WCHS (AM)

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For the television station of the same call sign, see WCHS-TV.
WCHS
Broadcast area
Frequency580 kHz
Branding580 WCHS
Programming
FormatNews/talk/sports[1]
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
  • WVRC Media
  • (West Virginia Radio Corporation of Charleston)
WKAZ, WCST-FM, WKWS, WRVZ, WSWW, WSWW-FM, WVAF
History
First air date
September 15, 1927 as WOBU[2]
Former call signs
WOBU (1927–34)
Call sign meaning
Charleston
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID71660
ClassB
Power5,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
38°21′51.0″N 81°46′5.0″W / 38.364167°N 81.768056°W / 38.364167; -81.768056
Translator(s)96.5 W243DR (Charleston)
104.5 W283AQ (Cross Lanes)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitewchsnetwork.com

WCHS (580 kHz) is a news/talk/sports formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Charleston, West Virginia, serving Southern West Virginia and Southwestern West Virginia.[1] WCHS is owned and operated by WVRC Media.

WCHS is the Primary Entry Point Emergency Alert System station for West Virginia.

History

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WCHS signed on September 15, 1927, as WOBU, operating at 1120 kilohertz with 50 watts of power; it moved to 580 kilohertz the following year. The station was founded by Walter Fredericks, owner of the Charleston Radio Supply Company, who launched WOBU to sell more radios; he would sell the station in 1930. The call sign was changed to WCHS in 1933; by 1940, it was operating at its current power of 5,000 watts.[4]

One popular program on the station was The Old Farm Hour. Country musicians Bill Cox and the Kessinger Brothers were among the performers on the show.[4]

WCHS was acquired by the West Virginia Radio Corporation in 1992, and its format was changed from oldies to its current talk radio format; the oldies format would move to WKAZ-FM (107.3).

FM Translators

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In addition to the main station broadcasting at 580 kHz, WCHS is relayed by two FM translators which are used to widen its broadcast area.

Broadcast translators for WCHS
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) Class FCC info
W243DR 96.5 FM Charleston, West Virginia 141152 250 D LMS
W283AQ 104.5 FM Cross Lanes, West Virginia 157126 250 D LMS

Programming

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WCHS is the flagship station of the statewide West Virginia MetroNews network.[5] Programming heard on WCHS consists of local and national news, talk and sports programs.[6] The station's weekday morning schedule begins with the nationally syndicated "America in the Morning".[6][7] "The Morning News" hosted by West Virginia MetroNews anchors Chris Lawrence and Shauna Johnson follows.[6][8] A locally produced "Ask The Expert" then airs, followed by "MetroNews Talkline" hosted by Hoppy Kercheval.[6][9]

The weekday afternoon lineup beings with the nationally syndicated Rush Limbaugh Show.[6][10] "MetroNews Hotline" and "MetroNews Sportsline", hosted by Dave Weekley and Tony Caridi respectively, round out the afternoon.[6][11][12] Various sports programs air in the evenings, with Dave Ramsey Show and "The Jim Bohannon Show" rounding out the night.[6][7][13] Red Eye Radio is heard during the overnight hours.[6][14]

The weekend lineup includes nationally syndicated shows from John Batchelor and Kim Komando.[6][15] "West Virginia Outdoors" and "Sunday Sportsline", hosted by Chris Lawrence and Travis Jones respectively, are also heard.[6][16][17] "The Don Nehlen and Bob Pruett Show" also airs on WCHS.[18] The program is hosted by former West Virginia Mountaineers football head coach Don Nehlen and former Marshall University football head coach Bob Pruett.[18]

Various programs, produced by West Virginia MetroNews, cover high school sports either live or with highlights during the week.[6] The "MetroNews High School Scoreboard" airs highlights of games already played or to-be-played around the state.[19] "High School Sportsline" is a mid-week call-in show, hosted by Garrett Cullen, exclusively about high school sports.[20] "High School Game Night" is a live Friday evening program which features continuous score updates, interviews, and analysis.[21]

WCHS is also an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds Radio Network.[22]

Awards

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A 1942 Peabody Award for Outstanding Public Service by a Regional Station for "The Home Front," a twice-weekly feature.[23]

