Technical Profile: WGYV

AM Technical Profile: WGYV

Frequency:: 1380
Format:: Classic Hits
Transmitter Location:: [map] [street view] On the south side of AL-10 (Commerce Street) in Greenville, about a half mile west of US-31.
Power (ERP):: Day: 1 kW
Antenna:: Day: 1 tower
Other Information:: 0.5 mV/m Daytime Groundwave Service Contour from the FCC's Public Files

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Owned by Robert John Williamson (Florala Broadcasting)
History:: Greenville Broadcasting Company (E. Vernon Stabler, Calvin Poole and Samuel W. Ferrell, Jr.) applied for a new broadcasting station on 1400 kHz, with 250 watts, in 1947. Engineer Robert F. Wolfskill signed the station on in August 1948 with a Gates 250-C transmitter, operating full time. From the beginning, the station had the WGYV calls, and transmitter from the current location on AL-10 just east of downtown Greenville.

In the late 50's, the station was known to be a Keystone affiliate. It is likely that the station had a typical small town "do it all format" with a variety of music (including Contemporary Pop and Country & Western) and local programming. The station moved to 1380 kHz in 1956, in order to increase power to 1,000 watts full time with a Gates BC-1J transmitter. Interestingly, for three years (1958 through 1960) the station was required to sign off at 6 pm between April and August of each year.

By the late 70's, the station was still airing a variety of programming, but had shifted to Adult Contemporary and Country after an FM station signed on in '77 with a Top 40 music format.

In the early 80's, the station transitioned to all-Country music when the aforementioned FM competition switched to Adult Contemporary. The station was acquired by Butler Broadcasting in 1982 for $150,000.

The station remained with the Country format until the mid-90's, when it flipped to News/Talk. After a few years, they began transitioning to a hybrid Talk and Oldies music format. The station was bought by Golden Broadcasting Company in 1995.

The station was bought by Robert John Williamson in 2002. In 2004, the station received a rare major modification construction permit to relocate to Aurora, Indiana on 1030 kHz. That permit expired, but another was applied and granted in 2008. That permit also never got built, and expired in 2011. At some point when these permits were active, the station flipped to a Gospel and Religious format.

During the mid-2010's, the station was doing Talk again, with Black Gospel and preaching on the weekends. That gave way to Classic Hits in May 2016.

It was announced in January 2020 that Florida-panhandle based WTJT would begin simulcasting on WGYV on 7 January. WTJT is a noncommercial religious broadcaster in the Crestview area and was also being simulcast on Williamson's WKWL in Florala. It left the simulcast for a different format in May 2024 and it's unclear if this station is still doing religious programming or has transitioned to something else.

It was observed in mid-June 2024 that the station had dropped religious programming for a bare-bones Classic Hits format with weather and station IDs, no commercials or other content.