WESC (AM): Difference between revisions

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{{Infoboxshort description|Radio station in Greenville, South Carolina}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}

| name = WLFJ|

{{Infobox radio station

| image = |

| cityname = [[Greenville, South Carolina]]= WESC

| arealogo = [[The Upstate|Upstate South= Carolina]]WESC.png

| brandingcity = |[[Greenville, South Carolina]]

| sloganarea = [[The Upstate|Upstate South Carolina]]

| airdatebranding = |''92.5 WESC''

| frequencyairdate = 660{{start AMdate and age|1947|3}}

| formatfrequency = 660 [[Christian TalkHertz|kHz]]

| power translator = |

| erpformat = 50,000 [[wattClassic country]]s, daytime, 10,000 watts during critical hours|

| classpower = D5,000 [[watt]]s [[daytimer|days only]]

| name facility_id = WLFJ|4678

| callsign_meaning = '''"W"'''ith '''"L"'''ove '''"F"'''rom '''"J"'''esus|

| licensing_authority = [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]

| former_callsigns = |

| ownerclass = Radio Training Inc. (leased from [[Clear Channel= Communications]])D

| coordinates = {{coord|34|53|10|N|82|28|3|W|type:landmark_region:US-SC}}

| sister_stations = |

| callsign_meaning = Easley, Seneca, Clemson (original areas served) or Eastern South Carolina

| webcast = |

| former_callsigns = {{ubl|WESC (1947–2000)|WLFJ (2000–19)}}

| website = http://www.christiantalk660.com/common/content.asp

| affiliationsowner = |[[iHeartMedia]]

| licensee = iHM Licenses, LLC

| sister_stations = [[WESC-FM]], [[WGVL]], [[WMYI]], [[WROO]], [[WSSL-FM]]

| webcast = [https://www.iheart.com/live/925-wesc-2097/ Listen Live]

| website = [https://wescfm.iheart.com/ wescfm.iheart.com]

| affiliations = [[Premiere Networks]]

}}

'''WESC''' (660 [[Hertz|kHz]]) is a [[commercial radio|commercial]] [[AM radio|AM]] [[radio station]] licensed to [[Greenville, South Carolina]]. It [[simulcast]]s a [[classic country]] [[radio format|format]] with [[sister station]] [[WESC-FM]] 92.5. Owned by [[iHeartMedia]], it serves [[Upstate South Carolina]] with studios on North Main Street in Greenville.

WLFJ-AM is a daytime-only [[Christian talk]] station at 660 on the AM dial broadcasting at 50,000 watts (10,000 during [[critical hours]]) from [[Greenville, South Carolina]].

By day, WESC is powered at 5,000 [[watt]]s, using a [[omnidirectional antenna|non-directional antenna]]. Because [[660 AM]] is a [[clear channel station|clear channel frequency]] reserved for [[list of broadcast station classes#AM|Class A]] [[WFAN (AM)|WFAN]] in [[New York City]], WESC must go off the air at night to avoid interference. The [[transmitter]] is on Saluda Lake Road, near White Horse Road ([[U.S. Route 25 in South Carolina|U.S. Route 25]]) in [[Berea, South Carolina|Berea]].<REF>[https://radio-locator.com/info/WESC-AM Radio-Locator.com/WESC-AM]</REF>

==History==

===660 in Dixie===

WLFJ was WESC for many years, playing [[country music]]. In early 2000, WESC was leased to Radio Training Network Inc. (owners of [[WLFJ-FM]]), which placed a Christian Talk format on the station as WLFJ.

WESC [[sign-on|signed on]] the air in {{Start date and age|1947|3}}.<ref>[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1950/RADIO%20&%20TV%20ALL%20YB%201950%20B&W-11.pdf ''Broadcasting Yearbook 1950'' page 272. Retrieved Sept. 11, 2024]</ref> It was owned by the Greenville Broadcasting Company with studios on College Street. It was a [[network affiliate]] of the [[Mutual Broadcasting System]].

For many years it played [[country music]], branded as "660 in Dixie". In 1948, sister station WESC-FM went on the air. Both stations simulcast from 1948 until the late 1960s, when WESC-FM switched to [[beautiful music]], while WESC continued as a country outlet. WESC-FM later returned to country music. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, WESC-AM-FM were frequently the highest rated stations in the Greenville [[media market|radio market]].

In the 1990s, WESC continued to simulcast WESC-FM most of the time. But in 1994, WESC picked up the [[radio syndication|nationally syndicated]] [[sports radio]] show, ''[[The Fabulous Sports Babe]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Vox Jox|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|last=Stark|first=Phyllis|date=July 30, 1994|page=122|volume=106|issue=31}}</ref> It was hosted by Nancy Donnellan, a rare female sports show host in that era.

===Christian Radio===

WESC carried its country music format until March 1, 2000. At that point, it was purchased by [[Clear Channel Communications]]. Clear Channel leased it to the [[Radio Training Network]], which owns non-commercial station 89.3 [[WLFJ-FM]]. RTN operated 660 AM under a [[local marketing agreement]] (LMA). The station adopted the [[call sign]] WLFJ to match its parent station. RTN programmed a listener-supported [[Christian talk and teaching]] format, most recently branded as ''His Radio Talk''.

In August 2019, the LMA ended, and the station returned to the WESC call letters and country music simulcast. The previous programming continues to air on WLFJ-FM's fourth [[HD Radio]] channel and FM [[Broadcast relay station|translator]] 92.9 W225AZ.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/179652/long-running-lma-comes-to-end-in-greenville/|title=Long Running LMA Comes To End In Greenville|date=August 14, 2019|website=RadioInsight|language=en-US|access-date=August 16, 2019}}</ref>

===Reduction in power===

Even though it could not broadcast at night, for decades, WESC had been powered at 50,000 watts, the maximum for AM stations. It was able to use that high power thanks to a [[directional antenna]] with a multi-[[tower array]].

As of March 28, 2020, WESC’s towers were taken down, due to development of a subdivision taking place on the tower site.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} WESC was [[dark (broadcasting)|silent]] until January 22, 2021, and now broadcasts at 5,000 watts using a single tower.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fccdata.org/?lang=en&facid=4678|title=WESC|publisher=fccdata.org|accessdate=June 24, 2021}}</ref> It continues to go off the air at night to avoid interference with 660 WFAN New York.

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

*{{Official|www.wescfm.com}}{{AM station data|4678|WESC}}

*[http://www.christiantalk660.com/common/content.asp Official Website for WLFJ-AM]

* {{amq|WLFJ-AM}}

{{Greenville-Spartanburg Radio}}

* {{AML|WLFJ-AM}}

{{Country Radio Stations in South Carolina}}

{{Upstate AM}}

{{Daytime-only radio stations in South Carolina}}

{{IHeartMedia}}

[[Category:Radio stations in South Carolina|ESC (AM)]]

[[Category:Radio stations established in 1947]]

[[Category:1947 establishments in South Carolina]]

[[Category:Classic country radio stations in the United States]]

[[Category:IHeartMedia radio stations]]

[[Category:Daytime-only radio stations in South Carolina|ESC]]