Swain County to get first FM radio station
Station manager Robert Lowe hopes to have Swain County’s first FM radio station up and running by next week.
While he’s still waiting for the engineer to install the broadcast tower, he anticipates launching the radio station from Bryson City at 5 p.m. Nov. 27. The broadcast facility will be co-located with Grace Christian Academy at 498 Arlington Avenue.
“The studio space has already been constructed and more of our equipment is arriving on a daily basis,” Lowe said.
Lowe also said that the mission of WTIJ Radio would be to provide community-centered programming to the citizens of Swain County. Going beyond local weather forecasts and community announcements, WTIJ plans to accomplish its mission in several ways, first, by providing “Fridays at Five,” a weekly, faith-based, community-affairs program.
A large portion of the daily programming schedule will be available to area churches. With both a performance area and an auditorium available for the station’s use, there will be plenty of opportunities for the live broadcast of local musicians. Daily reports from the local agricultural extension office and Federal-State Market News will be heard.
Several “Radio Days” will be donated throughout the year to community organizations such as the Lion’s Club. Finally, WTIJ plans to develop and begin broadcasting news programs several times daily that focus on happenings within its coverage area.
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“WTIJ’s vision is to increase community awareness and showcase the relevance of community broadcasting in the 21st century,” Lowe said. In addition to the objectives put forth in its mission statement, WTIJ hopes to become a “learning lab” of sorts, “a good opportunity, especially since the station is located within an educational institution,” Lowe said.
WTIJ-FM was approved for 100 watts one year ago during the 2013 annual filing window opened by the Federal Communications Commission. This was to license low-powered, non-commercial FM stations to nonprofit organizations. Since that time, funds have been appropriated to complete the construction of the radio station.
According to preliminary maps, WTIJ will cover most of Swain County and part of Jackson County, including Bryson City, Cherokee and Whittier.
Although WTIJ missed its initial projected launch date in October, the station should be on the radio dial at 100.7 FM by the end of November.
Lowe said the station would broadcast music that is “uplifting and encouraging” as well as every moment of Swain County High School sports. WTIJ is currently broadcasting online at www.swaincountyfm.com.
Bryson City AM radio changes hands
Five Forty Broadcasting Company has signed a lease agreement with Lighthouse Broadcasting Company for the temporary operation of Bryson City Radio Station WBHN.
The agreement allows the station to be operated by Five Forty Broadcasting Company until the Federal Communications Commission approves the transfer of the station license from Lighthouse Broadcasting Company to Five Forty Broadcasting Company, based in Sylva.
Temporarily, the formats will remain the same during testing, installation of new equipment, completing programming contracts and identifying elements for the stations. In the immediate future, the WBHN Radio format will undergo significant changes to include more community-focused programs and coverage of local events. Tradio, Five Forty Focus, and several other programs will air on both stations.
In 2009, the radio station suspended its operations for financial reasons. At the time, two competing groups began scrambling to save WBHN and get it back on the air before the FCC revoked its broadcasting license. If a station goes dark for more than 365 days, the license to broadcast on that frequency is revoked by the FCC.
Lloyd Brown, pastor of Spruce Grove Baptist Church in Bryson City, ended up purchasing the radio station in 2010 and has been slowly working to revive the AM frequency.
While Brown couldn’t be reached for comment, the radio station’s website stated that the station had to go off the air because of financial difficulties. In a previous interview, he said it cost $2,000 a month to keep the nonprofit station afloat.
“Due to the current economic conditions, WBHN has been unable to secure the necessary funding through advertising to continue operations. It is with great regret and with no alternative that this decision has been made,” Brown said.
The station has served Swain County since 1967. To listen, tune your radio dial to 1590 AM, and tell the station what music and programming you want to hear by calling 828.488.2682.
