WAKL (106.7
MHz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...
, branded ''106.7 K-Love'') is a
non-commercial
A non-commercial (also spelled noncommercial) activity is an activity that is not carried out in the interest of Profit (economics), profit. The opposite is Commerce, commercial, something that primarily serves profit interests and is focused on bu ...
FM Christian contemporary
Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith an ...
radio station
Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...
licensed to
Gainesville, Georgia
Gainesville is a city and the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it has been calle ...
. Owned by the
Educational Media Foundation
Educational Media Foundation (formerly EMF Broadcasting, abbreviated EMF) is an American nonprofit Christian media ministry based in Franklin, a suburb of Nashville.
EMF is the parent company of K-LOVE and Air1—the world's largest contempor ...
, WAKL serves the
Atlanta metropolitan area
Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the sixt ...
as the local
affiliate
Affiliation or affiliate may refer to:
* Affiliate (commerce), a legal form of entity relationship used in Business Law
* Affiliation (family law), a legal form of family relationship
* Affiliate marketing
* Affiliate network or affiliation platfo ...
for the national
K-Love
K-Love (stylized as K-LOVE) is an American Christian radio network. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), a non-profit Christian ministry, it primarily broadcasts contemporary Christian music.
As of June 2019, the network's progr ...
network. Besides a standard
analog transmission
Analog transmission is a transmission method of conveying information using a continuous signal which varies in amplitude, phase, or some other property in proportion to that information. It could be the transfer of an analog signal, using an an ...
, WAKL broadcasts in the
HD Radio
HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...
hybrid format.
WAKL is a
Class C FM radio station, with an
effective radiated power
Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would ha ...
(ERP) of 77,000
watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...
s. In 1985, the
transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...
location was moved from the Gainesville area to a site off Piney Grove Road in
Loganville, Georgia
Loganville is a city in Walton and Gwinnett counties, Georgia, United States. The population was 16,516 as of 2023. Loganville is located about east of Atlanta and is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area.
History
An early variant name was " ...
, bringing it about 30 miles closer to
Intown Atlanta
Intown Atlanta (or as an adjective, "intown") is a loosely-defined term used by the residents of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, in the United States. It is most frequently used in Atlanta metropolitan area, metro Atlanta to designate an ...
, though Gainesville remains as its
city of license
In U.S., Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator.
In North American broadcast ...
. WAKL programming is heard on an
FM translator
A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater ( two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tr ...
station, 19–watt W223BP, 92.5 MHz in
Dallas, Georgia
Dallas is a city in, and the county seat of, Paulding County, Georgia, United States. The estimated population, as of 2020, was 14,042. Dallas is a northwestern exurb of Atlanta, located approximately from the downtown area. It was named for ...
.
History
Early years (1949–1984)
On April 3, 1949, this facility first
signed on
A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio broadcasting, radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonw ...
as WDUN-FM. It was co-owned with
WDUN (1400 AM; now at 550 AM). At first, it was only powered at 300 watts and it
simulcast
Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
its AM
sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement.
Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...
. In the 1960s, the station moved to 106.7 MHz and power was dramatically increased to 50,000 watts. It switched to an
automated
Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machine ...
beautiful music format.
By late 1976, WDUN-FM was WWID "Wide 107", continuing its
easy listening
Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...
format. Then it became WWLT "Lite 106" in early 1983, playing
soft adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
music.
Country (1984–2008)
WWLT was sold to Katz Broadcasting in 1984. On June 25, 1984, the
call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...
changed to WYAY, flipping to a
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
format as "Y106", a moniker it retained until 2000. From 1989 to 1994, Y106 was paired with a station known as "Y104", on the opposite (southwest) side of
metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the sixt ...
, broadcasting at 104.1 MHz. Y106 and Y104 simulcast their programming, except for
advertisement
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...
s. 104.1 FM became
urban adult contemporary
Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...
WALR-FM
WALR-FM (104.1 MHz ''Kiss 104.1'') is a commercial radio station licensed to Palmetto, Georgia and serving Metro Atlanta. It is owned by the Cox Media Group and airs an urban adult contemporary radio format. The studios are co-located with ...
after it was sold to
Cox Radio
CMG Media Corporation (doing business as Cox Media Group) is an American media conglomerate principally owned by Apollo Global Management in conjunction with Cox Enterprises, which maintains a 29% minority stake in the company. The company p ...
in late 1994.
In 1993, WYAY was bought by
ABC Radio for $19 million. ABC kept the country format in place, with popular
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...
Rhubarb Jones hosting mornings.
On September 1, 2000, at 3 p.m., the station changed to a
classic country format as "Eagle 106.7". The station still played some current music but mainly focused on the classics. The first song on the new "Eagle" was "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" by
Marietta native
Travis Tritt
James Travis Tritt (born February 9, 1963) is an American country music, country singer-songwriter. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In t ...
.
In late 2005, WYAY changed transmitter locations to a new tower in Loganville, that the station shares with
Salem-owned
WFSH-FM
WAIA (104.7 MHz, "Air1") is a non-commercial FM radio station licensed to Athens, Georgia, and serving Metro Atlanta. The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundation. It airs EMF's contemporary worship music network Air1.
