WGTR (107.9 FM) is 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 ...

radio station owned by

iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...

. Licensed to Bucksport, South Carolina, it serves the Myrtle Beach area. The station is licensed by 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) to broadcast 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 20,000

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. WGTR goes by the name The Gator and its current slogan is "#1 For New Country, Gator 107.9". Its studios are located on the U.S. 17 Bypass in Myrtle Beach, and its transmitter is in Murrells Inlet.

History

The station went on the air as WGTR on January 19, 1993, with its

format. In a deal announced in February 1997, Root Communications Ltd. announced plans to buy eight radio stations owned by

Florence, South Carolina Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropol ...

-based Atlantic Broadcasting, including WGTR. Qantum Communications Inc. purchased Myrtle Beach's Root Communications Group LP stations in 2003. In Fall 2013, two-time

Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) is an American trade association with the stated aim of promoting and developing country music throughout the world. Founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, it originally consisted of 233 members and was the f ...

award winner Jeff Roper became morning host and program director. Adam Dellinger, the show producer, worked with Roper in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

and

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

. Roper left the station for KSAT-TV in San Antonio the next summer and was replaced in the morning by Zac Davis. The current iteration of the morning show includes Adam Dellinger, now Program Director, and Bri Prosser. On May 15, 2014, Qantum Communications announced that it would sell its 29 stations, including WGTR, to Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia), in a transaction connected to Clear Channel's sale of WALK AM- FM in

Patchogue, New York Patchogue ( ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Suffolk County, New York. The population was 12,408 at the time of the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Patchogue is an incorporated community in the Town (New ...

to Connoisseur Media via Qantum. According to FCC records, the transaction was consummated on September 9, 2014. Gator 107.9 features a local morning show, as

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

/ Dillon based sister station WEGX Eagle 92.9 carries The Bobby Bones Show. Gator 107.9 is the host of the Carolina Country Music Fest. A yearly festival that normally takes place for three days in June in Myrtle Beach. The festival is held on the grounds of the former Myrtle Beach Pavilion.

References

External links

Official website
* GTR Radio stations established in 1993 1993 establishments in South Carolina IHeartMedia radio stations {{SouthCarolina-radio-station-stub