WCOG (1320
AM) is a radio station broadcasting an
oldies
Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as wel ...
format. Licensed to
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...
, United States, the station serves the
Piedmont Triad
The Piedmont Triad (or simply the Triad) is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of North Carolina anchored by three cities: Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. This close group of cities lies in the Piedm ...
area. The station is owned by Winston-Salem-Greensboro Broadcasting Co LLC. The station used to be a sports affiliate of Curtis Media but was sold in March 2021.
History
WCOG went on the air in 1947.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the station had a
top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "conte ...
format. Dusty Dunn, Bob Dayton, Scott Derringer, John "Johnny C" Coffman and other DJs played a mix of music that might have included
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are c ...
,
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blue ...
,
The Drifters
The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in 1 ...
and
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage presence. ...
. Al Troxler "ruled the airwaves" from above Sky Castle Drive-In on High Point Road.
While attending UNC-Chapel Hill
Rick Dees
Rigdon Osmond Dees III (born March 14, 1950), best known as Rick Dees, is an American entertainer, radio personality, comedian, actor, and voice artist, best known for his internationally syndicated radio show '' The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Coun ...
worked for WCOG in 1969 and 1970 when the station was owned by Thoms Broadcasting based in Asheville, NC. Dees left WCOG and worked at
WTOB Winston-Salem, NC and
WKIX Raleigh, NC when those stations were owned by Southern Broadcasting.
By 1981, WCOG was a
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...
station.
In 1985, the station changed its call sign to WGLD,
and its format to
beautiful music
Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator m ...
. A few years later, WGLD changed to satellite-delivered
oldies
Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as wel ...
; in 1989, this gave way to an
adult standards format provided by the
AM Only
America's Best Music is the on-air branding of a soft oldies and adult standards 24-hour radio network, formerly known as AM Only. The service is syndicated by Westwood One, a subsidiary of Cumulus Media. It was one of the original Transtar ...
service. In 1994, the call letters changed to WWWB,
and the format to
talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...
; WWWB later simulcast
WMFR. In 1996 the station changed again to WTCK,
"The Ticket", and a
sports talk
Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sport, sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often-low comedy ...
format. The WMFR simulcast returned two years later, after
WKEW
WKEW (1400 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a Gospel music radio format. Licensed to Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, the station is owned by Truth Broadcasting Corporation. In Greensboro and nearby communities, WKEW can also be ...
dropped its talk format for
Radio Disney
Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of Disney Branded Television within the Disney General Entertainment Content, headquartered in Burbank, California.
The network broadcast music programming ...
.
In 1999, Truth Broadcasting changed the format to
Christian talk and returned the WCOG letters.
The new format included
Billy Graham
William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...
,
Franklin Graham
William Franklin Graham III (born July 14, 1952) is an American evangelist and missionary. He frequently engages in Christian revival tours and political commentary. He is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and ...
,
Charles Stanley
Charles Frazier Stanley (born 1932) is Pastor Emeritus of First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, after serving as senior pastor for 49 years. He is the founder and president of In Touch Ministries, which widely broadcasts his sermons through t ...
and
James Dobson
James Clayton Dobson Jr.
(born April 21, 1936) is an American evangelicalism, evangelical Christian author, psychologist, and founder of Focus on the Family (FOTF), which he led from 1977 until 2010. In the 1980s he was ranked as one of the ...
.
[ WTOB aired the same programming.
On October 2, 2000, WCOG began telling listeners to switch to WTRU. Late in 2000, the announcement came that Truth Broadcasting would move the Radio Disney affiliation from WKEW to WCOG.
]The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Stud ...
bought WCOG in 2005, which meant more community involvement and visibility for the station.Curtis Media Group
Curtis Media Group is a broadcast media company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. The company owns and operates several North Carolina radio stations and television networks.
Broadcast Stations
Curtis Media Group owns and operates the fol ...
was announced on March 9;
In March 2021, WCOG was purchased by Winston-Salem-Greensboro Broadcasting Co LLC and converted back music. It became its own local station in June 2021 broadcasting oldies mid 1960s to the 1980s. Local news and information has returned to WCOG. Greg Rice of Greensboro, is the current station manager.
Programming
WCOG used to air sports programing from Curtis Media.
The station was sold in March 2021 to Winston-Salem-Greensboro Broadcasting Co LLC.
Most of WCOG's programming is now oldies music mid 1960s to 1980s. Local news and information has returned to WCOG.
Translator
References
External links
FCC History Cards for WCOGFormer WCOG website as a Radio Disney station
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{{Oldies Radio Stations in North Carolina
COG (AM)
Radio stations established in 1947
1947 establishments in North Carolina
Former subsidiaries of The Walt Disney Company