KTGG
Encyclopedia
KTGG is a radio station
broadcasting from Spring Arbor, Michigan with a Christian
inspirational format. It is simulcast on WJKN (1510 AM
) in Jackson, Michigan
.
, so it was surprising that the calls KTGG were issued for the new station in 1980; some believe this occurred when someone at the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) read "MI" (the postal abbreviation for Michigan) on the station's application and mistook it as the abbreviation for Missouri
or Minnesota
. KTGG thus became the first new station east of the Mississippi with a "K" call in decades; the river was first used as the divider between K and W calls in 1922. (Stations such as KYW
in Philadelphia (originally in Chicago) and Pittsburgh's KDKA
have retained their heritage calls since before 1922). However, KTGG wasn't the last broadcaster with this distinction: a new station in Napeague, New York
was originally dubbed KCBE in 2008 by the FCC, before changing to WEGB in 2009.
station for over three decades under several call signs, including WJCO, WDJD, and WHBT. The WJKN calls were adopted in 1995 and the format changed to a full-service combination of news, talk and adult contemporary music. In 1998, WJKN phased out music programming and became a predominantly news station. Then, in September 2000, the station went dark after owner Coltrace Communications (the owner of WUPS
-FM in Houghton Lake
) sold the land on which the station's towers were located to a developer. Shortly afterward, Coltrace donated WJKN to its current owner, Spring Arbor University
, which returned the station to the air briefly in late 2001 and early 2002 with a simulcast of WSAE
-FM. WJKN was then again dark for several months, and then resurfaced in March 2003 simulcasting KTGG, whose 450-watt signal does not make it far outside of Spring Arbor.
Both stations broadcast during daytime hours only.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting from Spring Arbor, Michigan with a Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
inspirational format. It is simulcast on WJKN (1510 AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
) in Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
.
Unusual call sign
Call signs beginning with K are only supposed to be issued to stations west of the Mississippi RiverMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, so it was surprising that the calls KTGG were issued for the new station in 1980; some believe this occurred when someone at the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) read "MI" (the postal abbreviation for Michigan) on the station's application and mistook it as the abbreviation for Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
or Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. KTGG thus became the first new station east of the Mississippi with a "K" call in decades; the river was first used as the divider between K and W calls in 1922. (Stations such as KYW
KYW (AM)
KYW is a class A AM radio station on 1060 kHz licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW is owned by the CBS Radio unit of CBS Corporation, and has broadcasted an all-news format since 1965. The station's studios are located on Market Street in Center City Philadelphia, and it transmitters...
in Philadelphia (originally in Chicago) and Pittsburgh's KDKA
KDKA (AM)
KDKA is a radio station licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Created by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation on November 2, 1920, it is one of the world's first modern radio stations , a distinction that has also been challenged by other stations, although it has claimed to be the first in...
have retained their heritage calls since before 1922). However, KTGG wasn't the last broadcaster with this distinction: a new station in Napeague, New York
Napeague, New York
Napeague is a census-designated place that roughly corresponds to the hamlet with the same name in the town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York, United States...
was originally dubbed KCBE in 2008 by the FCC, before changing to WEGB in 2009.
History
AM 1510 was a country musicCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
station for over three decades under several call signs, including WJCO, WDJD, and WHBT. The WJKN calls were adopted in 1995 and the format changed to a full-service combination of news, talk and adult contemporary music. In 1998, WJKN phased out music programming and became a predominantly news station. Then, in September 2000, the station went dark after owner Coltrace Communications (the owner of WUPS
WUPS
WUPS is a 100 kW radio station broadcasting at 98.5 licensed to Harrison, Michigan and serving central and northern Michigan, with its chief focus on the Mount Pleasant area. The station is owned by John Salov and broadcasts a classic hits format....
-FM in Houghton Lake
Houghton Lake, Michigan
Houghton Lake is an unincorporated community in Roscommon Township, Roscommon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The Census Bureau has defined a census-designated place for statistical purposes with the same name. The population was 3,749 at the 2000 census.The community is situated on the...
) sold the land on which the station's towers were located to a developer. Shortly afterward, Coltrace donated WJKN to its current owner, Spring Arbor University
Spring Arbor University
Spring Arbor University is a Christian institution of higher education located in Spring Arbor, Michigan, in the United States. SAU is affiliated with the Free Methodist Church...
, which returned the station to the air briefly in late 2001 and early 2002 with a simulcast of WSAE
WSAE
- Sources :**...
-FM. WJKN was then again dark for several months, and then resurfaced in March 2003 simulcasting KTGG, whose 450-watt signal does not make it far outside of Spring Arbor.
Both stations broadcast during daytime hours only.