The transm ...
, which improved south metro coverage for the 106.7 signal. In 2007, ABC, under the ownership of
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
, decided to sell all of its radio stations to
Citadel Media
Cumulus Media Networks was an American radio network owned and operated by Cumulus Media. From 2011 until its merger with Westwood One, it controlled many of the radio assets formerly belonging to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), whi ...
.
Oldies/classic hits (2008–2012)
On February 29, 2008, Citadel announced that WYAY would drop its country format for
oldies
Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music.
Since 2 ...
. A majority of the on-air talent was released, including
Rhubarb Jones, who had served at the station since 1985. This format change was triggered by Citadel's financial hardships that occurred after the company's purchase of ABC Radio. Jones had been the longest-running morning
DJ on Atlanta radio. Dallas McCade and traffic reporter Greg Talmadge were the only on-air survivors of the switch to oldies. They later moved to co-owned country station
WKHX. Jones died in 2017.
On March 9, 2008 at 12:56 p.m., WYAY played its last country song, "
Stealing Cinderella" by
Chuck Wicks. The station then aired a live
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
radio broadcast (the
Kobalt Tools 500 from
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway (currently known as EchoPark Speedway for sponsorship reasons, formerly known as the Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Hampton, Georg ...
). Then at 7:00 p.m., just after the race had finished, the station switched to an oldies format, rebranding itself as "True Oldies 106.7". The first song played was "Revolution" by
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
. The station featured the
syndicated Imus in the Morning
''Imus in the Morning'' was a long-running radio show hosted by Don Imus. The show originated on June 2, 1968, on various stations in the Western United States and Cleveland, Ohio, before settling on WNBC radio in New York City in 1971. In Octo ...
and ABC's
The True Oldies Channel all day, similar to a format flip that occurred on sister station
WJZW in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, on February 29, 2008. The oldies format had been absent from the metro Atlanta area for several years. WYAY promoted a
playlist
A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player, either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs that can be played once or in a loop. ...
of over 5,000 songs, while most oldies stations only play a fraction of that many titles.
On November 7, 2008, WYAY announced that it would not carry NASCAR races in 2009, and would become the new FM home of
Georgia Tech football and men's basketball.
On April 6, 2009, it was announced that Imus would move from WYAY to talk station
WCFO
WCFO (1160 kHz) is a listener-supported AM radio station, licensed to East Point, Georgia. It airs a Catholic radio format and is owned by Atlanta Catholic Radio. Most of the programming comes from the EWTN Radio Network. It is one of two C ...
. The "Spiff & Fred Show", hosted by former Fox 97 personality Spiff Carner with co-host Freddie Brooks, moved from afternoons to mornings to replace Imus.
On November 22, 2010, the station changed its branding to "106.7 Atlanta's Greatest Hits", dropping The True Oldies Channel network, and shifted its format to a mix of hit songs from the 1970s and 1980s, eliminating songs from the 1960s.
Citadel merged with
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is a broadcasting company of the United States and is the second largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States ahead of Audacy and behind iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdi ...
on September 16, 2011.
All news (2012–2014)

On April 6, 2012, Cumulus registered the
domain name
In the Internet, a domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control. Domain names are often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such as websites, email services, and more. ...
AllNews1067.com. On April 27, Cumulus announced the switch to "All News 106.7" would be sometime in May.
CNN Radio
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news ...
, based in Atlanta, had discontinued operations several months earlier, with WYAY hiring many former CNN Radio employees to staff the station, including Greg Black, Maria Boynton, Andy Rose, Andy Flick, Michelle Wright and Jackie Howard. The station also hired Marshall Adams, former program director for
KDKA in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
. WYAY also partnered with
WAGA-TV
WAGA-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, serving as the market's Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network outlet. Owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division, the station maintains st ...
for weather and traffic reports, as well as
WCNN
WCNN (680 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station city of license, licensed to Brookhaven, Georgia, North Atlanta and serving the Atlanta metropolitan area, Atlanta-area radio market. It is owned by Dickey Broadcasting and airs a sports radio ra ...
for sports updates.
In May 2012, an application was filed with the FCC to change the frequency from 106.7 to 106.5, change the city of license from Gainesville to
Sandy Springs
Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and a suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's 7th most populous city. It is the site of several corporate headquar ...
, and change
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
from C to C1, any of which would require a
rulemaking
In administrative law, rulemaking is the process that executive and independent agencies use to create, or ''promulgate'', regulations. In general, legislatures first set broad policy mandates by passing statutes, then agencies create more de ...
proceeding to amend the FCC
table of allotments. In addition, it would affect
co-channel
Co-channel interference or CCI is crosstalk from two different radio transmitters using the same channel. Co-channel interference can be caused by many factors from weather conditions to administrative and design issues. Co-channel interferenc ...
WSKZ
WSKZ (106.5 FM) is a commercial radio station in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The station operates under a classic rock format and is branded as KZ106. The station is one of four stations operating in the Chattanooga broadcast area by Cumulus M ...
in
Chattanooga
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...
