WDYT
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

WDYT (1220 AM) is a radio station licensed to
Kings Mountain, North Carolina Kings Mountain is a small suburb, suburban city within the Charlotte metropolitan area in Cleveland County, North Carolina, Cleveland and Gaston County, North Carolina, Gaston counties, North Carolina, United States. Most of the city is in Clev ...
, serving the
Charlotte metropolitan area The Charlotte metropolitan area is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, containing the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, Concord, Huntersville, and ...
. The station is currently owned by Iglesia Nueva Vida of High Point. It broadcasts a
Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...
. WDYT is powered at 25,000
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 by day. Because
1220 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1220 kHz: 1220 AM is a Mexican clear-channel frequency. XEB Mexico City is the dominant Class A station on 1220 kHz. In Argentina * Eco Medios in Buenos Aires In Canada * CJRB in B ...
is a Mexican clear channel frequency, WDYT must greatly reduce power at night to 106 watts to avoid interference. Programming was also heard on
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 W281BY at 104.1
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 ...
. W281BY’s license has been cancelled on November 23, 2024.


History

On March 12, 1953, the station 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 ...
the air, as WKMT. It was a 1,000-
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 ...
daytimer A clear-channel station is a North American AM radio station that has the highest level of protection from interference from other stations, particularly from nighttime skywave signals. This classification exists to ensure the viability of cross ...
station, required to go off the air at sunset. 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 ...
stood for the
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 ...
, Kings Mountain. Jonas Bridges joined WKMT when it began, eventually becoming the owner. He never attempted to compete with large FM stations in Charlotte, focusing instead on making WKMT a good local station. The white concrete building built in the 1920s once was home to a "beer joint" which someone actually was looking for after the station had been there 15 years.Sharon E. White, "WKMT Changes Hands - But Gospel, Country Tunes Will Stay Same, New Owner Says," ''The Charlotte Observer'', July 28, 2004. Bridges, who once worked at
WOHS WOHS (1390 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Shelby, North Carolina. It is owned by KTC Broadcasting and broadcasts an oldies radio format, featuring beach music. By day, WOHS transmits with 700 watts, ut t ...
in Shelby, played "
Oh Lonesome Me "Oh Lonesome Me" is a popular song written and recorded in December 1957 by Don Gibson with Chet Atkins producing it for RCA Victor in Nashville. Released in 1958, the song topped the country chart for eight non-consecutive weeks. On what beca ...
" by
Don Gibson Donald Eugene Gibson (April 3, 1928 – November 17, 2003) was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson wrote such country standards as " Sweet Dreams" and " I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjo ...
in 1957 on WKMT. The format of
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 ...
, bluegrass and Southern Gospel stayed the same for many years. Veteran announcer Hugh Dover of Shelby joined WKMT in 1984. Dover had spent the previous 38 years as the morning man on WOHS in Shelby, signing the station on the air in 1946. The popularity of Dover's "Carolina in the Morning Show" on WOHS carried over to his "Hugh Dover Get Together" on WKMT. Dover would describe his 1-3pm show as an "informal get together with the radio audience in which we play southern gospel music, put on information about school, civic, and church activities, as well as entertaining our sick and shut in friends." Dover continued with WKMT until his death in 1998. Ending 52 years on the airwaves of Cleveland County. During the 1990s, Tommy Faile of Arthur Smith and the Crackerjacks was a DJ on WKMT. His sidekick was
Curly Howard Jerome Lester Horwitz (October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952), better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He was a member of The Three Stooges comedy team, which also featured his elder brothers Moe and ...
, who also did the morning show. Howard spent 18 years at
WKBX WKBX is a commercial radio station that broadcasts to the Brunswick and Jacksonville areas on 106.3 FM. The station is licensed in Kingsland to Radio Kings Bay, Inc.. It is branded as KBAY 106.3 and broadcasts a country music Country (a ...
in
Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...
and later worked at
WCGC WCGC (1270 AM) is a radio station licensed to Belmont, North Carolina, and serving the Charlotte/ Gastonia area. The station is owned by Carolina Catholic Radio Network and broadcasts a Catholic radio format, using programming from the EWTN ...
and WSVM. He was known for being just like his listeners, even hanging out at the store with them. WKMT aired high school
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
for more than 10 years starting in the 1980s. As of 1993, WKMT played
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 ...
, bluegrass and
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
, as it had for a long time. Bridges sold WKMT in November 2004 to Geddings & Phillips Broadcasting, who planned to continue programming that included country and gospel music, high school football and basketball, and Kings Mountain city council meetings.
Jim Arp Jim or JIM may refer to: Names * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy People and horses * Jim, the nickname of Yelkanum Seclamatan (died April 1911), Nat ...
would remain as a DJ after more than 35 years. When Kevin and Kris Geddings switched the format of
WXNC WXNC (1060 AM) is a commercial radio station in Monroe, North Carolina, serving the Charlotte metropolitan area. It broadcasts a Classic Regional Mexican radio format, branded as “Leyendas” It is owned by Norsan Media. This station also si ...
radio to talk, they announced WKMT would change to a simulcast of most of WXNC's programming. This would allow programming such as
CNN News 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 new ...
to be heard at night in some areas when WXNC was off the air. Soon after WXNC's change to talk, though, that station switched to
Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...
programming and WKMT was country again. Three years after
WBT (AM) WBT (1110 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station serving the Charlotte metropolitan area, including parts of North Carolina and South Carolina. The station airs a news/talk radio format simulcast on Chester, South Carolina-licensed WBT-FM ...
and
Danny Fontana Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to and short for the male name Daniel.🖾🖾 People *Danny Altmann, British immunologist *Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer *Danny Baker (born 1957), English jou ...
parted ways, Danny Fontana announced he would buy WKMT. The station had received permission in May 2005 to increase its power from 1,000 to 10,000 watts during the day to better cover Charlotte, and the station also was applying for a new tower location. In April 2006, CRN completed the purchase of WKMT from Geddings & Phillips Broadcasting. The station's signal was 1,000 watts during the day and 106 watts at night. An increase to 25,000 watts during the day was planned, with an eventual signal improvement at night. Jon Robinson, former co-host of "Charlotte's Morning News" on WBT, and Liz Luke, previously an anchor on the
WWMG WWMG (97.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is an urban adult contemporary music formatted radio station licensed to Millbrook, Alabama, United States. The station is known as "Magic 97.1" and serves the Montgomery, Alabama, area. It is owned by iHeartMedi ...
morning show, co-hosted the first morning show, "Think Mornings." Robinson said the station would focus on solutions to problems rather than just talking about them. Luke said the station would do "adult humor" but that the material would be clean and make people think. She also said the station would not be
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, but there would be a spiritual component. Charlotte radio production veteran John Moore was brought on board as producer and Senior Technical Director. CRN executive vice president Casey Shannon said the station would be an alternative to 50,000-watt WBT, targeting listeners over 25. Fontana hosted the afternoon show and a financial advice show called "THINK Money" at noon. He was already doing an early afternoon show on WKMT from CRN studios at Fourth and College Streets in Charlotte, which was distributed by
Charis Radio Network In Greek mythology, the Charites (; ), singular Charis (), also called the Graces, are goddesses who personify beauty and grace. According to Hesiod, the Charites were Aglaea, Euphrosyne, and Thalia, who were the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome ...
and was being aired on iLifeTV on cable. The power increase was approved in March 2007. At that time the station announced plans to affiliate with ABC Radio and to add comedian
Dennis Miller Dennis Michael Miller (born November 3, 1953) is an American political commentator, stand-up comedian, talk show host, writer, actor and former sportscaster. Miller was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' fro ...
in the late morning. Also, Bill O'Reilly would replace Fontana's early afternoon show. TV advertising soon followed, even though the station's signal increase was not expected to be complete until July. First, the station increased to 6250 watts during the day. WDYT began broadcasting at 25,000 watts during the day in September. Also in September, Luke found out she would no longer be a host of the morning show. On July 18, 2008, general manager Deanna Greco said the morning show was being dropped temporarily for a syndicated show until advertising revenues improved. Robinson had been off the air since May 2008 due to treatment for
squamous cell carcinoma Squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC), also known as epidermoid carcinoma, comprises a number of different types of cancer that begin in squamous cells. These cells form on the surface of the skin, on the lining of hollow organs in the body, and on the ...
, but he hoped to return. On August 4, 2008, the new morning lineup debuted with a move of the Danny Fontana Show from afternoons to mornings to create THINK Mornings with Danny Fontana. Molly Carroll was retained from the former morning show and has joined Bo Thompson to create "AM 1220 with Molly and Bo" from 9 to 10 a.m. There were other changes in the programming lineup as well, extending many current national syndicated shows to their full live time slot. Despite adding such hosts as Bill O'Reilly and
Sean Hannity Sean Patrick Hannity (born December 30, 1961) is an American conservative television presenter, broadcaster and writer. He hosts ''The Sean Hannity Show'', a radio syndication, nationally syndicated talk radio show, has hosted a Hannity, sel ...
, WDYT ranked no. 21 in the ratings, and on January 26, the station told the FCC it would stop broadcasting. CRN would continue to hold the license for 30 days, and its agreement with the FCC could be extended later for a year. Fontana blamed the poor economy, which caused advertising to decline, and said the station might return with a new format, or it could even be sold. The station signed back on (in testing mode) with a
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
format in August 2009. In November 2009, it was reported that
High Point, North Carolina High Point is a city in the Piedmont Triad region of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Most of the city is in Guilford County, North Carolina, Guilford County, with parts extending into Randolph County, North Carolina, Randolph, ...
–based Iglesia Nueva Vida, a religious broadcaster, was buying WDYT for $425,000 with plans for a Spanish format. In December 2020, WDYT began simulcasting the
Mainstream Urban Mainstream may refer to: Film * ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film Literature * ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine * Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher * ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso * ' ...
format heard on
WGIV WGIV (1370 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Pineville, North Carolina, and serving the Charlotte metropolitan area. It airs an mainstream urban radio format. WGIV is owned by Frank Neely, but the station is operated by Steve ...
and its translators, branded as "Streetz 103.3 & 100.5". In 2023, it returned to its previous Spanish language Christian radio programming.


References


External links

* {{Charlotte Radio DYT HVN DYT Radio stations established in 1953