WGRM-FM
Encyclopedia
WGRM-FM is an American radio station
licensed
to serve the community of Greenwood, Mississippi
, USA. The station, established in 1989 by Clay Ewing, is owned and operated by Christian Broadcasters of Greenwood, Inc. WGRM-FM broadcasts a Gospel music
format
to the northwestern central region of Mississippi.
(1240 AM) in 1938 with studios in Grenada, Mississippi
. The station, under the ownership of P.K. Ewing, Sr., relocated to Greenwood in 1939 beginning a six-decade history of Ewing family radio station ownership in Mississippi. On February 20, 1989, ownership of WGRM was formally transferred from Frances G. Ewing to Clay Ewing.
(FCC) granted a construction permit
for an FM sister station
for WGRM to be built in Greenwood. The station would broadcast at a frequency of 101.9 megahertz with 3,000 watt
s of effective radiated power
from an antenna at 100 metres (328.1 ft) in height above average terrain
. on a new broadcast tower at 33°31′55"N 90°11′38"W The new station was assigned the call sign
"WGRM-FM" by the FCC on June 23, 1989.
Construction was completed in November 1989, nearly one year ahead of the FCC's November 15, 1990, deadline, and WGRM-FM applied for its initial broadcast license
. The FCC granted the license on September 9, 1991.
these changes and the FCC granted it on December 29, 1997.
The station filed a final application in May 1998 to change its tower height, antenna height, and power to the allow it to share an antenna with its AM sister station, WGRM, as the owners had prepared for in 1989. The shared tower at 33°32′02"N 90°11′42"W allowed for an antenna height of 90 metres (295.3 ft) with 12,000 watts of effective radiated power. The FCC granted the new construction permit on August 28, 1998.
WGRM
to Willis Broadcasting Corporation, based in Norfolk, Virginia. Willis Broadcasting Corporation was wholly owned by Levi E. Willis, Sr. The FCC approved the deal on February 22, 1999, and the transaction was formally consummated on March 31, 1999.
When Willis Broadcasting Corporation acquired WGRM and WGRM-FM, it owned only one other radio station: WIZK
in Bay Springs, Mississippi
. Although it would later sell WIZK, by mid-2005 the company held the broadcast licenses for eight radio stations across Louisiana and Mississippi. In July 2005, owner Levi Willis applied to the FCC to transfer the licenses for WGRM and WGRM-FM to a new company called Christian Broadcasting of Greenwood, Inc. These would be the only two stations held by this new company. The FCC swiftly approved the transfer on July 29, 2005, and the transaction was formally consummated on January 1, 2006.
Christian Broadcasting of Greenwood's sole shareholder, Levi E. Willis, Sr., died on February 20, 2009, at the age of 79. In March 2009, his estate notified the FCC of the involuntary transfer of control of the license holder. The FCC approved the transfer of control to the Estate of Levi E. Willis, Sr., with Joseph L. Lindsey as executor, on May 13, 2009.
and WGRM-FM while her husband Clay Ewing owned the stations. Rose Ewing died of heart failure in May 2006 at the age of 66. Clay Ewing died six months later on November 23, 2006, at the age of 67. In addition to his role with the radio stations, Clay Ewing served one term as mayor of Greenwood from 1973 to 1977.
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 Greenwood, Mississippi
Greenwood, Mississippi
Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta approximately 96 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi, and 130 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. The population was 15,205 at the 2010 census. It is the...
, USA. The station, established in 1989 by Clay Ewing, is owned and operated by Christian Broadcasters of Greenwood, Inc. WGRM-FM broadcasts a Gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
format
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
to the northwestern central region of Mississippi.
Family tradition
The Ewing family launched WGRMWGRM (AM)
WGRM is an American radio station licensed to serve Greenwood, Mississippi, USA. Established in 1938 by P.K. Ewing, the station was owned by the Ewing family for 60 years. WGRM is currently owned by Christian Broadcasting of Greenwood, Inc....
(1240 AM) in 1938 with studios in Grenada, Mississippi
Grenada, Mississippi
Grenada is a city in Grenada County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,879 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Grenada County.-History:...
. The station, under the ownership of P.K. Ewing, Sr., relocated to Greenwood in 1939 beginning a six-decade history of Ewing family radio station ownership in Mississippi. On February 20, 1989, ownership of WGRM was formally transferred from Frances G. Ewing to Clay Ewing.
