|
From DCRTV
September 20 "D-Day" For GTS - 9/5 -
DCRTV hears that we'll probably know something about the sale of
Columbia Union College's Christian contemporary WGTS (91.9 FM) on
9/20, when the ....... board of directors meets. Along with the bid
from Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media to transform the
station into a news talker, two other groups are interested in the
station. Both would keep the station's current format, but one is
based in California - K-Love -
and would run it from there, while the other is local and would keep
the current WGTS staff together, we're told. If the station is sold
on 9/20, the deal could take three months to get approval from the
FCC. It's still not clear if the new owner would take control of
WGTS via a pre-sale agreement - but that is very possible. "The
college is in deep financial crisis and needs the money bad, and
WGTS happens to be about their last asset they can sell without
selling off land, dorms, and other buildings," a college source
tells us.....
http://www.dcrtv.com/ |
SaveWCAL
Déjà vu...
On July 17, 2007, it became public that WGTS, a 50-year
nonprofit listener supported independent radio station service of
Columbia Union College, a small, religiously-affiliate liberal arts
college in Takoma Park, Maryland (just outside Washington, DC), may
be sold for at least $20 million to American Public Media Group (APMG),
the parent company of Minnesota Public Radio (MPR).
http://savewcal.livejournal.com/75597.html |
From Washington Post
WGTS sale? Why?: What's up with WGTS up for sale? A lot
of us listen to it and love it; we supported the new tower project
with financial contributions, and now the parent company is going to
solve other problems by selling it off? Are they going to refund
donations made to the recent fundraiser if they shut the station
down? And they seem to have muzzled the staff and are trying to keep
the whole thing as quiet as possible. Is the contract signed, or is
it still up for debate/vote as this Web site would have us believe?
I can't say that this impresses me that much by Columbia Union
College. There's already plenty of talk/rock/country and other stuff
out there. You don't have to like Christian rock, but I hope WGTS
survives to provide more variety for those of us who DO enjoy it.
Paul Farhi: Background: WGTS -- tiny religious station operated by
Columbia Union College in Takoma Park. CUC wants to sell it to raise
cash. Reported buyer is Minnesota Public Radio, which would,
presumably, turn it into a talk-station, a la WAMU. Terms of deal
include keeping Christian rock format on digital band, but that's
unlikely to keep fans of the current format happy. CUC's board will
decide the issue in September. ..
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/07/05/DI2007070501315.html
|
From
DCRTV
September Decision On WGTS Sale
- 7/12 - DCRTV told you in late June that Takoma Park's
Columbia Union College is considering the sale of "family friendly"
contemporary Christian music WGTS (91.9 FM). Apparently, there are
numerous bids for the station, with the most financially attractive
being one from a "non-Christian source." The college's trustees were
scheduled to vote on the matter during late June or early July. Now,
we hear a decision could be made at the trustees' next meeting in
September. There's a bid from the current WGTS board of directors to
keep the station's staff and format intact. Non-commercial WGTS
recently completed a project to improve its signal by moving its
transmitter to North Arlington.....
Christian WGTS Could Be Sold
- 6/23 -
DCRTV
hears that Takoma Park's Columbia Union College is considering the
sale of "family friendly" contemporary Christian music WGTS (91.9
FM). We're told that there are numerous bids for the station, with
the most financially attractive being one from a "non-Christian
source." The college's trustees are scheduled to vote on the matter
during late June or early July. There's even a bid from the current
WGTS board of directors to keep the station's staff and format
intact. Non-commercial WGTS recently completed a project to improve
its signal by moving its transmitter to North Arlington. DCRTV
wonders: What if WETA-FM was to buy 91.9 and put classical music
there with the classic WGMS calls, and restore news talk to 90.9?
Stay tuned.....
http://www.dcrtv.com/
|
|
From Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia
Unlike most
Washington, DC radio stations, WGTS, has always been under it's
original ownership. In 1946
Columbia Union College (CUC) started the station as an AM
carrier current broadcasting to the dorms. In 1957 CUC applied to
the FCC for an FM radio license. CUC itself, is a
Seventh-day Adventist college, and as such it's station has a
close relationship with the religion. In 1997, it made the decision
to drop its classical music programming which it held for
approximately 20 years, in favor of Contemporary Christian Music
CCM, a need that had not been met in the Washington, DC area.
Since then, the station has seen significant growth in listenership.
It is now ranked as the 2nd most-listened to non-commercial
religious station in the country.
2007 marks the 50th anniversary for the station and has plans to
honor those who have helped maintain the station over the years.
Over that period, WGTS has been a pioneer in radio in the
Washington, DC area. When the
FCC
decided it wanted to set aside all frequencies below 92.0 to be used
as public educational stations (i.e. listener-supported) that could
not sell advertising, WGTS was the first in the DC area to be
recognized. This is one reason why they were able to get the 91.9mHz
frequency, being the last place on the dial before the commercial
portion. It was also the first station in Washington to go stereo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WGTS
|
|
