WVFJ-FM
 | |
| Broadcast area | Mid-Western Georgia |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 93.3 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 93.3 & 102.1 The JOY FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Contemporary Christian |
| Subchannels | HD2: Contemporary worship music HD3: Christian hip hop |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Radio Training Network |
| History | |
First air date | 1967 |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Victory For Jesus" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 53679 |
| Class | C0 |
| ERP | 38,000 watts 57,000 watts (CP) |
| HAAT | 491 meters (1,611 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 33°5′10.4″N 84°46′9.7″W / 33.086222°N 84.769361°W |
| Translator(s) | See § Translators |
| Repeater(s) | See § Repeaters |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | georgia |
WVFJ-FM (93.3 MHz, "The JOY FM") is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Greenville, Georgia, and serving West-Central Georgia, including portions of Metro Atlanta and the Columbus-Auburn-Opelika area. It is owned by the Radio Training Network with studios and offices in Tyrone. WVFJ broadcasts a Contemporary Christian radio format. Its tower is located in Greenville, off Forest Road.[2] The station broadcasts online and on a network of rebroadcasters and FM translators.
WVFJ-FM is a Class C0 station. It has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 38,000 watts. The tower has a height above average terrain (HAAT) of 491 meters (1,611 ft).[3]
History
[edit]WFDR-FM and WQCK
[edit]The station's original call sign was WFDR-FM, signing on the air in 1967.[4] It was the sister station to WFDR AM 1370 in Manchester. The call sign was a reference to former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had his Little White House vacation home in nearby Warm Springs, Georgia.
On October 31, 1981, the station changed its call sign to WQCK. Two years later, it adopted its current call letters of WVFJ-FM on July 7, 1983.
Christian radio
[edit]On February 13, 1981, Atlanta businessman Bill Watkins and his wife Joyce founded Provident Broadcasting Company in order to create a radio ministry for the benefit of Christians and others seeking spiritual inspiration. WVFJ, which began using the moniker "The JOY FM", was their first station. It operated as a commercial radio station, selling advertising to support its operations. In 1998, it moved its radio studios from the small community of Manchester into Atlanta radio market as Metro Atlanta's first Contemporary Christian station. The transmitter was moved closer to Atlanta to Greenville.
Provident Broadcasting Company was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Watkins Associated Industries, Incorporated. The group's stated mission was to provide wholesome family programming filled with joy, hope, and encouragement.
In March 2011, WVFJ became officially owned by Radio Training Network. One of the changes under new ownership was that after 30 years, WVFJ became a non-commercial, listener-supported station instead of selling advertising. In May, WVFJ added 11,000 watts to its effective radiated power.
WVFJ-FM is in a three-way competition for the Christian Contemporary audience in the Atlanta market. Listeners can also choose 104.7 WFSH-FM, a commercial station known as "The Fish," owned by the Salem Media Group. And the Tennessee-based Educational Media Foundation owns 106.7 WAKL, part of the non-commercial K-Love network.[5]
Tower collapse
[edit]On January 12, 2023, WVFJ's transmitter tower was destroyed by a tornado.[6] A series of tornados in Georgia and Alabama resulted in seven fatalities and caused millions of dollars in damage.
Radio Training Network worked to restore the tower and get the station back on the air.[7] While the tower was reconstructed, programming continues to be heard on line and on a series of rebroadcasters and FM translators in Georgia and Alabama.
In May 2024, construction of the new tower was completed at the same location as the previous tower, and the station returned to broadcast at full power.[8]
Translator network
[edit]The station is retransmitted on W270AS 101.9 in Carrollton to the northwest and W231AO 94.1 in Columbus, all located southwest of Atlanta in Western Georgia. It is also listed as the primary station for multiple other translator applications filed by Edgewater Broadcasting in 2003, in what was called the "Great Translator Invasion".[2]
All of its translators are in Western Georgia and Eastern Alabama. Two translators rebroadcast WVFJ's HD Radio digital subchannels, one airing Contemporary worship music and one airing Christian hip hop.
Repeaters
[edit]| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | Facility ID | Class | ERP (W) |
Height (m (ft)) |
Transmitter coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WWWD[9] | 102.1 FM | Bolingbroke, Georgia | 86172 | A | 4,500 | 115 m (377 ft) | 32°54′30.5″N 83°46′36.7″W / 32.908472°N 83.776861°W |
| WLKQ-HD2 | 102.3-2 FM (HD) | Buford, Georgia | 36350 | A | 4,200 | 119 m (390 ft) | 34°7′16.4″N 83°58′34.7″W / 34.121222°N 83.976306°W |
| WCON-HD2 | 99.3-2 FM (HD) | Cornelia, Georgia | 25814 | C1 | 100,000 | 246 m (807 ft) | 34°31′24.4″N 83°40′45.6″W / 34.523444°N 83.679333°W |
Translators
[edit]Contemporary Christian music
[edit]| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | FCC info | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W271CF | 102.1 FM | Phenix City, Alabama | 151095 | 210 | 117 m (384 ft) | D | LMS | Relays WVFJ-FM |
| W262AL | 100.3 FM | Gainesville, Georgia | 151815 | 105 | 128 m (420 ft) | D | LMS | Relays WCON-HD2 |
| W223CQ | 92.5 FM | Lawrenceville, Georgia | 67214 | 250 | 60 m (197 ft) | D | LMS | Relays WLKQ-HD2 |
Christian worship music
[edit]| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W270AS | 101.9 FM | Carrollton, Georgia | 150826 | 10 | 177.1 m (581 ft) | D | LMS |
Christian hip hop
[edit]| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W292GF | 106.3 FM | Morrow, Georgia | 153974 | 5 | 133.6 m (438 ft) | D | LMS |
See also
[edit]- WMSL — 88.9 FM, licensed to Bogart, Georgia
Notable DJ
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WVFJ-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ RadioInsight.com "WVFJ Tower Destroyed by Tornado" Jan. 12, 2023. Retrieved Feb. 6, 2024
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/WVFJ
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-53. Retrieved Feb. 6, 2024.
- ^ InsideRadio.com "Three-Way Format Battle in Atlanta in Christian Radio" Oct. 14, 2019. Retrieved Feb. 6, 2024
- ^ "WVFJ-FM Tower Destroyed By Tornado - RadioInsight". January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ YouTube.com "Georgia Tower Update" Oct. 2023. Retrieved Feb. 6, 2024
- ^ [1]
- ^ "JOY Comes to Macon |".
External links
[edit]- Facility details for Facility ID 86172 (WWWD) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WWWD in Nielsen Audio's FM station database