WCIS (760

kHz 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 uni ...

) is an AM

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 ...

broadcasting a southern gospel music format. Licensed to

Morganton, North Carolina Morganton is a city in and county seat of Burke County, North Carolina, United States. It is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Catawba River. The population was 17,474 at the 2020 census. Morganton is approximately ...

, United States, it serves the Morganton area. The station is owned by WFM Incorporated.

History

In December 1985, the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

(FCC) granted a license to American Beacon Broadcasting, majority owned by Ernie Penley, Jr., station manager of WPTL in

Canton, North Carolina Canton is the second largest town in Haywood County, North Carolina, United States. It is located about west of Asheville, North Carolina, Asheville and is part of that city's Asheville metropolitan area, metropolitan area. The town is named aft ...

. Sherrill Greene of Glen Alpine was the other owner. The plan was to play

Contemporary Christian Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

music by such artists as

Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She began her music career in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the mid-1980s. Grant has been referred to as "Honorific ...

and Sandi Patti, with a target audience of 25 to 45. WCIS did not sign on until March 1988, and the format changed to southern gospel in January 1989. Many listeners were over 50. On February 1, 2008, the station's building was destroyed by fire. John Whisnant, Jr., who had won the Southern Gospel DJ of the Year award three times, said he believed the fire was intentionally set to cover up a

burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal offence. Usually ...

. WCIS returned to the air on March 1 with automation and a backup transmitter, with plans to begin live broadcasts eventually. A new studio was planned on Highway 126. WMIT sent its chief engineer to get the station running again, and station employees were helping with construction of the new studio.

References

External links

Southern Gospel radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1988 1988 establishments in North Carolina CIS CIS {{NorthCarolina-radio-station-stub