From Selma, Ala., through mid-Georgia, ferocious storms tore through the region, with twisters reported. One of those tornados has impacted a 40kw FM with a signal stretching from Atlanta’s south to Macon, Ga., and Auburn, Ala.
The station’s broadcast tower was destroyed on Thursday, and the station’s operators are actively seeking a solution.
The impacted station is WVFJ-FM 93.3 in Greenville, Ga., which airs “The JOY FM,” a Christian Adult Contemporary network heard across the nation.
The loss of the 93.3 MHz for The JOY FM is significant, as its broadcast signal earned a 1.7 share in the Atlanta ratings produced by Nielsen Audio for December 2022; Atlanta listeners have a strong thirst for CCM music, with Salem Media Group’s WFSH “The Fish” ranked No. 1 with a 9.2 share in December, thanks to holiday music.
A Special Temporary Authority request to remain silent had not yet been posted by the FCC as of Friday morning.
WVFJ was acquired by current owner Radio Training Network in a transaction consummated in December 2010. With A. Wray Fitch as legal counsel for RTN, the $4 million purchase of WVFJ from Provident Broadcasting Co. closed in March 2011.
The deal ended 30 years of ownership and operations of WVFJ by Bill and Joyce Watkins, who believed creating a broadcast ministry to serve Atlanta was needed to spread the word of Jesus. This saw “J93.3” successfully attract advertisers and listeners before going non-commercial under RTN, relying on listener support.
