WALC (100.5 MHz) and WZLC (88.9 MHz) are non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations serving the Charleston metropolitan area and South Carolina Lowcountry. WALC is licensed to Charleston and WZLC is licensed to Summerville. They are owned by the Radio Training Network (RTN) and carry a Christian radio format known as HIS Radio 88.9 and 100.5.
 | |
| Broadcast area | South Carolina Lowcountry |
|---|---|
| Frequency | WALC: 100.5 MHz (HD Radio)
WZLC: 88.9 MHz |
| Branding | HIS Radio 88.9 - 100.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Christian Contemporary music |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Radio Training Network |
| WLFJ-FM, WRAF (FM), WRFJ, WRTP | |
| History | |
First air date | WALC: April 4, 1990 WZLC: June 2011 |
Former call signs | WALC: WSUY (1990–1997) WZLC: WKBR (2011–2014) |
Call sign meaning | "Alice" (for a previous Modern AC format) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | WALC: 72377 WZLC: 173901 |
| Class | WALC: C3 WZLD: C1 |
| ERP | WALC: 13,500 watts WZLC: 70,000 watts horizontal - 54,200 watts vertical |
| HAAT | WALC: 136.6 meters (448 ft) WZLC: 96 meters (315 ft) |
| Translator(s) | 91.1 W216BJ (Wando, South Carolina) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | HisRadio.com/Charleston |
WALC is a Class C3 station. It has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 13,500. Its transmitter is off Venning Road at Volunteer Lane in Mount Pleasant.[2] WZLC is a Class C1 station. It has an ERP of 70,000 watts horizontal and 54,200 watts vertical. Its transmitter is on North Parler Avenue (U.S. Route 15) in St. George.[3] WALC also has an FM translator W261BJ at 91.1 MHz in Wando.[4]
Programming
editMost of the day, WALC and WZLC play Christian Contemporary music. A few hours a day, they air Christian talk and teaching programs such as Focus on the Family, Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah and In Touch with Charles Stanley.[5]
WALC and WZLC are part of a network of HIS Radio stations in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. RTN also owns Christian stations known as "Joy FM," "His Radio Talk," "His Radio Praise" and "His Radio Z."
History
editWALC
editFM 100.5 signed on the air on April 4, 1990. Its original call sign was WSUY and it aired a soft adult contemporary format as "Sunny 100.5". This lasted until late 1997 when the station was purchased by Jacor Communications and was added to its Charleston cluster. Those stations were later absorbed by San Antonio-based Clear Channel Communications, a forerunner to today's iHeartMedia, Inc. Clear Channel shifted the station toward Modern AC as "Alice @ 100.5" using the call sign WLLC.[citation needed]
By Spring 1998, Alice was becoming a popular station in Charleston with its "Lilith Fair-type programming", though program director Todd Haller admitted a lot of people still did not know about the station.[6] Less than a year later, the call letters switched to WALC to match its Alice moniker.
By 2001, the station had shifted toward more of a traditional Hot Adult Contemporary sound. In 2004, the station flipped to an Adult Album Alternative format as "100.5 The Drive", later transitioning to Alternative rock after the flip of WAVF 101.7 to adult hits.
In 2006, WALC was placed in Clear Channel Communications' Aloha Station Trust, LLC, a group of stations to be spun off due to FCC regulations. On November 26, 2008, Clear Channel announced that the station had been sold to the Radio Training Network. RTN is a non-profit organization based in Port Richey, Florida, which operates Christian stations, mostly in the American South.[7] The company also owns WLFJ-FM in Greenville, South Carolina, and WAFJ-FM in Augusta, Georgia.
WALC switched to a Contemporary Christian music format on January 26, 2009. The Alternative rock format previously heard on 100.5 is now heard on 104.5 WRFQ's HD Radio subchannel. Previously, "His Radio" was only able to be heard in the Charleston area on two translators, at 91.1 and 91.9 FM. These are now translators relaying WHRZ from Spartanburg, South Carolina.
WZLC
editFM 88.9 began broadcasting in June 2011. WKBR was its original call sign. WKBR, along with WKRI Cokesbury, South Carolina, and WFBK Fort Mill, South Carolina, were sold by Spirit Broadcasting Group Inc. for $460,832.[8]
All three stations were acquired by the Radio Training Network. WKBR changed its call letters to WZLC on September 11, 2014.[9] WZLC became a full-time simulcast of 100.5 WALC.
References
edit- ^ 72377
WZLC: 173901 "Facility Technical Data for WALC". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ Radio-Locator.com/WALC
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/WZLC
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/W216BJ
- ^ "About Us/Staff". www.hisradio.com. Archived from the original on 7 Jan 2004. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ^ "Radio stations WSUY, WEZL big winners in spring ratings". Post and Courier. 1998-08-13. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
- ^ "Deals," Broadcasting & Cable, December 15, 2009.
- ^ "MMTC Finds A Buyer For WDTW-A/Detroit". allaccess.com. 2014-08-28. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
- ^ "Call Sign History (WZLC)". Retrieved 2019-12-05.
External links
edit- Facility details for Facility ID 72377 (WALC) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WALC in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 173901 (WZLC) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WZLC in Nielsen Audio's FM station database