WFNC (AM)
| City | Fayetteville, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Fayetteville metropolitan area |
| Branding | WFNC News Talk Radio 640 |
| Frequency | 640 kHz |
| Format | News/Talk |
| Power | 10,000 Watts (Daytime) 1,000 Watts (Nighttime) |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 8583 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 35°04′46″N 78°55′58″W / 35.07944°N 78.93278°W |
| Callsign meaning | Fayetteville, North Carolina |
| Affiliations | CBS News |
| Owner |
Cumulus Media (Cumulus Licensing LLC) |
| Sister stations | WMGU, WRCQ, WQSM |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www.wfnc640am.com |
WFNC is an AM radio station in Fayetteville, North Carolina broadcasting on frequency 640. The station has a conservative talk format and is under ownership of Cumulus Media.
Victor Dawson managed Fayetteville's first radio station for his father John Gilbert Dawson. In 1940, WFNC signed on with 250 watts at 1420 AM. On March 29, 1941, the frequency changed to 1450 AM.
WFNC was a Mutual Broadcasting System affiliate. Later WFNC became a CBS Radio News affiliate and continues with CBS to the present time.
The frequency changed in 1947 to 940 AM (KHz) with a power of 50,000 watts daytime and 1000 watts night time directional antenna, and at 7:45 AM EST on Wednesday, January 15, 1986, Chief Engineer Terry Jordan threw the switch and WFNC switched to 640 AM(KHz) with a power of 10,000 watts daytime and a night time power of 1000 watts nondirectional antenna.
Beginning in November 1985, WFNC began to run ads or local teasers in the Fayetteville Observer newspaper showing the 9 slowly rolling to a 6 in its frequency. The ad showed on the actual day of the switch the new 640 logo. After almost 40 years on 940 kHz it was decided the night time signal needed improvement. Being on 940 kHz, WFNC could not transmit a signal north at night, since it had to protect the stations broadcasting from Canada. At sunset, when WFNC lowered power and changed to directional antenna, there were citizens a short distance north of town that could not hear the station due to definitive signal change. By changing to 640 kHz, WFNC could have a 1000 watt night signal with a uniform circular pattern, which in essence increased its range to areas that had never heard WFNC after dark. The negative of all of that was that WFNC had to reduce its daytime power from 50,000 watts down to 10,000 watts, but to Mr. Dawson, that was well worth the effort to get more night time listeners.
In the days of top 40 music and later country music some of the professional announcers were Paul Michaels, Paul Gold, Ted Harris, Jackie Sands, Don Perkins, Dan Mitchell, Bob Brandon and Randy Jenkins. In the late evening and overnights WFNC played automated music and in the country music days carried the syndicated program entitled "Live from Gilleys". WFNC also aired Casey Kasem's "American Top 40" and later Don Bowman and Bob Kingsley's "American Country Countdown on Sunday afternoons.
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Wikipedia