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WLBG
Radio station in South Carolina, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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WLBG (860 AM) was a radio station licensed to Laurens, South Carolina. The station was owned by Emil Finley's Southeastern Broadcast Associates, Inc., and was licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate with 1 kW daytime and 12 watts at night. Its programming, prior to going silent in March 2025, was also heard on FM translator W281BX (104.1).
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WLBG, Inc., applied to build a new radio station on 820 kHz in Laurens in 1946;[2] after amending the application to specify operation on 860 kHz,[3] the construction permit was granted on March 20, 1947.[4] WLBG went on the air at 6:15 a.m. on March 28, 1948; its first scheduled program was the Cavalry Baptist Church's sunrise Easter services.[5]
Shortly after going on the air, James C. Todd, who was the station's general manager[5] and already had a 5.9-percent stake in WLBG, bought full control for $8,000 from its other principals: L. C. Barksdale; Robert L. Easley; Kenneth Baker; W. C. Barksdale; E. D. Eeasterby; H. B. Gray; L. G. Galle; C. P. Roper; and R. H. Roper.[6] Todd sold an interest in WLBG to his brother, John Wells Todd, in early 1949[7] for $14,500;[8] they would each own 50 percent of the station after Kittie R. Todd relinquished her 1.67-percent stake later that year.[9] John Wells Todd's stake was transferred to J. W. Todd III and Richard Todd following his death in 1950.[10]
Scotland Broadcasting Company, owner of WEWO and WEWO-FM in Laurinburg, North Carolina, bought WLBG for $21,393 in 1955; principals included Edwin Pate; Wade S. Dunbar; J. R. Dalrymple; and six others.[11] Later that year, the station was transferred to Laurens-Clinton Broadcasting Company; Scotland retained 73 percent of the new company, with 25 percent being held by C. W. Hogan, a salesman for WBTW in Florence.[12]
Charles W. Dowdy, a former owner of stations in Georgia and Florida, bought WLBG for $63,000 from J. R. Dalrymple Jr. and C. W. Hogan in 1957.[13] The following year, Hogan—who had remained the station's general manager—reacquired WLBG in a $65,000 deal.[14] In November 1960, an FM sister station, WLBG-FM 100.5, was added;[15] this station was sold to Towers South Inc. in 1977,[16] eventually moving to the Greenville market[17] as WSSL-FM. By then, C.M. McCuen had a 25-percent stake in the WLBG stations;[16] a small interest was also held by C. W. Hogan's wife, Esther F.[18]
Laurens-Clinton Broadcasting sold WLBG to Craig S. and Mary V. Turner's CraCom Inc. for $250,000 in 1981; Craig S. Turner was the chief engineer for WEAC and WAGI in Gaffney.[18] The sale's completion that July ended C. W. Hogan's 26-year operation of the station.[19] Two years later, CraCom sold WLBG to Emil J. and Mary Lou A. Finley's Southeastern Broadcast Associates for nearly $279,000; Emil Finley had been the general manager for WMYN in Mayodan, North Carolina.[20] By this point, WLBG was losing money, having struggled since the sale of WLBG-FM; under the Finleys, the station's listenership and advertising base improved.[17]
WLBG carried a variety of programming, notably Glenn Beck, Coast to Coast AM, and Fox Sports Radio. The station also produces its own news/talk programming, as well as a few urban contemporary shows prior to suspending operations in 2025.
On March 21, 2025, WLBG announced that it would close on March 31; it had been for sale for eight years, but found it could not compete with social media. The station's licenses will be retained while Emil Finley continues to seek a buyer.[17] The station and its translator signed off on Monday, March 31st.
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