WSGE Keeps the Indie Radio Tradition Alive in Gaston County

Tucked away in a quiet enclave of offices on the first floor of the Craig Arts & Sciences Building at the Gaston College campus is the nerve center for one the Charlotte area’s few independent, non-commercial, community-oriented radio stations. 

Past the hustle and bustle of the students is a quiet oasis dedicated to broadcasting mostly Americana music mixed with a healthy smattering of other tunes and content airing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

WSGE goes out across the airwaves from these offices through 91.7 FM, reaching much of Gaston County and the surrounding area with a stated mission “to provide distinctive music and information programming designed to stimulate, educate and entertain our audience.” 

And there is a whole lot more to WSGE than meets the ear, regardless of whether you’re scrolling the dial or streaming the channel live online from their website. 

Launched in October 1980, WSGE began by broadcasting its 3,000-watt signal over 91.7 FM, utilizing an FCC license to serve mainly Gason and Lincoln counties. 

Today, that signal is sent from Gaston College to a transmitter in Iron Station, where its signal is more than doubled to 7,500 watts, potentially reaching more than half a million listeners in 10 surrounding counties of the Carolinas, including part of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

With a new face at the helm, WSGE in Gaston County is ready to reach a new generation of independent radio listeners in the Charlotte metro.

The new face of WSGE

Driving WSGE into the future is Regan Brown, who has been with the station for five years and took on the role of station manager in October 2024. Originally from Mocksville, Brown attended NC State University and since graduating has built a strong background working with local nonprofits and arts organizations. 

Since becoming station manager, Brown has begun revamping the volunteer mentoring process and engaging WSGE in more out-of-station events with hopes of better familiarizing folks in the community with the station. She’s also leading the charge to launch an app that will help listeners access the station from anywhere in 2025.  

Brown hopes to reach young folks who may have “left the dial,” the radio version of former cable customers who have cut the cord thanks to the proliferation of streaming services.

As she put it, “Radio helps build a sense of community” and she fears that, with the advent of music streaming services that play music algorithmically oriented to each listener’s preferences, “that sense of community is being weakened.” 

There is such an amazing amount of good music being played by good people, she pointed out, and indie radio allows listeners to discover new artists and genres that won’t show up on their streaming services through algorithms. 

“Small stations like this help create a sense of community through the shared experience of the entire audience listening to the same DJ and the same song at the same time,” she insisted. 

Supporting local music

There are a number of factors that set WSGE apart from other radio stations in the greater Charlotte area, including the station’s emphasis on creating a sense of community, the non-commercial aspect of its operations, and the volunteers who keep the station going — all of which create a passion for “belonging to something” that benefits the college and the local communities.

One of WSGE’s core values is its promotion of local music. Local musicians are encouraged to submit their music to the station for airplay consideration. While no piece of music is guaranteed airplay, this is the start of the process for WSGE to discover artists and their music.

WSGE also hosts live performances, with a small stage setup that allows artists to come in and play a bit. While these are not the full concerts that other commercial stations may host, it is enough of an introduction for the listening audience to learn who they are and what they’re about. 

When a local band was recently named Best Band in Queen City Nerve’s annual Best in the Nest issue, the station reached out to offer congratulations and an invitation to play their music. Frustratingly for Brown, the group was unaware of WSGE’s existence despite its location just a few miles outside of Mecklenburg County. 

Ironically, Brown and WSGE staff are flooded with requests from band promoters around the country asking that the artists they promote get some airplay, but it’s the local artists the station wants to highlight. 

Brown said she’d like more local musicians to know that WSGE is a resource that’s dedicated to playing their music for its listeners. 

For the community, by the community

An independent radio station can be defined as one that is not directly affiliated, owned or otherwise controlled by any radio network or other corporation, therefore it operates independent of commercial advertising concerns. It is usually supported through donations and run by volunteers, making it inherently a community-oriented project. 