Early days
Less than three months later, on May 15, 1989, the Federal Communications CommissionFederal 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) granted a construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
for an FM sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
for WGRM to be built in Greenwood. The station would broadcast at a frequency of 101.9 megahertz with 3,000 watt
Watt
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 effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
from an antenna at 100 metres (328.1 ft) in height above average terrain
Height above average terrain
Height above average terrain is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is actually much more important than effective radiated power in determining the range of broadcasts...
. on a new broadcast tower at 33°31′55"N 90°11′38"W The new station was assigned the call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
"WGRM-FM" by the FCC on June 23, 1989.
Construction was completed in November 1989, nearly one year ahead of the FCC's November 15, 1990, deadline, and WGRM-FM applied for its initial 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...
. The FCC granted the license on September 9, 1991.
Changes
In December 1994, the station applied for permission in increase its effective radiated power to 6,000 watts. The FCC granted the request on August 16, 1995. Less than two weeks before this decision, the station applied for a new construction permit to relocate the broadcast tower to 35°35′25"N 90°18′55"W, increase the effective radiated power to 25,000 watts, and to upgrade the station from Class A to Class C3 at a new frequency of 93.9 MHz. The FCC granted this permit on January 26, 1996. While that construction was underway, the station applied for still further changes to tower height, effective radiated power, and transmitter location on August 8, 1996. The FCC granted these revised parameters on March 18, 1997. In August 1997, the station applied for a new license to coverBroadcast 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...
these changes and the FCC granted it on December 29, 1997.
The station filed a final application in May 1998 to change its tower height, antenna height, and power to the allow it to share an antenna with its AM sister station, WGRM, as the owners had prepared for in 1989. The shared tower at 33°32′02"N 90°11′42"W allowed for an antenna height of 90 metres (295.3 ft) with 12,000 watts of effective radiated power. The FCC granted the new construction permit on August 28, 1998.
Willis era
In December 1998, after six decades of Ewing-family broadcasting history in Greenwood, Clay Ewing made a deal to sell both WGRM-FM and AM sister stationSister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
WGRM
WGRM (AM)
WGRM is an American radio station licensed to serve Greenwood, Mississippi, USA. Established in 1938 by P.K. Ewing, the station was owned by the Ewing family for 60 years. WGRM is currently owned by Christian Broadcasting of Greenwood, Inc....
to Willis Broadcasting Corporation, based in Norfolk, Virginia. Willis Broadcasting Corporation was wholly owned by Levi E. Willis, Sr. The FCC approved the deal on February 22, 1999, and the transaction was formally consummated on March 31, 1999.
When Willis Broadcasting Corporation acquired WGRM and WGRM-FM, it owned only one other radio station: WIZK
WIZK
WIZK is a radio station licensed to serve Bay Springs, Mississippi. The station is owned by M. Jerome Huey. It airs a country music format. The station was assigned the WIZK call letters by the Federal Communications Commission in 1987....
in Bay Springs, Mississippi
Bay Springs, Mississippi
Bay Springs is a city in Jasper County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,097 at the 2000 census. It is located at the intersection of state highways 15 and 18. The area was settled in the 1880s by Joe Blankenship, who built the saw mill that became the town's industrial base...
. Although it would later sell WIZK, by mid-2005 the company held the broadcast licenses for eight radio stations across Louisiana and Mississippi. In July 2005, owner Levi Willis applied to the FCC to transfer the licenses for WGRM and WGRM-FM to a new company called Christian Broadcasting of Greenwood, Inc. These would be the only two stations held by this new company. The FCC swiftly approved the transfer on July 29, 2005, and the transaction was formally consummated on January 1, 2006.
Christian Broadcasting of Greenwood's sole shareholder, Levi E. Willis, Sr., died on February 20, 2009, at the age of 79. In March 2009, his estate notified the FCC of the involuntary transfer of control of the license holder. The FCC approved the transfer of control to the Estate of Levi E. Willis, Sr., with Joseph L. Lindsey as executor, on May 13, 2009.
Former personalities
Past on-air personalities on WGRM-FM include Rose Mathews Ewing, known as the "Weather Lady", who read weather forecasts on WGRMWGRM (AM)
WGRM is an American radio station licensed to serve Greenwood, Mississippi, USA. Established in 1938 by P.K. Ewing, the station was owned by the Ewing family for 60 years. WGRM is currently owned by Christian Broadcasting of Greenwood, Inc....
and WGRM-FM while her husband Clay Ewing owned the stations. Rose Ewing died of heart failure in May 2006 at the age of 66. Clay Ewing died six months later on November 23, 2006, at the age of 67. In addition to his role with the radio stations, Clay Ewing served one term as mayor of Greenwood from 1973 to 1977.