WVSG (AM)

WVSG (820 AM, "St. Gabriel Radio") is an American radio station in Columbus, Ohio. St. Gabriel Radio began broadcasting on AM 820 (the former WOSU) when it returned the station to the air as WVSG on Saturday morning December 17, 2011, after 3 days of silence and concluded its broadcasts on WVKO (1580 AM) also in Columbus on the evening of December 20.

WVSG
CityColumbus, Ohio
Broadcast areaColumbus metro area
Frequency820 kHz
BrandingSt. Gabriel Radio
Programming
FormatChristian radio (Catholic)
Ownership
OwnerSt. Gabriel Radio Inc.
History
First air date
June 3, 1922 (1922-06-03)
Former call signs
8XL (1920-1922)
WEAO (1922-1933)
WOSU (1933-2011)
Call sign meaning
"Voice of St. Gabriel"
Technical information
ClassB
Power6,500 watts (day)
790 watts (night)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitestgabrielradio.com

St. Gabriel Radio airs local Catholic programming in addition to programming from EWTN Global Catholic Radio. AM 820 broadcasts with 5,000 watts daytime and 790 watts directional in the evenings and overnights from their respective transmitter sites located near Upper Arlington and Grove City.

St. Gabriel programming was previously broadcasting on WVKO until the purchase of WOSU took place. Hence, St. Gabriel programming on WVKO ceased on December 20 at 6P.M. local time. WVKO was airing continuing announcements informing St. Gabriel listeners to switch to AM 820 until it eventually reverted to a talk format.

St. Gabriel Radio is the first full-time Catholic radio broadcaster in central Ohio.

The transition of St. Gabriel from 1580 to 820 AM concluded on Tuesday evening December 20, 2011 at 6P.M. during the local airing of "The Local Spotlight Show" on WVKO and the program concluding on WVSG afterward. WOSU radio programming as a news/talk format from National Public Radio continues on WOSU-FM while WVKO adopted a progressive talk format on January 2, 2012 at 6 A.M.[1]

History

Named for the Archangel Gabriel – the patron saint of communication workers worldwide – St. Gabriel Radio Inc. purchased WUCO 1270 kHz in Marysville from Frontier Broadcasting in 2005. This purchase turned WUCO into the first full-time Catholic radio station licensed in Ohio since Cleveland-licensed WMIH was sold to Radio Disney in 1998 (that station is now WCCR, once again carrying Catholic programming). Similarly formatted WNOP, while serving the greater Cincinnati market, is actually licensed to Newport, Kentucky.

Upon the switch, WUCO moved their studio and office base from Marysville to Columbus, the hub of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus, thus increasing its volunteer and listener base. In 2007, St. Gabriel Radio proposed to lease WVKO 1580 in Columbus from owner Bernard Ohio LLC with intention to later purchase the station as its signal better reaches Columbus than the directional and less powerful signal of WUCO. WVKO previously aired a liberal progressive talk format. Both WUCO and WVKO aired in simulcast until WUCO was sold in January 2010 to ICS Communications which is now WQTT airing an oldies format with the studio moved back to Marysville. It was that same year when The Ohio State University announced that WOSU was put up for sale which convinced St. Gabriel Radio to purchase it on September 21, 2011 instead of WVKO. Their fundraiser "Leave a Legacy" then focused on purchasing WOSU. The sale and transfer of license from The Ohio State University was approved by the FCC on November 7, 2011.

St. Gabriel Radio also owned and operated WFOT 89.5 MHz licensed to Lexington and serving the Mansfield area as a near-simulcast of the AM station. WFOT made its on-air debut in February 2007. WFOT now broadcasts the programming of Annunciation Radio (originated by WNOC based in Toledo).

Call sign history

The call sign WVSG was used previously from 2002 to 2006 at the former WZQK (now K-LOVE affiliate WGCK-FM) 99.7 MHz in Coeburn, Virginia and then from 2006 to 2009 at an AM station formerly known as WEZC and currently as WNKW 1480 kHz in Neon, Kentucky. The call sign is believed to have been used at 98.9 FM in Bethel, North Carolina, the current WLXB.

References
  1. Progressive talk to debut Monday on Columbus, Ohio's WVKO (1580), Radio-Info.com, Friday, December 30, 2011

Sources

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