Jackson area's WDVW "The Dove" 105.3 will flip from Contemporary Christian to WHPP "Hippie Radio" on January 1st, 2015. The station is owned by Grace Broadcasting, who also owns WWGM "Good News" 93.1. Gregg Rivers, formerly of WYNU and Forever Communications (and Clear Channel before that, and so on) will be on-air from 3 to 7 p.m. weekdays and will also handle programming duties.
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Hippie Radio coming to West Tennessee
- Thread starter AMFMKYTN
- Start date
In a way this is a disappointment but I'm not surprised. Jackson has had two local CCM stations for the last few years (WDVW and WTKB 93.7) and I've always thought that it's probably more than the area could handle, especially with K-LOVE in the area and Air 1 in the Union City area. I always thought that between the two that The Dove was better than WTKB, but they were automated most of the day except for drive time.
Is Grace still going to be the owner, or was it sold? With Gregg Rivers being there, it sounds like Forever, the previous owners, mat have bought the station back. I really wish that Grace would have sold it to EMF to become an Air 1 station, which the Jackson area really needs. At least it isn't going to Southern Gospel (which Grace already has on WWGM 93.1) or dollar a holler. And it could have been worse if Forever had flipped it back to The TJ news talk network, which was a total waste of an FM frequency. I've heard The Hippie in Nashville and like it, so if they had to go to a secular format it's not a bad choice.
Is Grace still going to be the owner, or was it sold? With Gregg Rivers being there, it sounds like Forever, the previous owners, mat have bought the station back. I really wish that Grace would have sold it to EMF to become an Air 1 station, which the Jackson area really needs. At least it isn't going to Southern Gospel (which Grace already has on WWGM 93.1) or dollar a holler. And it could have been worse if Forever had flipped it back to The TJ news talk network, which was a total waste of an FM frequency. I've heard The Hippie in Nashville and like it, so if they had to go to a secular format it's not a bad choice.
With this move, all three grand divisions of the volunteer state now have a Hippie station, with the one here in Nashville, and another one in Chattanooga. However, I would say that it is actually Memphis that needs such a station more than Jackson, what with the loss of 'KQK to a country format.
The station flipped at Midnight. They had been all automated Christmas music and no live people on since the news broke. I haven't been able to talk to anyone that was there, other than the pastor at my church, who had a Sunday morning show on, but he really didn't know much other than the change was coming. I still don't know if there was an ownership change, other than I don't think it would have been Forever the more I've thought about it because of their owning U92.
I occasionally listened to The Dove, especially during their AM drive time, but most other times besides AM and PM drive times they were automated, and I didn't listen much. I usually switched between them, K-LOVE in Dyersburg, and Air 1 in Union City, when I was close enough to get them, or my MP3 player most other times.
For years the Jackson area needed a CCM station and the previous owners of 93.1 wouldn't do anything with it. It wasn't until K-LOVE came in and proved that there was an audience for CCM that Grace finally started The Dove on 93.7 (Which was eventually sold but kept CCM), and then 97.7, and finally 105.3. But I've always wondered if West TN could handle two local CCM stations. I don't know what is happening with 93.7. but if they eventually sell I hope they'll sell to EMF to make it an Air 1 station, which is what Grace should have done.
I'll give Grace credit for finally bringing local CCM radio to West TN, but with K-LOVE already in the area, they may have waited too long to do it.
I occasionally listened to The Dove, especially during their AM drive time, but most other times besides AM and PM drive times they were automated, and I didn't listen much. I usually switched between them, K-LOVE in Dyersburg, and Air 1 in Union City, when I was close enough to get them, or my MP3 player most other times.
For years the Jackson area needed a CCM station and the previous owners of 93.1 wouldn't do anything with it. It wasn't until K-LOVE came in and proved that there was an audience for CCM that Grace finally started The Dove on 93.7 (Which was eventually sold but kept CCM), and then 97.7, and finally 105.3. But I've always wondered if West TN could handle two local CCM stations. I don't know what is happening with 93.7. but if they eventually sell I hope they'll sell to EMF to make it an Air 1 station, which is what Grace should have done.
I'll give Grace credit for finally bringing local CCM radio to West TN, but with K-LOVE already in the area, they may have waited too long to do it.
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I guess it's possible that Grace still owns the station because I listened some this morning and they announced that Brad McCoy would still be doing the morning show. I think I'll like the new format because it does seem to be like Hippie Radio in Nashville, but I hope still that if Grace eventually sells the station that they'll eventually sell to EMFso that they can make it an Air 1 station.
The station is streaming, which you can access at their web site.
www.hippieradio1053.com
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Hippie-Radio-1053/387164574767825
www.hippieradio1053.com
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Hippie-Radio-1053/387164574767825
Does Jackson really need 3 oldies/classic hits stations?
Can a current based CHR be picked up in that market?
Can a current based CHR be picked up in that market?
Kinda wondering that myself. Meanwhile, Memphis lost their major classic hits station ('KQK) and now only has Guess FM, which is just an FM translator repeating an AM station.
