WSGC-FM has moved from 105.1 megahertz (mHz) to 105.3 mHz on the FM dial. The most obvious question being asked of station officials is, Why the change?

The answer: The station now has a clearer signal north of Elberton.

On 105.1 FM, WSGC shared the frequency with our sister station in Helen, WNGA, which, like WSGC, is a Class A FM radio station as licensed by the Federal Communications Commission. Both stations can operate with a maximum of 6000 watts, and the FCC requires that the stations’ transmitter sites must not be less than 71 miles apart. WSGC and WNGA are 76 miles apart, but the terrain near Helen is much higher than around our area; the Helen antenna is 2811 feet above sea level, while WSGC’s antenna is 794 feet above sea level.

FM radio signals travel by line of sight, so Helen's antenna height means their signal goes a greater distance than most Class A FM stations, interfering with WSGC in the northern edge of Elbert County and across Franklin, Hart and Madison Counties. By moving off 105.1 to 105.3, WSGC will reach farther north, and clear the way for the Helen station to reach further south.

The opportunity to improve WSGC-FM’s signal became possible in 2009, when a radio station on 105.3 in Gaffney, SC was granted permission by the FCC to move their station east to the Charlotte, North Carolina area. This cleared the frequency for use by WSGC-FM. Furthermore, the FCC has granted WSGC permission to increase our power from 6000 watts to 21,000 watts and upgrade from a Class A to a Class C3 FM station. (The power increase will take place at a later date.)

In order to increase the power on the station, it was necessary under FCC rules to change the city of license from Elberton to Tignall, but the studios and offices of the station will remain at 562 Jones Street in Elberton where they have been located since sister station WSGC-AM 1400 was built in late 1946. The WSGC-FM transmitter will continue to operate on the new frequency from its tower location on River Road near Highway 17 just north of the Broad River at the Elbert/Wilkes County line.

This is the second FM frequency change for WSGC-FM in the recent years. The station originally operated on 92.1 mHz, but that frequency was moved to Lavonia in 2008 to provide Franklin and Hart Counties their first local FM radio station with the call sign WLHR.