, also owned by Cumulus. That station would have to reduce its
signal strength
In telecommunications, particularly in radio frequency engineering, signal strength is the transmitter power output as received by a reference antenna at a distance from the transmitting antenna. High-powered transmissions, such as those used i ...
toward the south and southeast to prevent
RF interference between the two. WYAY's application lists the
Inman Park tower east of downtown Atlanta as the proposed site. This was built for
WUPA
WUPA (channel 69), branded Atlanta 69, is an independent television station in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The station is owned by the CBS News and Stations group and maintains studios on Northeast Expressway ( I-85) in unincorporated D ...
, although that station has since moved. However, in June 2012, the FCC denied the application.
On May 29, 2012 at 4:50 a.m., WYAY ended its classic hits format by playing "
Another One Bites the Dust
"Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the British Rock music, rock band Queen (band), Queen. Written by bassist John Deacon, the song was featured on the group's eighth studio album ''The Game (Queen album), The Game'' (1980). It was a worl ...
" by
Queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
, "
Last Dance" by
Donna Summer
Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...
, and "
A Day in the Life
"A Day in the Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as the final track of their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the opening and closing sections of the s ...
" by
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
. This would be followed by a 10 minute stunt montage of random song and movie soundclips, with a common theme of them being themed around news. At 5:00 a.m., the station began its all-news format. Ratings during this time were poor.
On October 21, 2013, Cumulus announced the first of two changes to the station's programming, with former
WGST host
Kim Peterson, better known as "The Kimmer", hosting a midday talk and interview program for WYAY known as "Newsmakers" beginning the following month. WYAY also became the
flagship station
In broadcasting, a flagship (also known as a flagship station or key station) is the broadcast station which originates a television network, or a particular radio or television program that plays a key role in the branding of and consumer loyal ...
for the
Atlanta Braves Radio Network
The Atlanta Braves Radio Network is a 171-station network (66 A.M., 39 F.M. stations + 62 F.M. translators and 4 HD channels) with terrestrial coverage in 11 states Southeastern United States that airs Major League Baseball games of the Atlanta B ...
effective with the start of the 2014 season.
News/talk (2014–2019)

On May 12, 2014, WYAY relaunched with a news/talk format, branded as "Newsradio 106.7". The station began to focus more on talk shows and slowly phased out its remaining all-news blocks. Over time, the only all-news block was weekday morning
drive time
Drive time is the daypart in which radio broadcasters can reach the most people who listen to car radios while driving, usually to and from work, or on public transportation. Drive-time periods are when the number of radio listeners in this c ...
. In January 2018, the station relaunched again as "Talk 106.7" with an emphasis on personality-driven programming, and no all-news blocks.
On February 13, 2019, Cumulus Media announced it would sell six stations, including WYAY, to the Educational Media Foundation for $103.5 million. Also included were stations in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
,
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
,
San Jose,
Savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
and
Syracuse
Syracuse most commonly refers to:
* Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse
* Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area
Syracuse may also refer to:
Places
* Syracuse railway station (disambiguation)
Italy
* Provi ...
. As a result of the impending format change,
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
broadcasts would move back to
WNNX
WNNX (100.5 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to College Park, Georgia, featuring a classic alternative format as "99X". Owned by Cumulus Media, the station serves the Atlanta metropolitan area. ...
and
WCNN
WCNN (680 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station city of license, licensed to Brookhaven, Georgia, North Atlanta and serving the Atlanta metropolitan area, Atlanta-area radio market. It is owned by Dickey Broadcasting and airs a sports radio ra ...
.
Christian music (2019–present)
On May 31, 2019, WYAY concluded its talk format. Throughout the day, the hosts allowed listeners to call in and share their thoughts about the end of the station. At 7:00 p.m. that evening, EMF officially took over the station and began airing
K-Love
K-Love (stylized as K-LOVE) is an American Christian radio network. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), a non-profit Christian ministry, it primarily broadcasts contemporary Christian music.
As of June 2019, the network's progr ...
programming. Upon taking over the station, EMF changed the station's call letters to WAKL, a call sign previously held on
the K-Love station in
Flint, Michigan
Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...
.
The Atlanta
radio market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...
is now served by three
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christianity, Chri ...
stations: WAKL, sister station
WAIA, which plays EMF's nationally syndicated "
Air1
Air1 is an American Christian radio network owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), a non-profit Christian ministry. It primarily broadcasts contemporary worship music, and is a sister to the EMF's K-Love network.
History
On July 15, ...
" network, and
WVFJ-FM
WVFJ-FM (93.3 MHz, "The JOY FM") is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Greenville, Georgia, and serving West-Central Georgia, including portions of Metro Atlanta and the Columbus-Auburn-Opelika area. It is owned by the Radio Training ...
. All three stations are supported by listener contributions.
EMF turned on the HD signal on July 30, 2019, and has its sister networks "Air1" on 106.7-HD2, and Classic contemporary Christian Music "K-Love Classics" on 106.7-HD3.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
{{coord, 33.867, N, 83.829, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
AKL (FM)
K-Love radio stations
Educational Media Foundation radio stations
Contemporary Christian radio stations in the United States
Radio stations established in 1949
1949 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
AKL (FM)