Who:WUCG(LP), Radio Blairsville 93.1, TMQ Inc., Dr. Larry V. Flegle and Jan Flegle
What: Programming country, bluegrass, gospel, talk and some local news. We have just added agricultural/farm news from Southeast Ag Net and we’ll be an affiliate providing relevant news from our corner of the Southeast
Where: The top of Georgia (Blairsville, Ga.)
When: July 14, 2014
Why: In addition to teaching, some college professors write a book, others consultant with small businesses, some serve in the military reserves, but Dr. Larry and Professor Jan Flegle of American Public University System did something very different; they applied for and won a construction permit to build a radio station.
“From the top of Georgia, this is WUCG-LP” is now heard on the airwaves in Union County, Ga. The station is a community-based nonprofit organization that broadcast to Blairsville and Union County. Noncommercial stations inject vibrancy into a radio dial that has suffered from years of media consolidation. Community stations offer a platform for content and viewpoints that traditional media overlook. These stations foster community identity and serve as hubs for vital safety information during local emergencies.
How: Many of the day-to-day activities are accomplished by volunteers. TuneTracker computer automation will manage programming for non-live broadcast hours. WUCG will be part of the Emergency Alert System and will air emergency notices and AMBER Alerts.
We plan to apply for two translators (repeater stations) as soon as the filing window opens. Internet streaming is provided by SecureNet Systems. We use a Nexus 250 watt transmitter into a SDS two-bay Penetrator antenna system. Our EAS system is a Digital Alert DASDEC II. Everything was purchased for cash so WUCG(LP) has started out debt-free.
We have our first college intern already. He is Hayden Sharp from Young Harris College. Hayden is learning every aspect of radio.
Our biggest supporter so far is Cochran Funeral Homes. We run on-air obituaries twice a day to keep our retirement community informed. We also run local weather put together by a meteorologist every 30 minutes. The weather is provided for a fee from stormreport.com. We recently gave away on-air 40 tickets to the NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hal Abrams now provides a noncommercial version of “Animal Radio,” a two-hour show on pet care, because of a request.
Tell Radio World about your on-air LPFM
