WLBG

WLBG
Broadcast areaLaurens County, South Carolina
Frequency860 kHz
BrandingReal Radio 860 WLBG
Programming
FormatSilent
Ownership
Owner
  • Emil Finley
  • (Southeastern Broadcast Associates, Inc.)
History
First air date
March 28, 1948 (1948-03-28)
Last air date
March 31, 2025 (2025-03-31) (77 years, 3 days)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID61224
ClassD
Power
  • 1,000 watts day
  • 12 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
34°30′13.4″N 82°1′5.3″W / 34.503722°N 82.018139°W / 34.503722; -82.018139
Translator(s)104.1 W281BX (Laurens)
Links
Public license information

WLBG (860 AM) was a radio station licensed to Laurens, South Carolina. The station was owned by Emil Finley's Southeastern Broadcast Associates, Inc., and was licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate with 1 kW daytime and 12 watts at night. Its programming, prior to going silent in March 2025, was also heard on FM translator W281BX (104.1).

History

WLBG, Inc., applied to build a new radio station on 820 kHz in Laurens in 1946;[2] after amending the application to specify operation on 860 kHz,[3] the construction permit was granted on March 20, 1947.[4] WLBG went on the air at 6:15 a.m. on March 28, 1948; its first scheduled program was the Cavalry Baptist Church's sunrise Easter services.[5]

Shortly after going on the air, James C. Todd, who was the station's general manager[5] and already had a 5.9-percent stake in WLBG, bought full control for $8,000 from its other principals: L. C. Barksdale; Robert L. Easley; Kenneth Baker; W. C. Barksdale; E. D. Eeasterby; H. B. Gray; L. G. Galle; C. P. Roper; and R. H. Roper.[6] Todd sold an interest in WLBG to his brother, John Wells Todd, in early 1949[7] for $14,500;[8] they would each own 50 percent of the station after Kittie R. Todd relinquished her 1.67-percent stake later that year.[9] John Wells Todd's stake was transferred to J. W. Todd III and Richard Todd following his death in 1950.[10]

Scotland Broadcasting Company, owner of WEWO and WEWO-FM in Laurinburg, North Carolina, bought WLBG for $21,393 in 1955; principals included Edwin Pate; Wade S. Dunbar; J. R. Dalrymple; and six others.[11] Later that year, the station was transferred to Laurens-Clinton Broadcasting Company; Scotland retained 73 percent of the new company, with 25 percent being held by C. W. Hogan, a salesman for WBTW in Florence.[12]

Charles W. Dowdy, a former owner of stations in Georgia and Florida, bought WLBG for $63,000 from J. R. Dalrymple Jr. and C. W. Hogan in 1957.[13] The following year, Hogan—who had remained the station's general manager—reacquired WLBG in a $65,000 deal.[14] In November 1960, an FM sister station, WLBG-FM 100.5, was added;[15] this station was sold to Towers South Inc. in 1977,[16] eventually moving to the Greenville market[17] as WSSL-FM. By then, C.M. McCuen had a 25-percent stake in the WLBG stations;[16] a small interest was also held by C. W. Hogan's wife, Esther F.[18]

Laurens-Clinton Broadcasting sold WLBG to Craig S. and Mary V. Turner's CraCom Inc. for $250,000 in 1981; Craig S. Turner was the chief engineer for WEAC and WAGI in Gaffney.[18] The sale's completion that July ended C. W. Hogan's 26-year operation of the station.[19] Two years later, CraCom sold WLBG to Emil J. and Mary Lou A. Finley's Southeastern Broadcast Associates for nearly $279,000; Emil Finley had been the general manager for WMYN in Mayodan, North Carolina.[20] By this point, WLBG was losing money, having struggled since the sale of WLBG-FM; under the Finleys, the station's listenership and advertising base improved.[17]

WLBG carried a variety of programming, notably Glenn Beck, Coast to Coast AM, and Fox Sports Radio. The station also produces its own news/talk programming, as well as a few urban contemporary shows prior to suspending operations in 2025.

On March 21, 2025, WLBG announced that it would close on March 31; it had been for sale for eight years, but found it could not compete with social media. The station's licenses will be retained while Emil Finley continues to seek a buyer.[17] The station and its translator signed off on Monday, March 31st.

Translator

Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
W281CX 104.1 FM Laurens, South Carolina 200823 250 D 34°30′16.4″N 82°1′10.3″W / 34.504556°N 82.019528°W / 34.504556; -82.019528 (W281CX) LMS

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WLBG". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "FCC Actions". Broadcasting–Telecasting. February 4, 1946. p. 80.
  3. ^ "FCC Actions". Broadcasting–Telecasting. August 5, 1946. p. 79.
  4. ^ "FCC Actions". Broadcasting–Telecasting. March 24, 1947. p. 69.
  5. ^ a b "Station WLBG Goes On Air at Laurens". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. March 28, 1948. p. D6. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  6. ^ "Station Transfers Get FCC Approval". Broadcasting–Telecasting. July 26, 1948. p. 66.
  7. ^ "Transfer Bids: Seven AM, Two FM Asked". Broadcasting–Telecasting. January 3, 1949. p. 42.
  8. ^ "Actions of the FCC". Broadcasting–Telecasting. March 21, 1949. p. 79.
  9. ^ "FCC Roundup". Broadcasting–Telecasting. September 5, 1949. p. 88.
  10. ^ "FCC Actions". Broadcasting–Telecasting. October 16, 1950. p. 46.
  11. ^ "Ownership Changes". Broadcasting–Telecasting. March 14, 1955. p. 114.
  12. ^ "Ownership Changes". Broadcasting–Telecasting. December 19, 1955. p. 111.
  13. ^ "Dowdy Pays $63,000 for WLBG". Broadcasting–Telecasting. September 2, 1957. p. 75.
  14. ^ "Two Ams Sold: $115,000". Broadcasting. May 12, 1958. p. 9.
  15. ^ 1961–62 Broadcasting Yearbook. 1961. p. B-152.
  16. ^ a b "Changing Hands". Broadcasting. May 2, 1977. pp. 40–41.
  17. ^ a b c Dunlap, Billy (March 22, 2025). "WLBG to sign off for the final time on March 31". GoLaurens.Com. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  18. ^ a b "Changing Hands". Broadcasting. June 15, 1981. p. 75.
  19. ^ "Station Purchased". The Spartanburg Herald. July 23, 1981. p. C11. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  20. ^ "Changing Hands". Broadcasting. June 13, 1983. p. 113.


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