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| Broadcast area | Greater Birmingham |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 610kHz |
| Branding | Heaven 610 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Urban gospel |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WBHJ,WBHK,WBPT,WENN,WZZK-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1926; 99 years ago (1926) |
Former call signs |
|
Former frequencies | 1310 kHz (1926–1941) |
Call sign meaning | Alabama's Gospel Giant orA.G. Gaston (former owner) |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 48717 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 33°29′39″N86°52′21″W / 33.49417°N 86.87250°W /33.49417; -86.87250 |
| Repeater | 95.7 WBHJ-HD2 (Midfield) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 610wagg.com |
WAGG (610AM) is acommercialradio station licensed toBirmingham, Alabama. It is owned bySummitMedia and broadcasts anurban gospelradio format that targets Birmingham'sAfrican-American community.[3] Thestudios and offices are in the Cahaba neighborhood in Southeast Birmingham, along with six other stations owned by SummitMedia.
The station was assigned the WAGGcall sign by theFederal Communications Commission on January 15, 1999.[1] It broadcasts at 5,000watts by day, reducing power to 610 watts at night to avoid interfering with other stations onAM 610.[4] It uses anon-directional antenna at all times. Thetransmitter is off Avenue W, nearBirmingham International Raceway.[5]
Birmingham's third oldest radio stationsigned on the air on February 3, 1926; 99 years ago (1926-02-03). Itscall sign was WKBC, originally broadcasting at 1310kilocycles. The owner of the station was the Broylee Furniture Company.[6] Because the company sold radios, it wanted to put a radio station on the air for its customers to listen to. The station was only powered at 250 watts by day and 100 watts at night. The studios were in the Hotel Tutwiler.
In 1932, the call sign was changed to WSGN. The station was later sold toThe Birmingham News, a daily newspaper which would use its staff of reporters to provide news bulletins to WSGN's listeners.
Throughout the 1940s, WSGN was anaffiliate of theNBC Blue Network, the forerunner of the currentABC Network. Late in 1955, WSGN became the first station in Birmingham to adopt aTop 40 format, playing hits for the youth generation.[7]
By the 1980s, young listeners were switching to FM radio for current and recent hits, so WSGN made a change. In February 1984, the station became known as "Real Music 610", playingadult standards andbig band music for an older crowd who were still tuning to the AM band. This continued until April 26, 1985, when the owners sold the station and it became the AMsimulcast partner ofcountry music stationWZZK-FM 104.7. After 53 years, the call letters of WSGN were changed to WZZK. This simulcast continued until 1998, when 610 AM returned to adult standards with the new call sign WEZN.
WAGG had been anurban gospel station since 1982. Before then, the call letters were WENN.
In 1998,Cox Radio, which already owned WZZK-FM, WODL-FM (nowWBPT) and WEZN, bought WAGG,WBHJ andWBHK. One year later, WEZN and WAGG swapped dial positions in order for WAGG to take advantage of the superior signal on 610 AM.
On July 20, 2012, Cox Radio announced the sale of WAGG and 22 other stations to Summit Media LLC for $66.25 million. The sale was consummated on May 3, 2013.[8][9]
On October 3, 2014, WAGG began simulcasting onFM translator W271BN at 102.1 MHz. Co-ownedWENN 1320 AM, which had been simulcat on 102.1 temporarily wentsilent.[10]
On March 14, 2016, WAGG switched FM translators. Its previous translator, W271BN, began simulcastingsoft adult contemporary-formatted WENN. WAGG began to be heard on W261BX at 100.1 MHz.[11] That translator at 100.1 later returned to a simulcast of 1320 WENN, now airingeasy listening music.