The following is a WBCU Editorial. Your response is welcome. You may mail your response to WBCU Radio, 210 East Main Street; Union, SC 29379, email it to Editorial Response, fax it to 864-429-2411, or bring it by our studios on Main Street.  Properly identified Guest Editorials of an appropriate nature are also welcome for broadcast or inclusion on our web site.

WBCU EDITORIALS

Friday, February 29, 2008

Comments on WBCU's FM translator at 103.5 FM

Chris Woodson, President, CEO of Union-Carolina Radiocasting

"After nearly three years of planning, WBCU radio signed on the air on August 27^th, 1949. With the foresight of Community leader Everett Hughes, a dream finally became a reality and grew to become a community institution.

WBCU’s stature grew immensely in 1953, when a partnership of Jimmy Coggins and Ed Osborne purchased the Union-Carolina Broadcasting Company. Ed along with his wife, Dot, served Union County and WBCU for  40 years  until 1993  when Ed brought  a young Georgia entrepreneur by the name of Art Sutton to Union. A year later, Sutton bought WBCU and improved upon it’s already well established leadership in community involvement. The station was named one of America’s best small market radio stations by the National Association of Broadcasters, was twice named South Carolina’s small market radio station of the year.

Since the inception of WBCU a long held goal for the past thirty years has been to add bring a FM signal to Union County. Union’s central location to several large cities, home to many FM stations, precluded any FM frequencies from being available for use in Union.  WBCU’s AM signal has faced more interference especially at night when the 1000 watts must be beamed eastward over the city of Union and away from other AM stations on 1460 operating in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

In 2003 when I came to work for Art Sutton and later purchased the station from him, we have continued to pursue a permit for an FM signal.  Through political and regulatory channels, we have finally found success.

I am proud to announce today that that dream has become a reality and that WBCU is now broadcast on both AM 1460 and 103.5 FM. The new FM channel is not designed to replace WBCU’s, AM signal but instead designed to enhance the AM signal. 103.5 FM allows WBCU to reach areas that in the past could not be reached at night time due to FCC restraints.  This new FM repeater station allows us the ability to cover all of Union County and solidify our role as Union County’s radio station. 

Since 1949, nearly six decades,  it has been the mission of WBCU Radio to serve the public interest of Union County and this commitment will remain the same as we introduce  a new era of broadcast technology to our community.

In the words of Bob Doll who authored a book about WBCU and Union in 1999

'As long as songs are sung

The mission goes on

As long as events deserve reporting

The mission goes on

As long as there are people who hurt

The mission goes on

As long as people yearn for companionship

The mission goes on

As long as businesses have problems

To solve and opportunities to realize

The mission goes on

As long as there are friendships to be shared the mission goes on.'

In closing, I have some personal comments.

 I would like to thank Art Sutton for providing me the opportunity to own WBCU and the assistance he has provided me on this project.

Thank you to Union Mayor Bruce Morgan and the entire Union City Council for their willingness and desire to assist by making space available on the city water tank at Sonoco for our new FM antenna. Thank you to the Union Daily Times for their coverage of this service.

I would also like to thank my wife Ashley for standing by me through this process, the staff here at WBCU who make my job a lot easier and my sincere appreciation and thanks to our  listeners, advertisers and to each of you here today for all your support of WBCU over these many years.

Thank you for being an important part of our history today as we now embark on a new journey for the station.  Let me promise that as long as there is a Union County and as long as there is life in me, the community mission of WBCU will move forward at 1460 on the AM dial and now at 103.5 on the FM dial."

Mail to chris@wbcuradio.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 10/06/2008