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1977 — courtesy Malenka Warner
WAGQ (Top 40) 1976-1989
WALR (Hot A/C) 1989-1990
"Music Radio 104.7 WALR" Morning personality Larry Dixon in the studios in CNN Center, downtown Atlanta. (1989)
"Music Radio 104.7 WALR" neon sign on the studio window in CNN Center, downtown Atlanta. (1989)
CLICK ABOVE for a copy of various press clippings about the sale of WAGQ, and the debut of Music Radio, 104.7 WALR. (Late 80s) Courtesy of John Wetherbee
"Music Radio" photos, clippings and composite aircheck courtesy of John Wetherbee
104.7 Athens/Atlanta History
WAIA-FM (104.7) is licensed to Athens and owned by K-Love (Formerly EMF) and carries the syndicated Air1 Christian worship format. Most, if not all, programming is fed from K-Love's Nashville headquarters. The 1654 foot tower is located off Piney Grove Road in Loganville, about 30 miles east of Atlanta, with an effective radiated power of 24,000 watts.
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Early History
In January 1964, the station signed on as WDOL-FM. It was the FM counterpart of AM 1470 WDOL (now WXAG). Both stations were owned by James S. Rivers, who served as the president. Because WDOL was a daytimer, WDOL-FM simulcasted the AM station's country music format during the day and continued on its own after sunset. WDOL-FM's power was only 3,500 watts, limiting its signal to Athens and adjacent communities, and unable to reach the larger Atlanta radio market.
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WJSR
In the 1970s, the station got a boost to 50,000 watts. As more people acquired FM radios, WDOL-FM switched its call sign to WJSR and switched to a progressive rock format, while co-owned WDOL continued as a country outlet.
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WAGQ
In 1976, WJSR was acquired by Broadcast Properties, Inc. The station flipped to Top 40/CHR, as WAGQ, and became an affiliate of the ABC Contemporary Network. Even though the station had 50,000 watts, its 230-foot tower limited it to serving Athens and its surrounding towns.
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In the mid-1980s, WAGQ asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a construction permit to double its power to 100,000 watts and greatly increase its antenna height to over 1,000 feet, on 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.
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WALR
In 1989, the station was sold to Ring Radio, Inc., which also owned WCNN. "Music Radio 104.7" debuted, with a hot adult contemporary format under Program Director John Wetherbee. Staff members included Larry Dixon, Mark McCain, Wetherbee, Neil "Hondo" Williamson, and others. The station switched its call sign to WALR in July 1990. Ring Radio President at the time, Rob Jackson, remembers that the call letters were chosen to represent "Atlanta's Lite Rock."
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On October 8, 1990, WALR-FM was relaunched with an urban adult contemporary 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.
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WFSH
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On August 30, 2000, Cox Broadcasting acquired WALR 104.7 from the Dickey family's Midwestern Broadcasting, and then swapped frequencies with Salem Communications. The WALR call letters and urban format migrated to the 104.1 frequency as "Kiss 104.1". The former WALR-FM (Kiss 104.7) became Christian Contemporary WFSH-FM, "104.7 the Fish." The swap was part of an asset exchange between Cox Media Group and Salem Communications.
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WAIA
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In December 2024, it was announced that WFSH-FM, along with all Salem Media-owned Christian Contemporary stations, was sold to Educational Media Foundation. A few weeks later, it was officially announced by EMF that the station would begin carrying the nationwide Air1 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.
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WFSH-FM signed off just before midnight on January 31, 2025, with "Goodbye" by Night Ranger being the final song played. "Air1" was then launched, with "Praise" by Elevation Worship being the first song played. In addition, the station's call sign changed to WAIA.
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