WGGH
Encyclopedia
WGGH is a radio station
licensed
to serve the community of Marion, Illinois
, United States. The station, established in 1949, is currently owned and operated by Fishback Media, Inc. WGGH broadcasts a mix of conservative talk
and country music
to the greater Marion
-Carbondale
area.
and The Dave Ramsey Show
in late afternoons. Weekend programming includes local sports, legal, and religious discussion programs, plus a variety of church services and more classic country music. WGGH also broadcasts the high school football
games of the Marion Wildcats.
s of power under the ownership of general manager
Hartley Grisham and chief engineer
George W. Dodds, a partnership doing business as the Marion Broadcasting Company. Dodds bought out Grisham to become sole owner of the station in 1955. At the same time, Dodds relocated WGGH to its current broadcast facility and got authorization from the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) to increase the station's signal strength to 5,000 watts.
In May 1991, station owner George W. Dodds, trading as Marion Broadcasting Company, reached an agreement to sell WGGH to Tri-State Christian TV, Inc. The FCC dismissed this application on January 13, 1992. In February 1992, Dodds reached a new sale agreement with Vine Broadcasting, Inc., and filed a new application with the FCC. The FCC approved the transfer of the broadcast license
on April 7, 1992, and the transaction was formally consummated on June 9, 1992. After this sale and more than 40 years of station ownership, Dodds retired from broadcasting. He died in May 2005.
Johnny and Elaine Gomez, owners of Vine Broadcasting, maintained the station's longtime religious broadcasting
format. After 15 years of ownership, Vine Broadcasting agreed to sell WGGH to Fishback Media, Inc., in June 2007. The transfer gained FCC approval on August 28, 2007, and the transaction was consummated on September 17, 2007. New owner and Marion native Jimmy "Fish" Fishback retained the station's Southern Gospel
format until switching to its current format on November 4, 2008. Fishback is a veteran broadcaster, voice artist, and syndicated radio host. His credits include promos for Showtime's Masters of Horror
and providing the imaging voice of "V Rock" in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
.
Longtime St. Louis
television personality "Uncle Erv" Coppi got his start in broadcasting at WGGH. His on-air duties included spinning big band
records to create the illusion of live concert broadcasts.
. In addition to its regular programming, WGGH also serves the community by broadcasting high school homecoming parades, greetings to the troops, local high school sports, plus synchronized music for the town's Fourth of July fireworks show.
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...
licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to serve the community of Marion, Illinois
Marion, Illinois
The city of Marion is the county seat of Williamson County, Illinois. The 2010 census counted 17,193 residents, making Marion the 25th most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area, in Illinois, and the second most populous city in Southern Illinois, outside of the Metro-East, behind...
, United States. The station, established in 1949, is currently owned and operated by Fishback Media, Inc. WGGH broadcasts a mix of conservative talk
Conservative talk
Conservative talk radio is a talk radio format in the United States and Canada devoted to expressing conservative viewpoints of issues, as opposed to progressive talk radio...
and country music
Country 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...
to the greater Marion
Marion, Illinois
The city of Marion is the county seat of Williamson County, Illinois. The 2010 census counted 17,193 residents, making Marion the 25th most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area, in Illinois, and the second most populous city in Southern Illinois, outside of the Metro-East, behind...
-Carbondale
Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...
area.
Programming
WGGH airs a mix of local and syndicated news and talk programming with a conservative or religious bent during the day and a classic country music format during the evenings and overnight. Notable weekday programming includes The Dennis Miller Show in late mornings, a block of local news and ministry programs in early afternoons, plus Focus on the FamilyFocus on the Family
Focus on the Family is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s...
and The Dave Ramsey Show
The Dave Ramsey Show (radio program)
The Dave Ramsey Show is a three-hour, self-syndicated radio program and podcast that airs Monday through Friday from 2-5 EST. It is primarily broadcast from Brentwood, Tennessee, though often during the summer it is broadcast via remote from Ramsey's lake house...
in late afternoons. Weekend programming includes local sports, legal, and religious discussion programs, plus a variety of church services and more classic country music. WGGH also broadcasts the high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
games of the Marion Wildcats.
History
WGGH began daytime-only broadcast operations on September 24, 1949, with 500 wattWatt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s of power under the ownership of general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
Hartley Grisham and chief engineer
Chief Engineer
In marine transportation, the chief engineer is a licensed mariner in charge of the engineering department on a merchant vessel. "Chief engineer" is the official title of someone qualified to oversee the entire engine department; the qualification is colloquially called a "chief's...
George W. Dodds, a partnership doing business as the Marion Broadcasting Company. Dodds bought out Grisham to become sole owner of the station in 1955. At the same time, Dodds relocated WGGH to its current broadcast facility and got authorization from 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) to increase the station's signal strength to 5,000 watts.
In May 1991, station owner George W. Dodds, trading as Marion Broadcasting Company, reached an agreement to sell WGGH to Tri-State Christian TV, Inc. The FCC dismissed this application on January 13, 1992. In February 1992, Dodds reached a new sale agreement with Vine Broadcasting, Inc., and filed a new application with the FCC. The FCC approved the transfer of the broadcast license
Broadcast license
A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...
on April 7, 1992, and the transaction was formally consummated on June 9, 1992. After this sale and more than 40 years of station ownership, Dodds retired from broadcasting. He died in May 2005.
Johnny and Elaine Gomez, owners of Vine Broadcasting, maintained the station's longtime religious broadcasting
Religious broadcasting
Religious broadcasting refers to broadcasting by religious organizations, usually with a religious message. Many religious organizations have long recorded content such as sermons and lectures, and have moved into distributing content on their Internet websites.While this article emphasises...
format. After 15 years of ownership, Vine Broadcasting agreed to sell WGGH to Fishback Media, Inc., in June 2007. The transfer gained FCC approval on August 28, 2007, and the transaction was consummated on September 17, 2007. New owner and Marion native Jimmy "Fish" Fishback retained the station's Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel music—at one time also known as "quartet music"—is music whose lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
format until switching to its current format on November 4, 2008. Fishback is a veteran broadcaster, voice artist, and syndicated radio host. His credits include promos for Showtime's Masters of Horror
Masters of Horror
Masters of Horror is an informal social group of international film writers and directors specializing in horror movies and an American television series created by director Mick Garris for the Showtime cable network.- Origin :...
and providing the imaging voice of "V Rock" in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is a 2006 sandbox-style action video game developed by Rockstar Leeds in association with Rockstar North. It was published by Rockstar Games for the PlayStation Portable in late 2006 and later for the PlayStation 2 in March 2007. The game is the eighth...
.
Longtime St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
television personality "Uncle Erv" Coppi got his start in broadcasting at WGGH. His on-air duties included spinning big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
records to create the illusion of live concert broadcasts.
Community involvement
Each Christmas season, WGGH decorates its broadcast facilities with a computer-controlled light show and encourages visitors to donate canned good for a local food pantry or money for a nearby children's homeChildren's Home
Children's Home is a historic building at 427 Robeson Street in Fall River, Massachusetts.The Home was built in 1894 and added to the National Historic Register in 1983....
. In addition to its regular programming, WGGH also serves the community by broadcasting high school homecoming parades, greetings to the troops, local high school sports, plus synchronized music for the town's Fourth of July fireworks show.