WGFX

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WGFX

City of license	Gallatin, Tennessee
Broadcast area	Nashville, Tennessee
Branding	104.5 The Zone
Slogan	Get Sports!
First air date	July 21, 1978
Frequency	104.5 (MHz)
Format	Sports Talk
Power	58,000 watts
Class	C
Callsign meaning	Gallatin's FoX (from its former incarnation as Classic rock 104.5 The Fox, also fits well with its current affiliation with Fox Sports Radio)
Owner	Citadel Broadcasting Company
Website	www.1045thezone.com

WGFX is a radio station broadcasting on the FM band at 104.5 MHz licensed to the city of Gallatin, Tennessee, but serving the Nashville market as a whole. It is currently branded as 104.5 The Zone, broadcasting a sports talk format. It is owned by Citadel Broadcasting Company and operates out of studios on Second Avenue South in Nashville. Its transmitter is located just north of downtown Nashville.

1 History
2 Breaks in current format
3 Prior formats
4 Famous station alumni
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

The station signed on as WFMG-FM on Dec 1, 1960 in Gallatin, Tennessee with a Big Band format. In 1972 Sumner Country Broadcasting Co., which owned WHIN-AM in Gallatin, purchased WFMG and changed call letters to WHIN-FM. During the early years of WHIN-FM, the format was Easy Listening. In 1974, the station switched to an All Oldies format. In July, 1978 WHIN-FM switched formats to CHR. Just over one month later, the call letters were changed to WWKX using the moniker Kicks 104. In the late 70s and early 80s, the station was very popular and featured morning DJ Coyote McCloud. Its 100,000 watt signal broadcasting from "Music Mountain", one of the highest points on the northern Highland Rim north of Gallatin [about 30 miles (47 km) northeast of Nashville] and the site of several broadcasting facilities, boomed far into the rural areas of northern Tennessee and southern Kentucky. By the mid 1980s, WGFX was faced with competition from two new area CHRs, "96 Kiss" (WZKS, now WCJK) and "Y107" (WYHY, now WRVW). Additionally, McCloud defected to WYHY in 1985 to host its morning show. To try to differentiate itself, WWKX segued into a rock-leaning Top-40 format calling itself "Rock Hits 104, Kicks FM". This move proved unfruitful, and the station evolved back to mainstream CHR a year later in 1986. Faced with the success of Y107, this would not last.

In the summer of 1987, WWKX moved its tower from Music Mountain into Nashville and downgraded power, noticeably affecting signal strength in rural areas north of the city. The call letters changed to WGFX on August 13, 1987 and the moniker became 104.5 The Fox with a classic rock format. Though the station has changed format and monikers several times since mostly involving variations on 70s music, the call letters have remained the same.

Its current format, "104.5 The Zone" (sports talk), began its life on August 11, 2003 after hiring popular personality George Plaster away from WWTN (99.7 FM), though because of a contract dispute, he did not appear on the station until two months after its launch.

In the past, WGFX has been the host to popular syndicated morning show personalities John Boy and Billy and Rick and Bubba. It is currently the Nashville affiliate for The Jim Rome Show and Fox Sports Radio.

WGFX was the flagship station for the Tennessee Oilers/Titans of the NFL from 1997 until the completion of the 2001 season, when the rights were shifted to WGFX's sister station, WKDF (WGFX returned as an "affiliate" station of the team's network in 2004). WGFX also aired the franchise's games in 1996, the final year the team was located in Houston.

WGFX is currently the flagship for the Nashville Predators of the NHL, the Nashville Kats of the AFL, and Football and men's basketball broadcasts for Vanderbilt University. It also carries NBA games of the Memphis Grizzlies and Belmont University men's basketball games which do not conflict with the aforementioned teams. On June 14, 2006, the agreement to extend the Predators' contract with WGFX for an additional two years was announced on The Sports Zone.

[edit] Breaks in current format

The station deviates from the sports format for four hours on Saturday mornings when programming relating to home improvement and lawns and gardens are broadcast. The station also broadcasts an hour block of public affairs programming on Sunday morning in accordance with FCC regulations.

[edit] Prior formats

Rockin' Hits 104.5 WGFX - Classic Hits, 2002-2003
The New 104 The Core (briefly known as The New 104—That 70's Station) - Classic Rock, 2000-2002
Groovin' Hits 104.5 (briefly known as Hot 104.5 and Jammin' Oldies 104.5) - R&B Oldies, 1998-2000
Arrow 104.5 - Classic Hits, 1993-1998
104.5 The Fox - Classic Rock, 1988-1993 (call letters changed to WGFX, which stood for Gallatin's FoX)
KX104 - Top 40, 1986-1987
Rock Hits 104, Kicks FM - Rock/Top 40, 1985-1986
Kicks 104 - Top 40, 1978-1985 (as WHIN-FM and WWKX)
WHIN-FM - Oldies, 1974-1978/Easy Listening, 1972-1974
WFMG-FM - Big Bands, 1960-1972