 |
||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||
  WJJC Radio Commerce radio station celebrates 50 years on the air Living legends grace the walls and greet you warmly from the office that belies nothing of the scene you would normally expect. You could have stepped into any other storefront of historic downtown Commerce. But then you hear it.Rising faintly from the control room in the back the familiar call letters reach you: What you are hearing is a radio station in Commerce that has covered local news, sports and country music for half a century; what you are hearing is AM 1270 WJJC. WJJC, which will celebrate its 50th year on the radio on June 27, is taking time to reflect on what is gone, look forward to what is coming and spend Commerce’s Annual City Light’s Festival celebrating the connection with the community that has spanned the decades and made them what they are today. When Albert Hardy and other forward-thinking businessmen began to toss around the idea of a radio station for Commerce in 1957, little did they know how long and far their dreams would go. At about 10 a.m. on June 27, 1957, the official Federal Communications Commission approval came through from Western Union. The first voice on the radio belonged to young Bill Anderson, a journalism intern from the University of Georgia who would later go on to become a legend in his own right as a country singer and composer. From there, WJJC continued to become the voice of the locals through some of the most dynamic decades of American life. The programming philosophy of the station has remained mostly the same since the station started. Classic country music and local news and advertisements rule the airways throughout the day, and good local sports rule the afternoons and Friday nights.
For where else can Jacksonians turn to for immediate information on what’s going on in their county? In a city where the newspaper is published weekly and no television station exists, the radio is the place to go. News updates and events are readily available on air, as are obituaries, trading times and live sports broadcasts. When local listeners can’t be at the big game, they can turn to WJJC for the show. The station prides itself on covering every Commerce football game, as well as covering Jefferson football on a tape-delay, both Commerce and Jefferson baseball, and everything in between. They are also the furthest north Georgia station to cover Georgia Tech ACC football and have been for the last 10 years. The level of service provided by WJJC is the source of high accomplishments and accolades for a small station. But Jordan is quick to divert the praise back onto the listeners and community that support the station. “It’s loyal listeners and loyal programmers that keep this station running,” he said, adding that some of WJJC’s programmers have been with the station for 25 years. The strength found on the inside heavily relies on support from the outside. The station frequency has a potential listening audience of 350,000 north Georgia residents. According to Arbitron, a system used for measuring listeners, WJJC actually reaches 13,500 listeners in any given 15-minute period. This is a whopping amount of listeners tuned in to the station at any one time, all presumably drawn to the station’s mix of local awareness and classic country tunes. Jordan prides himself on the strong connection with the community he has been able to maintain over the years, noting that locals have continuously supported the religious and educational aspects of the community. In his eyes, he, the station and the community exist in one codependent relationship. “When the community sees Rob, they also see WJJC. A good reputation is something you can’t afford to lose,” he said. Jordan’s own connection to and love for the station spans the decades as well. Though he has officially worked for the station for the past 10 years, his parents had the first live gospel radio show on WJJC in the beginning. Also, his brother, Gerald Jordan, was a locally beloved sportscaster and radio broadcaster up until his death last year. Rob Jordan also maintains strong ties to local legend Bill Anderson, the first voice of WJJC. From his apartment above what is now the Community Bank and Trust building in downtown Commerce, Bill Anderson wrote the words to “City Lights,” the song that would take him to Nashville and jumpstart his career, and would later grace the beloved local festival of the same name. As disk jockey for WJJC for three years, Anderson forged bonds with the city of Commerce that he still keeps today. Rob Jordan’s eyes light up when his name is mentioned and he said that he cannot praise Anderson enough for the support he still shows to his home station and community. Though the illustrious past of WJJC still plays a huge role in its present identity, Jordan also is concerned for the future and how he and other decision makers can make changes to keep up with the times. Last year WJJC.net, the station’s official website, hit the World Wide Web and has received approximately 25,000 hits since its debut. Also, due to the mass influx of residents from the Atlanta area, Jordan is concerned about the quality of their broadcast potential. “In these times we have to evolve at the same time we remain true to our roots. This means technical changes need to be made, such as the web site. Also, digital AM may soon be coming on the horizon and will make our product crisper,” Jordan said. Perhaps a visual metaphor for the station can be found back in the control room, an area where the past severely contrasts the future. Old cart readers and carts and small box cassettes that hold old commercials and programming from years ago line the walls and floor space, while a very modern computer system and soundboard occupy the desk space, where all the automation for the modern programs occurs. Gone are the days of the constantly occupied control room. Computers dominate now. As the anniversary approaches where WJJC will be able to mark five special dynamic decades on the air, Rob Jordan and his station are strongly focused on mixing their history of local loyalty with innovations that modern technology is making possible for them. This year on June 27, just like 50 years ago, WJJC will welcome its hometown to everyone’s favorite station. And once again, as others have for half a century and hopefully will continue to for many years to come, Jackson County residents will hear, “Thank you for listening.” Business & Industry Briefs
Chamber Presents Awards Mark Bradley, owner of Trinity Tire, was named “Citizen of the Year” for his tireless efforts on behalf of a number of community needs. Bill Burns, Jackson EMC, was recognized for his philanthropic endeavors by being named “Volunteer of the Year.” Dorsey Guthrie was presented with the “William H. Booth Citizenship Award” for his long-time service in the community. Jackson Creative received the “Small Business of the Year” award and YearOne in Braselton was named the “Large Business of the Year.”
design:digitaltom - ©Copyright 2006-2010 Living Jackson Magazine
|
Salvador’s Sicilian Grill
In addition, the 19 participants of Leadership Jackson 2007 graduated after completing 9 months of education about the community. The Leadership class included Bo Braswell, Georgia Power; Anita Jackson-Brown, formerly of the Boys and Girls Club; Amy Chambers, Community Bank & Trust; Duane Champlin, Jackson EMC; Ray Crook, First Georgia Banking Co.; Ben Dillard, City of Jefferson Parks & Recreation; Cindy George, Prudential Georgia Realty; Tina Grubbs, The Tree House; Gina Hagan, Giftworks at the Joy Shoppe; Janis Henowitz, Keller Williams Realty; diAna Huckins, Buhler Quality Yarns; Shanna James, Athens First Bank & Trust; Dee Lavendar, Hometown Community Bank; Howard Ledford, Lanier Technical College; Patrick Phelps, Randstad; Annette Raymond, Piedmont CASA; Roxane Rose, Living Jackson and the Humane Society of Jackson County; Wanda Whirrell, Southeast Toyota; and Deborah Worley, nBank.