It seems like Jackson has had too many of some format for several years, and 105.3 has always been in the middle of it. in 2008 there was a glut of FM news/talk stations and 105.3 was there as part of the TJ Network. Then Grace took it over in 2012 and moved the Dove there. I like CCM, but I thought that there were more CCM stations than the Jackson area could handle. Now 105.3 has gone oldies and there are more than enough oldies/classic hits stations in the area.
I still wish Grace would sell 105.3 to EMF so that it could possibly become an Air 1 station, which the Jackson area really needs.
Well, The Hippie is gone. Grace Broadcasting has flipped Classic Hits “Hippie Radio 105.3” to talk and is now WTJK. “The Talk of Jackson” is using the WTJK calls to play off the former “TJ Network” name that Forever Communications ran until flipping 1390 WTJJ/94.1 W231BU to Classic Country in January of last year. WTJK is being anchored by Steve Bowers’ “Blue Suede Forever” from 6-9 weekday mornings. The show is broadcast from a studio at the Dixie Cafe in the Old Country Store in Jackson. Bowers previously spent over 20 years at The Wireless Group's News/Talk 101.5 WNWS-FM Jackson.
With the new WTJK call letters in place, Grace also made call letter changes at two of its other stations. Southern Gospel “Good News 93.1” WWGM Alamo is now WTJS. Country “93.9 The Sheriff” WSIB in Selmer has claimed the WWGM call letters.
With the new WTJK call letters in place, Grace also made call letter changes at two of its other stations. Southern Gospel “Good News 93.1” WWGM Alamo is now WTJS. Country “93.9 The Sheriff” WSIB in Selmer has claimed the WWGM call letters.
Just what we don't need in Jackson is another FM news talk station. I had hoped that if Grace had made any further changes they would sell 105.3 to EMF and make it an Air 1 station, which Jackson needs worse than another news talk station. 
I think Hippie Radio is still in Nashville, but on recent trips there I listened to Jack FM and WAY FM instead.
I think Hippie Radio is still in Nashville, but on recent trips there I listened to Jack FM and WAY FM instead.
Yes, the one in Nashville is still here, but the one in Chattanooga changed to another name a year or two ago.
G
Groove1670
Guest
Hippie radio is a great concept, but has limited appeal except for older demos.
I noticed that as well. I guess they're still changing over to news/talk.
I checked again yesterday and it sounds like they're doing a slow transition to news/talk. They were still playing oldies yesterday afternoon, but their website is definitely pushing talk, and they aren't going by Hippie Radio any more. I also saw on the article at the "other site" that the call letter changes may be preparing to possibly going to a news talk network at 93.1 and 93.9 as well.
I'll admit Jackson had more than enough oldies/classic hits stations, but we don't need another news/talk network on FM.
I'll admit Jackson had more than enough oldies/classic hits stations, but we don't need another news/talk network on FM.
There were major changes in the Grace stations over the weekend. 105.3 has changed to Fox Sports, and the talk/oldies mix is now on 93.1. I called them a few weeks back and was told that they plan on doing talk in the daytime and oldies later in the day and weekends. They still sound like it's more oldies than talk. I don't know why they're pushing themselves as a talk format with no more than they're doing of it.
Grace is also who bought 1190 in Humboldt and the translator on 99.9, which is why they moved Southern Gospel there, and I found out they plan to also simulcast on 1500 in Trenton and eventually on 1250 in Covington.
Putting Fox Sports on 105.3 is probably the best move of the group. It may sound odd, but I can tolerate sports talk on FM more than news talk. But apparently Grace is getting out of Christian radio on FM except for the translator on 99.9, which to me indicates that the SG audience is getting smaller with age. They got out of CCM with the change on 105.3 to Hippie Radio, but there's still K-LOVE in Dyersburg and Selmer (along with translators in Jackson and Brownsville) and WTKB 93.7 in Atwood. I still keep hoping if Grace ever sells any of their FM stations that they will sell to EMF to get Air 1 into the Jackson area.
And as a side note in my web surfing over the weekend I found out that WAY-FM has a couple of CPs for translators in Jackson. I just hope they actually complete them this time instead of selling them. Last time about 10 years ago they sold the translator to Forever and it is now Willie 94's translator.
Grace is also who bought 1190 in Humboldt and the translator on 99.9, which is why they moved Southern Gospel there, and I found out they plan to also simulcast on 1500 in Trenton and eventually on 1250 in Covington.
Putting Fox Sports on 105.3 is probably the best move of the group. It may sound odd, but I can tolerate sports talk on FM more than news talk. But apparently Grace is getting out of Christian radio on FM except for the translator on 99.9, which to me indicates that the SG audience is getting smaller with age. They got out of CCM with the change on 105.3 to Hippie Radio, but there's still K-LOVE in Dyersburg and Selmer (along with translators in Jackson and Brownsville) and WTKB 93.7 in Atwood. I still keep hoping if Grace ever sells any of their FM stations that they will sell to EMF to get Air 1 into the Jackson area.
And as a side note in my web surfing over the weekend I found out that WAY-FM has a couple of CPs for translators in Jackson. I just hope they actually complete them this time instead of selling them. Last time about 10 years ago they sold the translator to Forever and it is now Willie 94's translator.
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