# WTWA > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/WTWA > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/WTWA.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WTWA > Source revision: 1353727505 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Radio station in Thomson, Georgia, United States WTWA Thomson, Georgia United States Broadcast area Augusta metropolitan area Frequency 1240 kHz Branding WTWA FM 104.9 & AM 1240 Programming Format Oldies Ownership Owner Camellia City Communications, Inc. Sister stations WTHO-FM History First air date January 10, 1948 (1948-01-10) Technical information[1] Licensing authority FCC Facility ID 8476 Class C Power 600 watts Transmitter coordinates 33°28′20″N 82°31′02″W / 33.47222°N 82.51722°W / 33.47222; -82.51722 Translator 104.9 W285EP (Thomson) Links Public license information Public file LMS Webcast Listen live Website www.wtho.com **WTWA** (1240 [kHz](/source/Hertz)) is a [commercial](/source/Commercial_radio) [AM](/source/AM_broadcasting) [radio station](/source/Radio_station) [licensed](/source/City_of_license) to [Thomson, Georgia](/source/Thomson%2C_Georgia), and broadcasting to the [Augusta metropolitan area](/source/Augusta_metropolitan_area). It airs an [oldies](/source/Oldies) [radio format](/source/Radio_format) and is owned by Camellia City Communications, Inc. The [studios](/source/Radio_studio) and offices are on Cedar Rock Road in Thomson. Most songs were hits in the 1960s and 70s. Weekdays at 12:40 and 5:40 p.m., WTWA hosts a [swap shop](/source/Tradio) program. WTWA is powered at 600 [watts](/source/Watt) [non-directional](/source/Omnidirectional_antenna). Programming is also heard on 250-watt [FM translator](/source/FM_translator) **W285EP** at 104.9 [MHz](/source/Hertz). ## History WTWA signed on the air on January 10, 1948. The WTWA [call sign](/source/Call_sign) was chosen for the communities served by the station, standing for "Washington-Thomson-Warrenton-Area".[2] It was built and co-owned by Walter J. Brown of [Spartanburg, South Carolina](/source/Spartanburg%2C_South_Carolina). Brown owned and operated [WORD](/source/WORD_(AM)) [950 AM](/source/950_AM) there. Brown's partner and general manager in WTWA was Edgar J. Kobak, former president of the [Mutual Broadcasting System](/source/Mutual_Broadcasting_System). WTWA was a Mutual [network affiliate](/source/Network_affiliate) from the day it signed on until the network went silent. When WTWA debuted, Thomson, Georgia. was the smallest American town in population size to have a radio station. *[Broadcasting](/source/Broadcasting_%26_Cable)* magazine described WTWA as "an experiment in small-station operation which may indicate whether local stations can survive in county seats of about 5,000 population."[3] Brown sold his interest in WTWA to Kobak in 1950. In 1953, Kobak bought the local *McDuffie Progress* newspaper, combined it with the radio station and promoted Frank Hash, the editor of the newspaper, to be WTWA's manager. Hash then bought the newspaper and radio station in 1957. In 1962, Gene Harden, WTWA's longtime manager, bought the station from Hash. In an unusual turn of events, Harden sold WTWA to its founder, Walter Brown, in 1977. Brown, by then longtime owner of WSPA-AM/FM/TV in Spartanburg, had returned to radio ownership in Thomson, building WTHO-AM/FM in 1972. WTHO-AM was a [daytime-only](/source/Daytimer) station at 1530 on the dial, inferior to WTWA's 1,000 full-time facility at 1240. Upon his purchase of WTWA, Brown sent the 1530 license to the [FCC](/source/FCC) for cancellation, and transferred some of its programming to WTWA. The station has produced such local programming as *1st National Bank News*, with newscaster Lee Shepard, in [1948](/source/1948_in_radio).[4] Alumni of the station include veteran broadcaster [Gary Bryan](/source/Gary_Bryan), later at [WHTZ](/source/WHTZ) [New York City](/source/New_York_City) and [KRTH](/source/KRTH) [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles). Bryan started at WTWA when he was only 17 years old. ## Translators In addition to the main station, WTWA is relayed by an additional translator to widen its broadcast area. Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) Class FCC info W285EP 104.9 FM Thomson, Georgia 151804 250 D LMS ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FCC-LMS-8476_1-0)** ["Facility Technical Data for WTWA"](https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityTechDetails.html?facilityId=8476). *Licensing and Management System*. [Federal Communications Commission](/source/Federal_Communications_Commission). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-fcc1_2-0)** ["Call Sign History"](https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=8476&Callsign=WTWA). *FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Small-Station Experiment"](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1948/1948-01-19-BC.pdf) (PDF). Broadcasting. January 19, 1948. Retrieved November 2, 2014. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Sies, Luther F. (2000). *Encyclopedia of American Radio 1920-1960*. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7864-0452-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7864-0452-3). ## External links - [Facility details for Facility ID 8476 (WTWA)](https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityDetails.html?facilityId=8476) in the [FCC](/source/Federal_Communications_Commission) Licensing and Management System - [WTWA](https://www1.arbitron.com/sip/displaySip.do?surveyID=SP26&band=am&callLetter=WTWA) in [Nielsen Audio](/source/Nielsen_Audio)'s AM station database v t e Oldies radio stations in the U.S. state of Georgia By frequency 1240 1260 1340 1450 95.3 103.9 By callsign WBBT WDDK WEGG WKEU WTWA WUFE By city Baxley Bowman Greensboro Griffin Lyons Thomson See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Georgia See also Oldies Classic Hits --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [WTWA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WTWA) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WTWA?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.