THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 5, 1995 TAG: 9506290198
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
No one seems quite sure about the number of radio stations playing Southern Gospel music because many of them play a mix of that plus Christian contemporary or country.
A round figure would come out to about 75 stations heavily involved in Southern Gospel.
Stations in this area that can be thus described are WOJY, 1490 on the AM dial, in Hampton; WODC, 88.5 on the FM dial in Virginia Beach; and WOBR-AM in Wanchese, on North Carolina's Outer Banks.
The Virginia stations broadcast around-the-clock. The Outer Banks station is daytime only.
None of them have a great amount of power. WOJY and WOBR broadcast on 1,000-watts and WODC, the FM station, has 300. The reach is similar.
If they do not reach you, there is a possible solution. Most electronics stores sell low power antenna boosters for home radios.
Volunteers work at the listener supported commercial free Virginia Beach station, WODC, which went on the air in 1989.
WOJY intersperses its music with traffic and weather reports, news, sports and lifestyle features.
Ratings list that station third under WCMS and WGH, putting it with country which, overall, commands 18.4 per cent of the area listeners, the largest listenership in Hampton Roads.
WOJY gets into the country category since its music style fits that format most closely.
Ray Fowler, who doubles as morning deejay and manager, spent 10 years at CBNs old radio station, WXRI-FM.
The station presents local personalities during the day, going satellite at night.
Two of WOBRs personalities are its owners, the husband-wife team of Jean and Elmo Daniels. The daytime station is a reminder of old-time radio, broadcasting from an old grocery-hardware store.
The Outer Banks only AM station, it recently defeated its powerful sister station in one Arbitron ratings category - claiming more listeners in the 25 to 54-year-old age group.
According to Singing News Magazine, Southern Gospel music is ``one of America's fastest growing radio formats.'' by CNB