WGNC

Infobox Radio station
name = WGNC


city = Gastonia, North Carolina
area =
branding =
slogan = "Your Beach, Oldies & Sports Station"
airdate =
frequency = 1450 kHz
format = Beach music and Oldies music
power = 1000 Watts
erp =
haat =
class = C
facility_id =
coordinates = coord|35|16|32|N|81|12|04|W
callsign_meaning = W Gastonia, NC
former_callsigns =
owner = HRN Broadcasting
licensee =
sister_stations =
webcast =
website = http://www.theboss.us
affiliations =

WGNC (1450 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Beach music and Oldies music format. Licensed to Gastonia, North Carolina, USA, it serves the Gastonia area. The station is currently owned by HRN Broadcasting..

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]

History

Six years after buying WCSL in Cherryville, Calvin Hastings bought WGNC and started KTC Broadcasting. In 1992 he bought WOHS in Shelby and began calling the three stations Piedmont Superstations ["Radio Station WCSL Celebrates 25 Years," "The Charlotte Observer", September 27, 1992.] .

WCSL, WGNC and WOHS began airing Atlanta Braves baseball in 1993 [John Glennon, "Radio Stations to Broadcast Braves Baseball Next Season," "The Charlotte Observer", December 19, 1992.] .

On April 1, 1993, KTC took over WLON in Lincolnton in a lease agreement. WLON's Tim Biggerstaff would remain as morning DJ, and his show would be heard on all four KTC stations. News for the entire area would be expanded. The four stations aired UNC football and basketball, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins NFL football, and CBS coverage of such events as The World Series and The Super Bowl [Joe Marusak, "New Owner Will Cut Positions at WLON," "The Charlotte Observer", March 24, 1993.] .

The four stations added the NFL Carolina Panthers when the team began playing in 1995. They also aired games of the NBA Charlotte Hornets [David Poole, "Sports Finds Many Homes on Dial," "The Charlotte Observer", October 4, 1995.] In 2000, the stations began airing the Redskins again instead of the Panthers (WGNC aired the Panthers if there was no conflict) [David Scott, "Sports Business," "The Charlotte Observer", November 20, 2000.] .

Late in 1999, the four stations changed from country music to "super oldies." Biggerstaff, the program director, said country had moved away from its tradional sound. Lillie White remained as midday host, and Andy Foster was afternoon host. Local and sports remained important, and the stations aired the One-on-One sports radio network at night [Sharon E. White, "Up-Tempo Oldies Push Country Aside at 4 Stations in Regional AM Network," "The Charlotte Observer", December 5, 1999.] .

In 2004, Biggerstaff was still hosting his show on WCSL and WLON despite diabetes-related health problems [Joe DePriest, "New Friend Offers Gift for Ailing DJ," "The Charlotte Observer", April 14, 2004.] . Later he moved to Lincolnton-based Hometown Radio's Shelby operation. On WADA he played classic country music, and he hosted a "Swap Shop" show on WGNC and WOHS. By this time he had experienced a kidney transplant and two pancreas transplants. On Memorial Day 2007, while on the air, Biggerstaff had a seizure and asked for help on the air, and a listener called 911. He ended up being interviewed by BBC London, "Today" and "People Magazine" [Joe DePriest, "DJ's Listeners Friends in Need and in Deed," "The Charlotte Observer", June 7, 2007.] .

References

External links

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