Good News 1110") is a commercial AM

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

Fairborn, Ohio Fairborn is a city in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 34,620 at the 2020 census. Fairborn is a suburb of Dayton, and part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the only city in the world named Fairborn, a port ...

, with

radio studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...

s in

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

and its

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 ...

in Xenia (the original

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 ...

). It airs 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 ...

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

with Southern Gospel music. The owner is L & D Broadcasters, Inc. By day, WGNZ transmits with 5,000

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. Because

1110 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1110 kHz: 1110 AM is a U.S. clear-channel frequency as defined by the Federal Communications Commission. KFAB Omaha and WBT Charlotte share Class A status on this frequency. Argentina ...

is a clear channel frequency reserved for Class A WBT

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and KFAB

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

, WGNZ must reduce power to 1,700 watts during critical hours and to only 2 watts night. WGNZ is heard around the clock on FM translator W282CD at 104.3 MHz in Dayton.

History

WGNZ was founded in 1968 as 250-watt

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 ...

using 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 ...

WELX. It was owned by West Central Ohio Broadcasters Inc., and it was the AM

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

of WHBM (now

WZDA WZDA (103.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to Beavercreek, Ohio, serving the Dayton metro area, owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. As of December 27, 2021, it broadcasts country music on its standard anal ...

). The WELX call letters stood for: Ernie and Lowell, along with the city of Xenia. Ernie and Lowell were the sons of founders Harry and Ernestine Miller. The station was sold in 1979 to L&D Broadcasters Inc. and returned to the air in 1980 airing

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 ...

music in the morning and early evenings and

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 ...

in the afternoons. Rev. Norman Livingston of Dayton, a local independent church pastor who also promoted Southern Gospel Music concerts, began to work with WELX and became the afternoon co-host. He eventually moved into managing and promoting the station in 1981 when urban gospel music was dropped in favor of full-time southern gospel music. In 1984, the station switched the call sign from WELX to WMMX to stand for "Message Music Radio" or "Gospel Music's Best MIX." Eventually that call sign was replaced with WGNZ and its new slogan "Good News 1110". The released call sign "WMMX" was taken by 107.7 FM. As of November 1, 2008, the old tower site has been razed. In the Summer of 2008, WGNZ built a new state of the art transmitter and tower facility.

Programming

WGNZ is one of the last locally owned commercial stations in the Dayton, Ohio market. The station features National and Local pastors providing

programs. It is also the only radio station in the Miami Valley that is primarily Southern Gospel, but also features Bluegrass and Local Artists. WGNZ has streamed its programming on the internet since July 9, 1996. WGNZ was at that time the second Christian Radio Station in Ohio to stream on the internet. The WELX callsign is now used at an FM station in Isabella, Puerto Rico.

References

External links

Official WGNZ site (with streaming audio)

Website of Greenview Calvary TabernacleFCC History Cards for WGNZ
{{Dayton AM Fairborn, Ohio GNZ Radio stations established in 1968 Southern Gospel radio stations in the United States GNZ