WGTS

WGTS (91.9 MHz) is a non-commercial, FM radio station licensed to Takoma Park, Maryland. The station is licensed to and owned by Atlantic Gateway Communications Inc. It broadcasts a Contemporary Christian music format. Its studios are in Rockville, Maryland, and its broadcast tower is located near Arlington, Virginia, and it operates a repeater service, WGBZ (88.3 MHz), near Ocean City, Maryland. The station call letters echo Washington Adventist University's motto: Washington's "Gateway To Service".[4]

WGTS
Broadcast area
Frequency91.9 MHz (HD Radio)
Brandingwgts 91.9
Programming
FormatContemporary Christian
Ownership
OwnerAtlantic Gateway Communications Inc.
History
First air date
May 8, 1957 (1957-05-08)
Former call signs
WGTS-FM (1957–1998)[1]
Call sign meaning
Gateway To Service
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID12460
ClassB
ERP23,500 watts (analog)
940 watts (digital)[3]
HAAT186 metres (610 ft)[3]
Transmitter coordinates
38°53′30.4″N 77°07′53.9″W)[3]
Repeater(s)88.3 WGBZ (Ocean City)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitewww.wgts919.com

History

WGTS began as a 10 watt campus broadcaster in 1957, operating from the basement of the men's dormitory at the then Washington Missionary College in Takoma Park.[5] In 1960, the station increased its power to 10,000 watts with a second power increase in the mid-1960s bringing the station up to 29,500 watts.[6] In 2004, the station completed a long-planned move of its broadcast transmitter from Takoma Park to Arlington, Virginia, lowering the station's transmission power but improving its signal's reach.[6][7] In 2019, the station opened a new "broadcast ministry center" in Rockville, Maryland, for its studios. The new 13,000 square feet (1,200 m2) center hosts two identical on-air studios, three production rooms, and a television studio and replaces the station's 3,000 square feet (280 m2) World War II-era facility on the Washington Adventist University campus.[8]

Proposed sale and spin-off

In July 2007, Washington Adventist University considered selling WGTS to American Public Media (the parent company of Minnesota Public Radio).[9] Several websites were set up to lobby for the Christian format of WGTS, which would be dropped should the station be sold. American Public Media offered $20–25 million to purchase WGTS. A $10 million initial offer by the WGTS board of directors to keep the station within Washington Adventist University was rejected. On September 20, 2007, the college board voted to halt any current discussions of selling WGTS.[10]

In 2018, the Washington Adventist University board voted to spin-off WGTS to a new nonprofit, Atlantic Gateway Communications, for a purchase price of $12 million.[11] The divestiture was submitted to the FCC on July 3, and the transaction consummated on September 11, 2018. No changes to management came with the sale, and AGC signed a five-year lease for the station's current facilities. WAU Board of Trustees members sit on the board of Atlantic Gateway Communications, although it is not under the direct control of the university.[12]

In March 2021, AGC and WGTS announced a deal with American University-owned WAMU to acquire the NPR station's Ocean City, Maryland-based repeater, WRAU (88.3 MHz) for $650,000.[13] WGTS raised some $700,000 from listeners and supporters to fund the sale,[14] giving the station a 50,000-watt repeater service for contemporary Christian programming on the Delmarva Peninsula.[15] The station handover happened on June 24, 2021, and its call sign was changed to WGBZ.[16]

References
  1. "FCC Radio History Cards". Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  2. "Facility Technical Data for WGTS". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. "Facility ID:12460". FCC Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  4. "WGTS-Gateway to Service 91.9FM". 23 April 2013.
  5. "WGTS 91.9 Celebrates 60 Years of Service". Visitor Magazine. Takoma Park, Maryland. November 2, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  6. "WGTS 91.9's History Timeline". Visitor Magazine. Takoma Park, Maryland. November 2, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  7. Yorke, Jeffrey (August 16, 1994). "A Classical Problem". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  8. "WGTS 91.9 Dedicates New Broadcast Center". Christian Music Broadcasters. Little Rock, Arkansas. August 29, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  9. Roland, Kara (July 16, 2007). "WGTS license likely for sale". Washington Times. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  10. Farhi, Paul (September 21, 2007). "Christian College to Keep Radio Station". The Washington Post. p. C07. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  11. Kellner, Mark A. (July 8, 2018). "WGTS-FM, Longtime Adventist College Radio Station, Changes Ownership". The Compass Magazine. Fresno, Texas. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  12. Venta, Lance (July 3, 2018). "Washington Adventist University Divests WGTS Washington DC". RadioInsight.
  13. Janssen, Mike (March 25, 2021). "WAMU reaches second deal to sell Maryland station". Current. Washington, D.C. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  14. Krueger, Kevin. "Crank Up the Joy on the Eastern Shore". WGTS. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  15. "Washington's WGTS Adds Class B Simulcast Partner On Maryland's Eastern Shore". Inside Radio. Atlanta, Georgia. March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  16. @wgts919 (June 24, 2021). "We're just moments away from launching 88.3-FM in Ocean City, and more hope on the Eastern Shore! Help us count down to when we flip the switch. Watch the live event starting at 5:45pm here: #CrankUptheJoy #CrankUptheJoyontheEasternShore #WGBZ" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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