WRGA

WRGA
City of license Rome, Georgia
Broadcast area Rome GA area
Slogan Local News Now
Frequency

1470 kHz

98.7 MHz
First air date 1929
Format News Talk Information
Power 5,000 watts day
5,000 watts night
Class B
Facility ID 40856
Transmitter coordinates 34°18′5.00″N 85°9′19.00″W / 34.3013889°N 85.1552778°W
Affiliations ABC Radio , CNN Radio
Owner Rome Radio Partners, LLC
Webcast wrga.streamon.fm Listen Live
Website wrgarome.com

News Talk 98.7 and AM 1470 (WRGA 1470 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Rome, Georgia, USA, the station serves the Rome GA area. The station is currently owned by Rome Radio Partners, LLC and features programing from ABC Radio and CNN Radio.[1]

Prior to Spring 2009, WRGA was owned by McDougald Broadcasting, and was run by Southern Broadcasting Company, which is the owner-operator of WSRM 93.5 FM, WQTU 102.3 FM, WTSH 107.1 FM, and WGJK 1360 AM, from its studios on John Davenport Drive in Rome, GA.

From Spring 2004 to July 9, 2009, WRGA simulcast a substantially stronger and better quality signal on WSRM-FM. Until Spring 2009, WSRM's tower was located in Coosa, GA; however after the ownership change the tower was moved to Mount Alto in Rome, and the frequency was changed from 95.3 FM to 93.5 FM. The result was a substantial increase in the size of WSRM's coverage area, which led to issues which resulted in Rome Radio Partners having to end the five-year-old FM simulcast; WSRM's format was changed on July 9, 2009, to "Life FM," an "eclectic blend of Christian and secular adult contemporary" music.

WRGA operates under the tagline "Rome's NewsTalk." In addition to running network programming from ABC Radio and CNN Radio, WRGA carries Neal Boortz, Clark Howard, and Sean Hannity during their daily program schedule. WRGA also carries Georgia Bulldogs football play-by-play. For state news coverage, WRGA carries hourly reports from the Georgia News Network.

Locally produced programming on WRGA includes Hometown Radio Headlines. The radio program is hosted by John Druckenmiller. "Druck" typically works 4 topics per morning, 7-9am, one per half-hour segment, and has local newsmakers as guests in-studio or by phone. Each segment is brief, a maximum of about 12 minutes with a 60-second commercial break, because the program has hard boundaries to coincide with news and feature breaks. Other locally produced programming includes Talk of the Town (9 am-10 am weekdays), hosted by Nelle Reagan.

WRGA is the only station in Rome with a full-time news team including Andrew Carter and Kim Jarrett. Local news reports can be heard at four minutes past the hour 24/7; extended news reports air at 6:04 am, 6:33 am, 7:04 am, 7:33 am, 8:04 am, 8:33 am, 12:04 pm, and 12:33 pm weekdays. Spot news coverage is provided as situations necessitate. Election coverage live from the courthouse is provided beginning at 7 pm any day the polls are open.

As of March 1, 2014, WRGA also simulcasts on a FM-translator at 98.7. The translator's call sign is W254CF. This change was partly due to extend the coverage area at night since the AM antenna doesn't broadcast far at night. The addition of the FM signal was soon followed by a rebranding as "News Talk 98.7 and AM 1470, WRGA." The station has also been using the tag line "Local News Now" more heavily in early 2014.

History

The station began operation in 1929 as WFDV,[2] operating on 1500 kHz.[3] On May 16, 1948, WRGA changed its frequency from 1490 kHz to 1470 kHz with a concurrent increase in power from 250 W to 5 KW.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "WRGA Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "WRGA Moves to 1470 kc, Increases Power to 5 kw" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 24, 1948. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "Rome". The Georgia Radio Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 14 December 2014.

External links