WQFX (1130 AM) is a radio station in Gulfport, Mississippi, United States, broadcasting a gospel music format. It is owned by Walking by Faith Ministries, Inc., and operates from studios in nearby Biloxi and a transmitter in Gulfport. 1130 kHz is a clear-channel frequency shared by three North American stations (CKWX, KWKH, and WBBR), requiring WQFX to operate on a daytime-only basis on the AM band. The station also broadcasts on an FM translator, W254DJ (98.7 FM), which allows it to broadcast around-the-clock, including when the AM facility cannot be active.
Established as a commercial station in 1975, by 1986, it became a simulcast of its sister FM station, WQFX-FM 96.7. In 1992, the simulcast was broken and the station leased—and later bought—by its present owner to broadcast the current gospel format.
History
On May 8, 1974, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) awarded a construction permit to Robert Barber, Jr., George Sliman, and F. M. Smith, doing business as the Gulf Broadcasting Company, for a new 500-watt daytime-only radio station on 1130 kHz at Gulfport.[2] It had been a long wait for the trio to get the permit, having filed their application in 1969 but having to wait through a comparative hearing process to get the frequency.[2] WGUF went on the air May 7, 1975, with a country music format.[3] Two years later, the same group launched WGUF-FM 96.7; Holton Turnbough bought full ownership of both stations in 1979.[2] The country format was jettisoned in 1983 in favor of all-news, utilizing the programming of CNN Radio with local reporters and inserts.[4]
WGUF, Inc., Turnbough's company, filed to sell the AM and FM stations to Joyner Communications in August 1984,[5] but the Joyner transaction fell through, leading to a second and successful sale to Caravelle Broadcast Group of Mississippi that October.[6] Even after the sale, however, Turnbough and Broadcast Music, Inc., a performing rights organization, maintained a legal feud over back royalty payments owed for music played on the WGUF stations. Turnbough had a policy of purposely being behind on royalty payments, telling a Sun Herald reporter, "I always paid my bills late on purpose. I just don't like copyright fees. I don't think they give all the money to the people they're supposed to give it to."[7]
On January 1, 1985, the two stations relaunched with new programming and separate call letters: the FM became WQFX "Foxy 96", an urban contemporary station, while the AM changed to WAIZ "Big WAIZ Country".[8] The country station proved a poor ratings performer in a market with a glut of similar stations and changed to an oldies format at the start of 1986, using the same WQFX call sign as the FM.[9]
Steere Broadcasting of Kalamazoo, Michigan, acquired WQFX-AM-FM for $1.25 million in 1986.[10] The AM then began to simulcast the FM.[11]
After a proposed $47,500 sale of the AM in May 1991 never materialized, Steere tried to sell the WQFX stations to Urban Media Group in December 1991 for $500,000; the sale price consisted solely of promissory notes to Caravelle and Turnbough's estate.[12] However, this sale also did not close. As Steere steered toward bankruptcy, in 1992, Faith Tabernacle of Praise in Biloxi began operating the station as a gospel music outlet, part of a larger mission to start new Black-owned businesses in the area; the station's studios moved from Gulfport to a former church office in Biloxi.[13] The church would not own the station for several more years. In 1993, a bankruptcy trustee sold WQFX-AM-FM to Southern Horizons Broadcasting Corporation;[14] the FM station, which had continued under Steere operation, was described as "in turmoil" by its new owner.[15] Walking by Faith Ministries purchased WQFX, after four years of managing it, for $34,000 in 1996.[16] By 2004, the station featured recorded and live church services from around 50 churches.[17]
^"WGUF(AM)"(PDF). Broadcasting Yearbook. 1977. p. C-116. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2020-09-06. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
^Cauchon, Dennis (September 15, 1983). "Broadcaster betting news will be good". The Sun. Biloxi, Mississippi. p. A12. Retrieved December 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Changing Hands"(PDF). Broadcasting. August 6, 1984. p. 74. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
^"For the Record"(PDF). Broadcasting. October 8, 1984. p. 107. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
^Cassreino, Terry R. (January 3, 1986). "BMI considers dropping suit". Sun Herald. Biloxi, Mississippi. p. C2. Retrieved December 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^Creel, Vincent (December 29, 1984). "Two new stations debut on Jan. 1". The Sun. Biloxi, Mississippi. p. Marquee 2. Retrieved December 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^"For the Record"(PDF). Broadcasting. June 2, 1986. p. 86. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
^Creel, Vincent (January 21, 1987). "Black-oriented WTAM goes country". Sun Herald. Biloxi, Mississippi. p. D-2. Retrieved December 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Transactions"(PDF). Radio & Records. December 20, 1991. p. 6. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
^Peterson, Patrick (August 15, 1992). "Message to the Masses". Sun Herald. Biloxi, Mississippi. p. B-1. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Transactions"(PDF). Radio & Records. February 19, 1993. p. 9. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
^Lacy, Mike (March 31, 1993). "Southern Horizons gets final OK to buy WQFX". Sun Herald. Biloxi, Mississippi. p. B-8. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Transactions"(PDF). Radio & Records. March 15, 1996. p. 6. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
^Bergeron, Kat (August 27, 2004). "WQFX urban gospel". Sun Herald. Biloxi, Mississippi. p. B-6. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
