Childress announces sale of radio station

If federal regulators approve the sale, WRGC will change ownership in January for the first time since its inception in 1957.

Jimmy Childress, president of WMSJ Inc., last week announced the sale of his company's radio station to Georgia-Carolina Radiocasting Co. LLC, owned by Art Sutton of Toccoa, Ga.

The Federal Communications Commission, which licenses all radio stations, is expected to approve the transfer of ownership in December. The official changeover date is anticipated in early January, Childress said.

Childress and Harold Thoms of Asheville founded the station in 1957; Childress purchased Thoms's share in 1962. The station's original call letters, WMSJ, stood for "Wonderful Macon, Swain and Jackson" and operated during daytime hours only with 5,000 watts on 1480 AM.

The frequency was changed to 680 AM in 1970 so the station could operate at night, and the call letters were changed to WRGC in 1975 in memory of the Childresses' son, Ronnie (Ronald G. Childress), who was killed in a transmitter accident. Then-Congressman Roy Taylor was instrumental in helping the family obtain the WRGC call letters.

Affectionately known as "Uncle Jimmy" from his days on the station's morning show, Childress said selling the station was a difficult decision to make, but that he and his family felt the time had come to pass the station's leadership to another broadcaster to allow family members to focus on other interests.

"The advertisers and listeners of Jackson County have been extremely supportive of WRGC through the years," Childress said. "When I moved here in the late 1950s, I never imagined how successful the station would be and what opportunities it would present us.

"I am deeply grateful for it and felt it was important that the station's new owner be someone who understands how to operate a radio station with the community's interest at the forefront.

"We decided some time ago that if we ever sold WRGC, we would offer Art Sutton first refusal to purchase," Childress said.

From his base in Sylva, Childress and family members went on to build a chain of stations in North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia. The Childress Radio Group brought the first local radio services to communities like Sylva, West Jefferson, Burnsville and Murphy.

Sutton first voiced his interest in WRGC some 15 years ago while he was based in Sylvester, Ga. He hopes to build on Childress's legacy in Sylva, he said.

"I've always had a lot of respect for Mr. Childress and Jackson County," Sutton said. "WRGC has had a unique position in the community. We hope to earn the confidence of Jackson County's business leaders and radio listeners."

Sutton's company operates 13 other radio stations in Western North Carolina, upstate South Carolina and northeastern Georgia. Closest to Sylva are WFSC (AM) and WNNC-FM in Franklin, and WGOG (AM) and WGOG-FM in Oconee County, S.C.

WRGC will be operated separately from the Macon County stations, Sutton said, because his company has been built on staffing stations with people who have ties to the community.

"We don't bring radio experts to town to show everyone how radio should be done," Sutton said. "Rather, we find out what the business people and general population want from their local radio station and operate accordingly.

"The citizens of Jackson County should expect WRGC to continue to be an ambassador of good will for the community and if anything, we just want to make it even better," Sutton said.

Sutton, whose family lives in southern Georgia, is doing research to determine if his ancestors may have lived in WNC.

"Usually I am the only Sutton in the telephone book, but here there seem to be Suttons everywhere," he said.

Members of the Childress family will assist Sutton with the transition as will former station manager Roy Burnette of Sylva, who is currently sales manager for Sutton's two Franklin stations.

Back to Archive: 12/06/01.