A 2007 National Edward R. Murrow Award, in the category of "Continuing Coverage", for their reporting on the Sago Mine disaster in Sago, West Virginia.[24]

The station was presented with two 2011 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards.[25] The first, in the category of "Breaking News Coverage", was given for the station's coverage of the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster in Montcoal, West Virginia.[25] The second, in the category of "Audio News Documentary", was for "The Life of U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd".[25]

In 2011, the station was presented with a National Edward R. Murrow Award, for their Upper Big Branch Mine disaster coverage.[26] WCHS, along with four other stations, were nominated for the 2011 Marconi Radio Award for "News/Talk Station of the Year" by the National Association of Broadcasters.[27] WSB in Atlanta, however, won the award.[28]

In 2014, WCHS anchors and reports Chris Lawrence, Fred Persinger, Jeff Jenkins, Shauna Johnson, and Hoppy Kercheval were presented with various awards at that year's West Virginia Broadcasters Association "Excellence in Broadcasting Awards".[29]

In 2015, the station was again presented with two Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, one for "Overall Excellence" and the other for "Best Newscast".[30]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Arbitron Station Information Profiles". Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  2. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2010 (PDF). Reed Reference Publishing Company. 2010. p. D-586. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  3. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WCHS". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^ a b Powell, Bob (September 15, 2016). "Charleston AM Station WOBU Signs On: Sept. 15, 1927". West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  5. ^ "Time for the 2015 hunting and fishing show". West Virginia MetroNews/West Virginia Radio Corporation. January 23, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "On-Air - 58 WCHS". West Virginia Radio Corporation. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Station Listings in the state of West Virginia". Jim Bohannon, Inc./Westwood One. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  8. ^ "Morning News". West Virginia MetroNews/West Virginia Radio Corporation. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  9. ^ "Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval". West Virginia MetroNews/West Virginia Radio Corporation. August 28, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  10. ^ "West Virginia - EIB - The Rush Limbaugh Show". Premiere Networks. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  11. ^ "Hotline with Dave Weekley". West Virginia MetroNews/West Virginia Radio Corporation. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  12. ^ "Sportsline with Tony Caridi". West Virginia MetroNews/West Virginia Radio Corporation. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  13. ^ "The Dave Ramsey Show - Stations". Lampo Licensing, LLC. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  14. ^ "Red Eye Radio - Red Eye Radio Affiliates". Cumulus Media Networks. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  15. ^ "The Kim Komando Show Station Finder". WestStar TalkRadio Network. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  16. ^ "West Virginia Outdoors with Chris Lawrence". West Virginia MetroNews/West Virginia Radio Corporation. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  17. ^ "Sunday Sportsline with Travis Jones". West Virginia MetroNews/West Virginia Radio Corporation. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  18. ^ a b "The Don Nehlen and Bob Pruett Show". West Virginia MetroNews/West Virginia Radio Corporation. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  19. ^ "MetroNews High School Scoreboard". West Virginia MetroNews/West Virginia Radio Corporation. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  20. ^ "High School Sportsline". West Virginia MetroNews/West Virginia Radio Corporation. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  21. ^ "High School Game Night". West Virginia MetroNews/West Virginia Radio Corporation. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  22. ^ "Reds on Radio Affiliates". Major League Baseball/MLB Advanced Media, LP. Archived from the original on April 1, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  23. ^ ""The Home Front" for Outstanding Public Service by a Regional Station".
  24. ^ "2007 Murrow Award Winners Announced". All Access Music Group. June 18, 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  25. ^ a b c "RTDNA - 2011 Edward R. Murrow Awards Regional Winners - Region 8". Radio Television Digital News Association. 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  26. ^ "RTDNA - 2011 Edward R. Murrow Awards National Winners". Radio Television Digital News Association. 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  27. ^ "2011 NAB Marconi Radio Award Finalists Announced". National Association of Broadcasters. July 13, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  28. ^ "2011 NAB Marconi Radio Award Winners Announced". National Association of Broadcasters. September 15, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  29. ^ "2014 Excellence in Broadcasting Awards". West Virginia Broadcasters Association. 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  30. ^ "RTDNA - 2015 Region 8 Murrow Winners". Radio Television Digital News Association. 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
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