| Broadcast area | Jackson, Mississippi |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1370 kHz |
| Branding | 1370 WMGO |
| Programming | |
| Format | Full-service |
| Affiliations | Supertalk Mississippi |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | WMGO Broadcasting Corp. |
| History | |
First air date | 1953 (as WDOB) |
Former call signs | WDOB (1953–1963) |
Call sign meaning | Watch Madison Go |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 73259 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 1,000
watts day 28 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 32°37′36″N 90°1′47″W / 32.62667°N 90.02972°W |
WMGO (1370 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a full service format. [1] Licensed to Canton, Mississippi, United States, the station serves the Jackson, Mississippi area. The station is currently owned by WMGO Broadcasting Corp. [2]
History
On July 10, 1952, the Madison County Broadcasting Company, owned by Annie Dee Davis, James T. Ownby, and J. Dige Bishop, received a construction permit from the Federal Communications Commission for a new daytime-only radio station on 1370 kHz at Canton. [3] Originally broadcasting with 500 watts, WMGO began broadcasting in 1953; it was approved to increase power to 1,000 watts the next year. [3] The original owners filed to transfer control of the station to W. E. Farrar, R. E. and Lucille Hook, and Hugh Hughes in 1956; Hook bought out Farrar and Hughes the next year. [3]
In 1963, the Hooks sold the station to Roy James Loflin, Jr., and Wilbur Rodney Williams. As the sale awaited completion, the station was briefly taken off-air in April when a tractor plowed into the transmission line; the engineer intervened in time to prevent the driver from touching the electrified wiring. [4] The new owners relaunched the station as WMGO on July 9, 1963, from new studios. [3] [5] Two years later, they sold WMGO to the Canton Broadcasting Corporation. [3] Under Canton Broadcasting ownership, the station continued to have an almost entirely White air staff, with the only Black personalities featured on Sunday mornings. [6] Canton retained the station for more than 15 years, selling to two men from Fairhope, Alabama, in 1981; [7] they owned the station until 1990, when it was sold to McCulloch. [8] New investors were brought in in 1993. [9]
WMGO was joined by an FM sister station in 1997 when owner Jerry Lousteau built WMGO-FM 93.1, licensed to Yazoo City. [10] In 2014, WMGO owner Lousteau revealed that political ads placed on the station against United States Senate candidate Chris McDaniel, linking him to the Ku Klux Klan, had been placed by a Democratic Party operative. [11]
WMGO also broadcasts short form local news simply branded as "The Local Report". The program focuses on local news, weather, and obituaries in Canton, and airs at 7, 8 and 9 AM, and at noon and is anchored by WMGO owner Jerry Lousteau.
References
- ^ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Summer 2009. Archived from the original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
- ^ "WMGO Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
- ^ a b c d e FCC History Cards for WMGO
- ^ "Tractor Put Radio Station Off The Air". Clarion-Ledger. UPI. April 9, 1963. p. A-6. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ "Something New With Radio!". Clarion-Ledger. July 7, 1963. p. E-4. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ Rucker, LaReeca (February 18, 2006). "Journey Awards to honor 3". Madison County Herald. pp. 1A, 6A. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ "Station sold". Northside Sun. August 13, 1981. p. 5A. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 30, 1993. p. 91. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. April 2, 1993. p. 8. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ Baswell, Allen (July 2, 1997). "Radio station sets air date for July". Yazoo Herald. p. 8B. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ Hall, Sam (August 5, 2014). "Radio station owner: Brand behind KKK ads (audio)". Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
External links
- WMGO in the FCC AM station database
- WMGO in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
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