 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina |
| Frequency | 107.9MHz |
| Branding | Gator 107.9 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | January 19,1993 |
Call sign meaning | "Gator" |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 3118 |
| Class | C2 |
| ERP | 20,000 watts |
| HAAT | 239 meters (784 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 33°35′45.6″N79°3′10.1″W / 33.596000°N 79.052806°W /33.596000; -79.052806 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | gator1079 |
WGTR (107.9FM) is acountry music radio station owned byiHeartMedia. Licensed toBucksport, South Carolina, it serves theMyrtle Beach area. The station is licensed by theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast with aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 20,000 watts. WGTR goes by the nameThe Gator and its current slogan is "#1 For New Country, Gator 107.9". Its studios are located on theU.S. 17 Bypass inMyrtle Beach, and its transmitter is inMurrells Inlet.
The station went on the air as WGTR on January 19, 1993, with itscountry music format.[3]
In a deal announced in February 1997, Root Communications Ltd. announced plans to buy eight radio stations owned byFlorence, South Carolina-based Atlantic Broadcasting, including WGTR.[4] Qantum Communications Inc. purchased Myrtle Beach's Root Communications Group LP stations in 2003.[5]
In Fall 2013, two-timeCountry Music Association award winner Jeff Roper became morning host and program director. Adam Dellinger, the show producer, worked with Roper inGreensboro, North Carolina andSan Antonio, Texas.[6] Roper left the station forKSAT-TV in San Antonio the next summer and was replaced in the morning by Zac Davis.[7] The current iteration of the morning show includes Adam Dellinger, now Program Director, and Bri Prosser.
On May 15, 2014, Qantum Communications announced that it would sell its 29 stations, including WGTR, to Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia), in a transaction connected to Clear Channel's sale ofWALK AM-FM inPatchogue, New York, toConnoisseur Media via Qantum.[8] According to FCC records, the transaction was consummated on September 9, 2014.[9][10]
Gator 107.9 features a local morning show, asFlorence/Dillon–based sister stationWEGX Eagle 92.9 carriesThe Bobby Bones Show. Gator 107.9 is the host of the Carolina Country Music Fest. A yearly festival that normally takes place for three days in June in Myrtle Beach. The festival is held on the grounds of the formerMyrtle Beach Pavilion.