WVFJ-FM

WVFJ-FM

WVFJ-FM

Radio station in Greenville, Georgia


WVFJ-FM (93.3 MHz, "The JOY FM") is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Greenville, Georgia, and serving West-Central Georgia, including portions of Metro Atlanta and the Columbus-Auburn-Opelika area. It is owned by the Radio Training Network with studios and offices in Tyrone. WVFJ broadcasts a Contemporary Christian radio format. It is currently silent after a tornado destroyed its tower in Greenville, off Forest Road.[2] The station is constructing a new tower and continues to broadcast on line and on a network of rebroadcasters and FM translators.

Quick Facts Currently silent, Broadcast area ...

WVFJ-FM is a Class C0 station. It had an effective radiated power (ERP) of 38,000 watts. The tower had a height above average terrain (HAAT) of 491 meters (1,611 ft).[3] That may change with the new tower.

History

WFDR-FM and WQCK

The station's original call sign was WFDR-FM, signing on the air in 1967; 57 years ago (1967).[4] It was the sister station to WFDR AM 1370 in Manchester. The call sign was a reference to former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had his Little White House vacation home in nearby Warm Springs, Georgia.

On the last day of October 1981, the station changed its call sign to WQCK. Two years later, it adopted its current call letters of WVFJ-FM on July 7, 1983.

Christian radio

On February 13, 1981, Atlanta businessman Bill Watkins and his wife Joyce founded Provident Broadcasting Company in order to create a radio ministry for the benefit of Christians and others seeking spiritual inspiration. WVFJ, which began using the moniker "The JOY FM", was their first station. It operated as a commercial radio station, selling advertising to support its operations. In 1998, it moved its radio studios from the small community of Manchester into Atlanta radio market as Metro Atlanta's first Contemporary Christian station. The transmitter was moved closer to Atlanta to Greenville.

Provident Broadcasting Company was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Watkins Associated Industries, Incorporated. The group's stated mission was to provide wholesome family programming filled with joy, hope, and encouragement.

In March 2011, WVFJ became officially owned by Radio Training Network. One of the changes under new ownership was that after 30 years, WVFJ became a non-commercial, listener-supported station instead of selling advertising. In May, WVFJ added 11,000 watts to its effective radiated power.

WVFJ-FM is in a three-way competition for the Christian Contemporary audience in the Atlanta market. Listeners can also choose 104.7 WFSH-FM, a commercial station known as "The Fish," owned by the Salem Media Group. And the Tennessee-based Educational Media Foundation owns 106.7 WAKL, part of the non-commercial K-Love network.[5]

Tower collapse

On January 12, 2023, WVFJ's transmitter tower was destroyed by a tornado.[6] A series of tornados in Georgia and Alabama resulted in seven fatalities and caused millions of dollars in damage.

The station is in the process of restoring the tower and getting back on the air.[7] While the tower is reconstructed, programming continues to be heard on line and on a series of rebroadcasters and FM translators in Georgia and Alabama.

Translator network

The station is retransmitted on W270AS 101.9 in Carrollton to the northwest and W231AO 94.1 in Columbus, all located southwest of Atlanta in Western Georgia. It is also listed as the primary station for multiple other translator applications filed by Edgewater Broadcasting in 2003, in what was called the "Great Translator Invasion".

All of its translators are in Western Georgia and Eastern Alabama. Two translators rebroadcast WVFJ's HD Radio digital subchannels, one airing Contemporary worship music and one airing Christian hip hop.

Repeaters

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Translators

Contemporary Christian music

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Christian worship music

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Christian hip hop

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See also


Notable DJ


References

  1. "Facility Technical Data for WVFJ-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. "WVFJ-FM Tower Destroyed By Tornado - RadioInsight". January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.

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