WGEA

WGEA
City Geneva, Alabama
Slogan "Spirit of Geneva"
Frequency 1150 AM (kHz)
Format Talk
Power 1000 watts (day)
35 watts (night)
Class D
Facility ID 60100
Transmitter coordinates 31°01′21″N 85°52′16″W / 31.02250°N 85.87111°W / 31.02250; -85.87111
Callsign meaning GEneva, Alabama
Owner Shelley Broadcasting Company, Inc.
Webcast Listen Live
Website wgea.us

WGEA (1150 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Geneva, Alabama. The station is owned by Shelley Broadcasting Company, Inc. It airs a Talk radio format.[1]

The station was assigned the WGEA call letters by the Federal Communications Commission.[2]

Notable programming includes a morning show with local host Clayton Flick plus local high school sporting events and national shows from syndicated hosts Bill Bennet, Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager, Michael Medved and Mark Levin.

HISTORY

WGEA was put on the air on March 17, 1953 by three brothers - Howard, Clarence and Alton Scott, who owned The Geneva County Reaper. Senator John Sparkman and Governor Gordon Persons attended the formal opening ceremony on April 2, 1953. The station was called, "Voice of the Geneva County Reaper". In the late 1950's WGEA was purchased by Radio South then owned by Miles and Celeste Ferguson.

In 1962 a group of local businessmen formed Geneva County Broadcasting Company and bought the station. WGEA - FM (now WLDA Hope Hull, AL) was launched on June 27, 1969. The FM station was largely programmed separately but did simulcast some popular local news programs in the morning hours. James C. Helms was the General Manager from 1962 until his death in 1980 at which time his wife Joan assumed his position and became one of the first female General Managers in Alabama radio.

In 1987 WGEA AM&FM was sold to Shelley Broadcasting Company owned by H. Jack Mizell of Ozark, AL. He changed the call letters of the FM station to WRJM and moved its studios to Ozark. Doc Parker became General Manager of the AM station and also hosted "The Breakfast Club", a popular local morning program, until he retired in 2015. The FM station was sold in a bank foreclosure in 2008, but Mr. Mizell continues to own and operate WGEA.

References

  1. ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  2. ↑ "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.


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