WAGF (AM)

WAGF
City Dothan, Alabama
Broadcast area Wiregrass Region
Branding 1320 Gold
Frequency 1320 kHz
First air date 1932
Format Urban Talk
Power 1,000 watts (day)
92 watts (night)
Class D
Facility ID 30278
Transmitter coordinates 31°14′54.00″N 85°23′20.00″W / 31.2483333°N 85.3888889°W / 31.2483333; -85.3888889
Callsign meaning Alabama Georgia Florida[1]
Former callsigns WAGF (1932-1983)
WDBM (1983-1985)[2]
Affiliations CNN Radio
Owner Wilson Broadcasting Co., Inc.
Sister stations WAGF-FM, WJJN
TV: WJJN-LD
Website WAGF Online

WAGF (1320 AM, "1320 Gold") is a radio station broadcasting an Urban Talk radio format.[3] WAGF is licensed to serve the community of Dothan, Alabama, USA. The station is currently owned by Wilson Broadcasting Co., Inc. The station was re-assigned the WAGF call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on January 1, 1985.[2]

Programming

WAGF features programming from CNN Radio.[4] Notable on-air personalities include Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, the sports duo 2 Live Stews, and the "gorgeous queen of night time talk" Bev Smith.

History

WAGF went on the air on December 14, 1933, originally with the call letters WHET, and was long billed as the "Voice of the Tri-States." Its studio was located on the top floor of the Houston Hotel, moved to the ground floor, then in 1935 to East Main Street adjacent to the Martin Hotel and the Young Building. Its transmitter was located at the Dothan Fairgrounds but moved in 1941 to Headland Highway. The stations original owners were Cyril W. Reddoch, Julian Smith, and John Hubbard. Soon, Hubbard bought Reddoch's share, and Fred C. Moseley, the station's commercial manager, bought Reddoch's share from Hubbard in 1935 or 1936. Mosely and Smith bought out Hubbard's interest in WAGF on December 31, 1953, and owned the station until 1976 when they sold the station to Carroll Eddins of Cullman; his daughter and son-in-law, Mary Evelyn and Clark Jones, managed the station. At that time the Jones's moved the studios to the transmitter site. Eddins sold the station in the 1980s to Frank Johnson who owned it until it became unsuccessful, reverted to Eddins, and went dark (date unknown).[5] It stayed dark several years until revived by Wilson Broadcasting. While owned by Smith and Mosley (a.k.a. Dothan Broadcasting Company) WAGF operated with a small, yet loyal staff.

Lamar "Early Bird" Trammell worked at the station, mostly as morning host, from 1939-1976 with the exception of a military stint during World War II. Trammell was miffed when his longtime employers would not allow him to purchase the station instead selling it to the Jones family. Trammell left WAGF and bought WDIG, Dothan, from Ed Wein. Among WAGF's former employees are CBS News anchor Douglas Edwards, Sam Hall, Tommy Sabiston, Ted Hall, Ray Smith, Bobby Price (now a sales executive in Dothan), Marv Edwards, Noel Peters, Bob Leslie, Michael Bruner Adams, and Ken Curtis, the longtime news director at WDHN, the ABC television affiliate in Dothan.

References

  1. ↑ Nelson, Bob (2008-10-18). "Call Letter Origins". The Broadcast Archive. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
  2. 1 2 "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  3. ↑ "WAGF Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  4. ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  5. ↑ Hubbard, John. "Radio Station WAGF." Unpublished mss. in the John Hubbard Collection, RG 22, Wiregrass Archives, Troy University Dothan Campus, Dothan, AL.
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