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| Broadcast area | North Georgia |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1340kHz |
| Branding | "98.7 FM and 1340 AM WGAU" |
| Programming | |
| Format | News/talk |
| Affiliations | Fox News Radio NBC News Radio Premiere Networks Radio America |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WGMG,WPUP,WRFC,WNGC,WXKT | |
| History | |
First air date | May 1,1938 |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 11709 |
| Class | C |
| Power | 1,000watts unlimited |
| Translator | 98.7 W254CJ (Athens) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wgauradio.com |
WGAU (1340AM, "News-Talk 1340") is aradio station licensed to serveAthens, Georgia, United States, that broadcasts anews/talk format. The station is owned byCox Media Group. The transmitter is located at the studios (withWNGC) in Five Points.
WGAU began broadcasting on May 1, 1938. In 1948, WGAU putWGAU-FM on the air. It was purchased in 1956 by Clarke Broadcasting Company, owned by H. Randolph Holder and Tom Lloyd, two broadcasters who also owned WLAQ in Rome, Georgia, and WGRI in Griffin, Georgia. Holder was a popular Athens newsman whose morning and midday news commentaries had a wide following.
The station has played many different musical formats before switching to the current format of news and talk in the early 1990s. Over the years, it served as a launching pad for a number of successful broadcasters who worked at WGAU during their student days at the Henry Grady College of Journalism at the nearby University of Georgia: Harry Chapman, later with WTVF in Nashville, Tennessee, and Bruce Bartley, the lead newscaster of Atlanta's WSB Radio. Former WGAU news directorJohn Holliman went on to be a news reporter for CNN. He rose to prominence as one of CNN's "Boys of Baghdad" during the firstPersian Gulf War in 1991 and was one of only three journalists reporting fromBaghdad when allied bombing of the city began. He was later known for his coverage ofscience,technology, andspace exploration. In May 1999,NASA dedicated theLaunch Complex 39 Press Site auditorium at theKennedy Space Center in Holliman's name.
Country legendBill Anderson was a DJ on WGAU in the 1950s when he was 19, and was fired for playing country music. In an interview with Tim Bryant[1], Bill said H. Randolph Holder, owner of WGAU, offered him a job under the condition he would not play country music. One evening, Bill was running an Atlanta Crackers baseball game which became rained out. Instructions in the studio said if the game gets rained out, to switch to the CBS Radio Network. When Bill switched to the network, The "Louisiana Hay Ride" was on, and Johnny Horton's "Honky Tonk Man" was playing. Before the song was finished, Holder had called Bill to get the program off the air. Holder fired Bill that following Monday, but got him a job at a new radio station in Commerce.
In January 2008, it was announced that WGAU and WNGC were sold (along with sister stationsWGMG,WPUP,WRFC) to Cox Radio in Atlanta.[2] WGAU was the home to manyUniversity of Georgia sports, which air now on sister "Sports Radio 960 WRFC"
In late June 2024, Cox Radio abruptly dismissed staff at the station, including long time personality Tim Bryant. Notable syndicated programming includes talk shows by right-wing conservativesBrian Kilmeade,Rush Limbaugh,Sean Hannity andDana Losech as well as consumer advocateClark Howard and the paranormalCoast to Coast AM radio show.
The station is an affiliate of theAtlanta Braves radio network, the largest radio affiliate network inMajor League Baseball.[3] The station is also affiliated withFox News Radio andThe Weather Channel.
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33°56′28″N83°23′56″W / 33.94111°N 83.39889°W /33.94111; -83.39889
