WAIA (104.7

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 ...

, "Air1") is a non-commercial

FM radio FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high fidelity, high-f ...

station licensed to

Athens, Georgia Athens is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Downtown Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta. The University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university and an Research I university, ...

, and serving

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 ...

. The station is 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 ...

. It airs EMF's

contemporary worship music Contemporary worship music (CWM), also known as praise and worship music, is a distinct genre of Christian music used in contemporary worship. It has evolved over the past 60 years and is stylistically similar to pop music. The songs are of ...

network

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, ...

. 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 ...

is on the tallest

radio tower Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the tallest human-m ...

in Georgia, located off Piney Grove Road in Loganville, about east of Atlanta. The

height above average terrain Height above average terrain (HAAT), or (less popularly) effective height above average terrain (EHAAT), is the vertical position of an antenna site above the surrounding landscape. HAAT is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is ...

(HAAT) of this tower allows the station to better penetrate

office building An office is a space where the employees of an organization perform administrative work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific du ...

s in Atlanta. The

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) is 24,000 watts, making it a class C1 station.

History

WDOL/WJSR

In January 1964, the station

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 WDOL-FM. It was the FM counterpart of WDOL (1470 AM, now WXAG). Both stations were owned by James S. Rivers, who served as the president. Because WDOL was a

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 ...

, WDOL-FM

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) ...

ed the AM station's

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 during the day and continued on its own after sunset when WDOL had to be off the air. WDOL-FM was powered at only 3,500 watts, limiting its signal to Athens and adjacent communities, not hitting the larger 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 ...

. In the 1970s, the station got a boost to 50,000 watts. As more people acquired FM radios, WDOL-FM switched its

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 ...

to WJSR in 1974 and aired a

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

format, while co-owned WDOL continued as a country outlet.

WAGQ

In 1976, WJSR was acquired by Broadcast Properties, Inc. The station flipped to Top 40/CHR, as WAGQ, and became an

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 ...

of the ABC Contemporary Network. Even though the station had a 50,000 watt signal on a 230 foot tower, it was still limited to serving Athens and its surrounding towns. In the mid-1980s, WAGQ asked 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) for a

construction permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to bu ...

to double its power to 100,000 watts and greatly increase its

antenna height Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the tallest human-m ...

to over , using a tower closer to Atlanta. This would make WAGQ a "move-in station", serving the more lucrative Atlanta market. The FCC granted the request, making WAGQ a Class C1 station.

WALR

In 1989, the station was sold to Ring Radio, Inc., which also owned

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 ...

. "Music Radio 104.7" debuted, with a

hot 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 ...

format. The station switched its call sign to WALR in July 1990. On October 8, 1990,

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 ...

was relaunched with an

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 ...

format as "Love 104.7", then later on as "Kiss 104.7". This was the second incarnation of the "Kiss" branding, after it was previously used in the mid-1980s on WEKS (the former call sign on 104.1). Under this format, it was the first permanent competitor to attempt to chip away at the African-American audience enjoyed by heritage urban station

WVEE WVEE (103.3 FM broadcasting, FM) – branded as ''V-103'' – is a commercial American radio station in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an urban contemporary radio format. WVEE is one of the highest-r ...

WFSH-FM

On August 30, 2000, WALR and its adult urban format moved to 104.1, now known as "Kiss 104.1", to make room for Christian contemporary "104.7 the Fish". The swap was part of an asset exchange between

Cox Media Group 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 ...

and

Salem Communications Salem Media Group, Inc. (formerly Salem Communications Corporation) is an American radio broadcaster, internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher based in Irving, Texas, targeting audiences interested in Christian values and wha ...

. WFSH-FM hosted "Celebrate Freedom Atlanta" each year on

Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...

weekend. The free outdoor concert featured 15 to 20 artists and took place at Jim R. Miller Park in

Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...

. The concert had an attendance of 42,000 its first year in 2007.

WAIA

In December 2024, it was announced that WFSH-FM, along with all Salem Media-owned Christian Contemporary stations, was sold to

. A few weeks later, it was officially announced by EMF that the station would begin carrying the nationwide

radio network, which would allow Atlanta to have access to Air1 as a full-powered station rather than a translator. Following the announcement, Salem made the relatively rare decision to allow the station and its personalties an entire month to say farewell to listeners. A final celebration for the 25-year-old station was held at Mount Paran Church in Atlanta and was attended by several hundred fans. WFSH-FM signed off just before midnight on January 31, 2025, with " Goodbye" by

Night Ranger Night Ranger is an American hard rock band from San Francisco, California. The band formed in 1982 and experienced a surge of popularity during the 1980s with the release of several successful albums and hit singles. Guitarist Brad Gillis and ...

being the final song played. "Air1" was then launched, with "

Praise Praise as a form of social interaction expresses recognition, reassurance or admiration. Praise is expressed verbally as well as by body language (facial expression and gestures). Verbal praise consists of a positive evaluations of another's ...

" by Elevation Worship being the first song played. In addition, the station's callsign changed to WAIA.

References

External links

* {{Athens, Georgia 1964 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Air1 radio stations Contemporary Christian radio stations in the United States AIA (FM) Educational Media Foundation radio stations Radio stations established in 1964

AIA AIA or A.I.A. or Aia may refer to: Aia * Aia, a small town in the province of Gipuzkoa, Spain * Peñas de Aya, small mountain range in Oiartzun, Gipuzkoa * Aia, current Kutaisi, ancient capital of Colchis * Aia, another name for Aea (Malis), an ...