WTIJ-LP is a

Religious Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...

and Southern Gospel formatted

broadcast Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

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 ...

licensed to and serving

Bryson City, North Carolina Bryson City is a town in Swain County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. The population was 1,558 as of the 2020 census. Located in what was historically the land of the Cherokee, Bryson City was founded as Charleston to serv ...

. WTIJ-LP is owned and operated by Grace Christian Academy.

History

WTIJ-LP, Swain County's first

FM station 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 ...

, launched at 5:00 pm on November 27, 2015. The station's studios are located at Grace Christian Academy in Bryson City.

Silence and return

On February 28, 2016, three months and a day after its launch, WTIJ-LP signed off and went silent. According to a letter written by former station manager Robert Lowe, to 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), the Grace Christian Academy had "chosen to discontinue the service". Mr. Lowe's position at the station had been "terminated". At the time the letter was written, there was "no anticipated date to recommence broadcast operations". On August 8, 2016, WTIJ-LP returned to the air with a

and Southern Gospel format. Local programming previously heard on the station before going silent is no longer broadcast.

Programming

Prior to February 28, 2016, WTIJ-LP carried a

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 ...

-based

Full Service Full service or Full Service may refer to: Entertainment Books * ''Full Service'' (book), a 2012 memoir by Scotty Bowers * '' Full Service No Waiting'', a 1998 album by Peter Case Music * "Full Service", a song by the New Kids on the Block fr ...

format, featuring Positive Country and Southern Gospel music. Local news, weather and agricultural reports were also broadcast. Live broadcasts of local high school sports, as well as community events, were also heard. WTIJ-LP had future plans to partner with other local organizations. After August 8, 2016, the station broadcasts nationally syndicated Religious programs and Southern Gospel music, with no locally produced programming.

SRN News 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 what ...

continues to be heard at the top of each hour.

References

External links

WTIJ-LP Online
{{Asheville Radio 2015 establishments in North Carolina Radio stations established in 2015 TIJ-LP TIJ-LP