WGAU

Infobox Radio Station


name = WGAU
airdate = May 1, 1938
frequency = 1340 KHz
area = North Georgia
city = Athens, Georgia
format = News/Talk
owner = Cox Radio
sister_stations = WGMG, WPUP, WRFC and WNGC
power = 1,000 watts unlimited
haat =
branding = "News-Talk 1340"
slogan =
class =
facility_id =
former_callsigns =
webcast =
website = [http://www.1340wgau.com WGAU official website]
callsign_meaning =

WGAU (1340 AM), known as "News-Talk 1340", is a radio station licensed to serve Athens, Georgia, that broadcasts a News/Talk format. The transmitter is located at the studios (with WNGC)in the Five Points area of Downtown Athens.

WGAU began broadcasting on May 1, 1938. It has played many different musical formats before switching to the current format of news and talk in the early 1990s.

Country Legend Bill Anderson was a DJ on WGAU in the 1950's when he was 19, and was fired for playing country music. In an interview with Tim Bryant [http://1340wgau.mypodcast.com/2008/03/Newsmakers_with_Tim_Bryant_March_05_2008-87919.html] ,Bill said H. Randolph Holder, the owner of WGAU, offered him a job under the condition he would not play country music. One evening, Bill was running an Atlanta Crackers baseball game which became rained out. Instructions in the studio said if the game gets rained out, to switch to the CBS Radio Network. When Bill switch to the network, The "Louisiana Hay Ride" was on, and Johnny Horton's "Honky Tonk Man" was playing. Before the song was finished, Holder had called Bill to get the program off the air. Holder fired Bill that following Monday, but got him a job at a new radio station in Commerce.

July 26, 1985, WGAU began broadcasting in AM STEREO.

WGAU, along with sister WNGC, was sold to Southern Broadcasting in 1999. In 2008, WGAU (along with 5 other stations) was sold to Cox Radio. WGAU was the home to many University of Georgia sports, which air now on sister "Sports Radio 960 WRFC"

Current notable local programming includes "Athens Morning News" with Matt Caesar and Tim Bryant, "Liz Talk" with Liz Dalton, and "Newsmakers" with Tim Bryant. Notable syndicated programming includes talk shows by Neal Boortz, Paul Harvey, Rush Limbaugh, Clark Howard, Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes, plus "Coast to Coast AM".

The station is an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves radio network, the largest radio affiliate network in Major League Baseball. [ cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/atl/schedule/affiliates.jsp|title=Affiliate Radio Stations|work=The Official Site of the Atlanta Braves]

References

External links

* [http://www.1340wgau.com WGAU official website]
*AMQ|WGAU
*AML|WGAU
*AMARB|WGAU