 | |
| Broadcast area | Atlanta |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1290kHz |
| Branding | La Mega 96.5 y 105.1 |
| Programming | |
| Languages | Spanish |
| Format | Latin pop |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Davis Broadcasting of Atlanta, L.L.C. |
| WWWE,WLKQ-FM,WNSY,WJZA | |
| History | |
First air date | April 11,1957 |
Call sign meaning | Cherokee County |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 10694 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 10,000 watts day 500 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 34°15′8″N84°27′49″W / 34.25222°N 84.46361°W /34.25222; -84.46361 |
| Translator(s) | 96.5 W243CE (Winder, viaWSRV-HD4) 105.1 W286DU (Canton) |
| Repeater(s) | 1310 WWWE (Decarur) 97.1 WSRV-HD4 (Gainesville) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | lamega965atl.com |
WCHK (1290kHz) is acommercialAMradio station broadcasting aSpanish-languageLatin popradio format, known as "La Mega."Licensed toCanton, Georgia, it servesMetro Atlanta. Thecall sign stands forCherokee, the county of which Canton is theseat of government, largest city, andgeographic center. The station is currently owned by Davis Broadcasting of Atlanta, L.L.C.
By day, WCHK is powered at 10,000watts, using anon-directional antenna. But at night, to protect other stations on1290 AM, it switches to adirectional antenna and greatly reduces power to 500 watts. Thetransmitter is on Keith Drive, nearInterstate 575 and Hickory Log Creek in Canton.[2] WCHK is also heard on twoFM translator stations: 96.5W243CE inWinder and 105.1 W286DU in Canton.
WCHK first went on the air on April 11, 1957, under the ownership of Cherokee Broadcasting (headed by Chuck McClure, owner of Columbus-based McClure Broadcasting). Its programming involvedcountry andsouthern gospel music, with local production. Among the personalities were station manager Byron Dobbs (retired in 1997), Mike McDougal, and Jim Axel (who moved toWAGA-TV).
Because WCHK was on theAM band with a daytime-only operation, it was required to sign-off by sunset, allowing clear-channel stations to take over the airwaves. Therefore, on August 1, 1964. WCHK launched a simulcast on 105.5MHz, asWCHK-FM. This allowed the station to extend programming on theFM band by midnight.[3]
In 1991, WCHK-FM receivedFCC approval to upgrade to aclass C2 license. It relocated its transmitter toBear Mountain, providing greater coverage in northAtlanta. At the same time, the station switched its frequency to 105.7 MHz. Another station fromCarrollton, WMAX-FM, later occupied the 105.5 MHz frequency in 1994. (In 2002, WMAX moved to 105.3 MHz; it is nowWRDG.)
The station was renamed "North Metro's K-105", then "Country 105.7", and finally as "Atlanta's Classic Country 105.7". WCHK-FM was bought by Clear Channel Communications (nowiHeartMedia) in 1993, under a local marketing agreement, simulcasting news/talk station WGST as WGST-FM. (The station is nowWBZY.)
In 1998, WCHK launched another simulcast on 100.1 MHz, licensed toTalking Rock, Georgia, under theWCHK-FM callsign. In 1999, WCHK-FM was renamedWNSY, launching an oldies format asSunny 100. The new station operated from the facilities of WCHK (with personalities Michael Searcy and Scott Evans).
In the early 2000s, WCHK abandoned its country/gospel format in favor of news/talk. Shows included Ludlow Porch,Dave Ramsey, and local-based Paul Carden.[4] The station also aired a simulcast of the 6PM news fromWSB-TV. On July 18, 2004, Chuck McClure, owner of WCHK, died of natural causes.[5]
On November 14, 2006, Davis Broadcasting, owners ofWLKQ-FM 102.3 inBuford, made the purchase of both WCHK and sister station WNSY-FM, being completed in January 2007.[6] Afterwards, both stations went off the air on January 22, 2007. WNSY returned to the airwaves on February 1, 2007 as a simulcast of WLKQ-FM (La Raza 102.3), broadcasting aRegional Mexican format. WCHK came back a year later, simulcasting WLKQ.
In 2013, WCHK switched from Mexican music to a simulcast ofW243CEWinder, airing aSpanish Tropical format asLa Mega 96.5. W243CE was also heard onWSRV-HD3. In 2015, W243CE and WSRV-HD3 broke from the simulcast, with WCHK maintaining the Tropical format.
On March 21, 2017, WCHK re-added W243CE as a simulcast and relaunched the Latin pop format asLa Nueva Mega 96.5/1290.[7] The relaunch is intended to serve the Hispanic communities ofNorth Fulton andGwinnett Counties.[8]
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W243CE | 96.5 FM | Winder, Georgia | 146804 | 250 | 392.2 m (1,287 ft) | D | 34°7′32.4″N83°51′31.6″W / 34.125667°N 83.858778°W /34.125667; -83.858778 | LMS |
| W286DU | 105.1 FM | Canton, Georgia | 203141 | 100 | 157 m (515 ft) | D | 34°09′14.0″N84°30′44.0″W / 34.153889°N 84.512222°W /34.153889; -84.512222 | LMS |
