| Broadcast area | Charlotte metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1150kHz |
| Branding | The Light FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Contemporary Christian music (WMITsimulcast) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WMIT,WFGW,WSMX | |
| History | |
First air date | May 2, 1948 (77 years ago) (1948-05-02) |
Former call signs | WTYC (1948–1989) WXLF (1989–1990) WYRS (1990–1992) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 72330 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 5,000watts day 59 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 34°56′55.00″N80°59′58.00″W / 34.9486111°N 80.9994444°W /34.9486111; -80.9994444 |
| Translators | 101.5 W268DM (Rock Hill) 104.3MHz W282BP (Charlotte, North Carolina) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | 1069thelight |
WAVO (1150AM) is anon-profitradio stationlicensed toRock Hill, South Carolina, and serving theCharlotte metropolitan area. Programming issimulcast from 106.9WMITBlack Mountain, North Carolina, a listener-supported ministry of theBilly Graham Evangelistic Association. WAVO and WMIT air a mix ofContemporary Christian music with someChristian talk and teaching programs, including national religious leadersJim Daly,John MacArthur,David Jeremiah,Chuck Swindoll andCharles Stanley.[2] WMIT'sradio studios and offices are on Porters Cove Road inAsheville.
By day, WAVO is powered at 5,000watts, using anon-directional antenna.[3] But to avoid interfering with other stations on1150 AM, it greatly reduces power at night to 59 watts. WAVO is also heard onFM translator 101.5W268DM.[4]
On May 2, 1948, the station firstsigned on asWTYC. It broadcast on 1150kilocycles with 1,000 watts as adaytimer, required to go off the air at night. The station's owners were O. Frank Thornton, W.G. Reid and W.E. Williams.[5] Thornton sold his interest in the station after his election as South Carolina Secretary of State in January 1950.[6] Reid sold the station to T. Lamar Simmons in 1953.[7]
Jonas Bridges, owner ofWKMT inKings Mountain, North Carolina, was part of a group that purchased the station in 1958.[8] He owned WTYC when it was acountry music station. In April 1989, Bridges bought out his partners and formed a new ownership group which included his son Rob. The station changed itscall sign toWXLF and adopted aContemporary Christian format. Ken Mayfield, a Charlotte-area general manager known for his success with the start up of WNOW (later, he managed WRCM), was brought in. The station went by name "Life 1150."[9] Bridges sold the station to Parkway Communications in 1990, and the call letters were changed toWYRS.[10][11]
WYRS wentdark in early 1992. George H. Buck Jr, the owner ofChristianWHVN, bought it from Parkway Communications effective April 6, 1992. The plan was for WYRS to simulcast WHVN.[12] The call letters were changed toWAVO in June 1992.[11] WAVO began airing the same programming as WHVN.[13]
For a brief time in 1997, WAVO aired the same programming as talk stationWTLT.[14]
On July 10, 2008, at 11:50 AM, WAVO ended its simulcast of WHVN to begin playing music byadult standards artists such asFrank Sinatra,Nat King Cole,Barbra Streisand, andNeil Diamond which had once been heard onWNMX, also operated by the same company as WAVO. The specialty showBig Band Jump aired each week.[15] Until the format was cancelled in September 2008, WAVO featured programming fromJones Radio Networks[citation needed].
Starting in December 2008, WAVO's music was also heard onWEGO,[16] allowing expansion of the station's daytime coverage area.
Morning host Ken Conrad moved from WOLS when it switched to Spanish, and he added an afternoon show. Several months later he was dropped after more than 10 years at WNMX, WOLS and WAVO/WEGO.Morning in America withBill Bennett replaced him in the morning. WAVO and WEGO also addedSRN News.[17]
Early in 2010, WAVO/WTIX added twosports talk programs. Bryce Johnson began hosting "Sports Yapp" at 9 AM weekdays in February.[18] On April 5, the show began airing an hour earlier.[19] In September, the show moved toWZGV, where it joined the afternoon schedule.[20] Also, on April 3, 2010, Chris Pardo, who moved toYork County, South Carolina in 2008, began hosting "New York Sports Talk", two hours long starting at noon on both Saturday and Sunday. Pardo, the nephew of announcerDon Pardo, said thatWFNZ rarely offered news about New York sports. He found that others from New York wished there was more coverage of their teams. Pardo publicized the show on web sites and by handing out information to people wearing team apparel.[19] On October 2, 2011, this show moved to WZGV.[21] Two years later the show moved back to WAVO.[22] In 2014, the show moved from Sunday morning to Saturday afternoon.[23]
On July 4, 2010, WAVO/WTIX added "Crank and Case", anautomobile advice program similar toCar Talk, hosted bymechanics Chuck Sperry and Stick Case Roneis.[24]
On March 4, 2012, after several months off the air while a new tower was built, WTIX returned to the air with separate programming.[25]
In January 2014, "Eat, Drink and Be Merry", hosted by Joe Cutrone, began airing on Saturdays at noon.[23]
In Summer 2014, WAVO was asking listeners for donations to keep the standards format, since advertising was hard to sell on a station targeting listeners over 55. Without $15,000 to pay formusic royalties, WAVO told listeners it might return to aWHVN simulcast or try something else.[26] By the end of August, the station met its goal.[27]
WAVO carried newscasts at the start of each hour fromSalem Radio Network.
Although WAVO had a faithful listening audience, the station was unable to garner advertisers to support the format. In October 2018, WAVO returned to aWHVN simulcast. Even so, the station continued to air "The Sounds of Sinatra" with Sid Mark on Sundays from 2-4PM and "Jazzology" with George Buck from 4-5PM. Buck owned WAVO until his death in 2013.
WHVN signed off March 31, 2020.[28] The majority of WHVN's programming will air on WAVO.[29] Some of the local programs from WCGC moved over to WAVO in 2019. These include "Daily Bread" and "Shining Light Baptist Church" on weekdays and "Power of Prayer", "The Bible Hour" and "Simply The Word" on weekends.
On May 4, 2020, WHVN, Inc., filed an application with the FCC to assign the license for WAVO to Blue Ridge Broadcasting Corporation, the subsidiary of the Billy Graham Ministry that is the licensee forWMIT. The transfer was completed on July 15.[30][31] Blue Ridge Broadcasting also bought translators W282BP in Charlotte and W268DM in Rock Hill.[citation needed] On July 15, 2020, WAVO began broadcasting WMIT. The addition of WAVO significantly improved WMIT's reach in Charlotte. The main WMIT signal has long had a significant listener base in the Charlotte area, particularly the western portion, to the point of including Charlotte in its legal IDs.