WCCG

Infobox Radio station
name = WCCG FM


city = Hope Mills, NC
area = Fayetteville, North Carolina
branding = Soul 104.5
slogan = The Best of Old School & Today's R&B
airdate =
frequency = 104.5 MHz
format = Urban Adult Contemporary
power = 6,000 watts
class = A
HAAT = 84 meters
facility_id = 17529
coordinates = coord|34|56|34|N|78|51|41|W|type:landmark
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns =
owner = Dr James E Carson
licensee =
sister_stations =
webcast =
website = [http://www.soul1045fm.com/ www.soul1045fm.com]
affiliations =

WCCG is an American radio station licensed to broadcast to Hope Mills, NC on FM frequency of 104.5 MHz with 5,000 kW of power. The station is programmed with an urban adult contemporary music format and carries the Steve Harvey Morning Show.

History

The 104.5 frequency was allocated in 1986. Among the applicants were John Dawson of WQSM. Dr. James Carson, a former Fayetteville State University vice chancellor, applied with the FCC in 1987 and was awarded a construction permit three years later. On April 16, 1997, WCCG signed on with commercial-free classical music performed on a piano. The station was not yet at full power [Michael Futch, "New Station No Overnight Endeavour," "The Fayetteville Observer", April 27, 1997.] .

"The Vibe" began broadcasting at 6000 watts June 19, 1997 with "Love and Happiness" by Al Green. The format was classic R&B with such artists as Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, the Shirelles, Brook Benton, Wilbert Harrison, Rick James, Ruth Brown, James Brown, and Ike and Tina Turner. Ron Scurry was morning host, and Tracey Vee, another DJ, went by the name "TV on Your Radio." WFLB was the area's other oldies station [Michael Futch, "Radio Station WCCG Starts Oldies Format," "The Fayetteville Observer", June 22, 1997.] .

On November 13, 2000, The Vibe stopped playing older music except on Saturdays, switching to a mix of current R&B and 80s and 90s hits but no rap, intending to reach a younger audience. B. B. Holland, "Bam-Bam" from WRCQ, became the new host of "Wake Up Shake Up." Sonny Pagan, formerly of WKQB, was the new operations manager [Michael Futch, "'The Vibe' Tries to Shake Things Up," "The Fayetteville Observer", November 26, 2000.] . The change gave The Vibe its best ratings ever [Michael Futch, "WKML Tops Radio Ratings," "The Fayetteville Observer", August 21, 2001.] .

In October 2002, WCCG played James Brown's "The Payback" for several days, leading to rumors of a format change. One woman nearly called 911, fearing someone was holding the station hostage. Although Carson denied any change was coming [Michael Futch, "WCCG Gets Funky with 'The Payback'," "The Fayetteville Observer", October 27, 2002.] , WCCG was soon calling itself "Hot 104.5" [Myron B. Pitts, "Will 'Biker Boyz' Be Another Hit Black Film?", "The Fayetteville Observer", January 31, 2003.] and playing more rap [Julia Oliver, "DJs Help Promote Reading," "The Fayetteville Observer", December 13, 2004.] .

In 2005, WCCG dropped the morning show "240 Degrees of Therapy" and replaced it first with music and then with Steve Harvey [Michael Futch, "Radio Stations Drop Shows," "The Fayetteville Observer", September 25, 2005.] [Michael Futch, "Steve Harvey in Fayetteville," "The Fayetteville Observer", November 6, 2005.] .

Jose "Chico" Vargas hosted a Spanish language show, "Caliente 104.5," on WCCG during 2003 but was fired for offensive comments about a woman he considered a friend. Spanish-language programming returned on Sunday afternoons August 20, 2006, with "Domingo Tropical," including news, Reggaeton, salsa, merengue and Latin jazz. Also, afternoon host Vic Frost was replaced with Michael Baisden, and the station dropped its rap programming for a younger audience [Vargas Says He Wants to Clear Name After Being Fired," "The Fayetteville Observer", November 23, 2003.] [Michael Futch, "Hispanic Program Makes Its Debut," "The Fayetteville Observer", August 27, 2006.] .

References

External links

* [http://www.soul1045fm.com/ Official Website]
*FMQ|WCCG
*FML|WCCG