Indie radio stations do not subscribe to music services that dictate what Top 40 tunes to play hour after hour, day after day. Instead, WSGE’s focus is on creating a sense of community among their listening audience, playing music and programming relevant to Gaston and Lincoln counties and the surrounding areas. 

These stations also rely on fundraising activities and other sources of income to keep the lights on and the music playing, including but not limited to hosting periodic fundraising events, applying for grants from local and state governments, underwriting by patrons, or being part of a public institution that finances their operations. 

Unlike most college radio stations, which rely on the student body to carry out operations and DJ duties, WSGE has a paid staff. The station does utilize volunteers, who Brown said “get a broad exposure to all the station’s operations so they have a broad understanding of how the station works before they put on the head set.”  

To accomplish this, they offer an opportunity to learn the basics of radio, including how to operate the equipment, creating promotional material, helping with public affairs, and playing music they enjoy. Brown emphasized that volunteering can “lead to a passion to be part of something,” which often keeps folks coming back to move the station forward.

At the time of this writing, WSGE has one intern with another set to start in February. Internships offer an opportunity for young folks who may not be familiar with the traditional radio medium to cultivate a passion for it, sometimes staying on as volunteers after their time at the station is up. 

In the new year, WSGE is moving to a new, more formal training approach in which staff serve as mentors to volunteers for a period of up to six months, offering a wider breadth of learning how the station functions before they begin playing music on their own.

WSGE currently has 15 volunteer DJs who spin on weekends, most of which harbor a passion for beach music. While most are local to the Gastonia area, there are some who travel in from Charlotte, western North Carolina, South Carolina and as far as Tennessee. 

Even with a slate of volunteers ready to offer their time and talents, all that music and programming does not come free. WSGE relies on the generosity of its listeners through weeklong fundraising events held three times a year. Supplemental funding is provided by Gaston College or underwriting support from corporate sponsors. 

Rock, Rhythm & Blues with a heaping side of beach music

During the week, WSGE’s music programming focus is on a swath of genres they call Rock, Rhythm and Blues, which includes indie rock, Americana, soul, blues, and straight-up rock ‘n’ roll. 

A small sampling of songs caught on the station in January included legendary rock guitarist Warren Haynes’ solo project and alt-country icon Lucinda Williams covering The Beatles alongside more contemporary acts like Father John Misty and Mt. Joy. 

Weekdays on WSGE start at 5 a.m. with a couple hours of NPR’s Morning Edition. After that, the music starts with Rock, Rhythm & Blues programming running to 7 p.m., save for a one-hour break at 2 p.m. for World Café and hourly NPR newscasts throughout the day. 

The Hwy 321 Blues show runs from 7-10 p.m., followed by another World Café airing 10 p.m.-midnight. The graveyard shift is covered by Undercurrents, a syndicated Indigenous music show produced in Alaska, before the daily cycle starts again at 5 a.m. the next day, Monday through Friday. 

When Friday evening rolls around at 6 p.m., the volunteer DJs come in and listeners prepare for a vibe shift, with beach music airing until 7 p.m. Saturday. That’s followed by the R&B House Party, then some soul music followed by more R&B. 

Sundays start off with a blend of bluegrass and gospel. After a one-hour talk show at 11 a.m., more beach and shag fills out the day and then back to R&B, which leads the listener back to Monday morning when the new week’s music and programming begins. 

Propelled by African American rhythm and blues, boundary-crossing teens in the late 1950s and early 1960s created a culture with beach music, which remains a defining sound of the Carolinas with a strong following. 

If you’ve ever visited Myrtle Beach during one of its annual SOS weeks, a 10-day event dedicated to beach music and shag dancing hosted by the Society of Stranders, you’ll see just how passionate that following has remained. 

WSGE has made such a contribution to preserving the culture that the station was inducted into the Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame in 2024. 

Looking to listen to WSGE 91.7 beyond the dial? Stream live from the station’s website or ask your smart speaker to “Play WSGE on Tune-in.” A mobile app for live-streaming is also currently in development.