| WGAG-FM | |
| City: | Orlando, Florida |
| Branding: | FM 89 |
| Airdate: | November 3, 1977 |
| Last Airdate: | 1981 |
| Frequency: | 89.3 MHz |
| Format: | Defunct (was Variety) |
| Erp: | 10 watts |
| Class: | D |
| Facility Id: | 49924 |
| Callsign Meaning: | "Green and Gold" |
| Owner: | Oak Ridge High School |
WGAG-FM was a high school radio station at Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, Florida. The station operated on 89.3 MHz between 1977 and 1981.
On September 29, 1975, Oak Ridge applied for a construction permit for a new 10-watt noncommercial radio station to serve Orlando. The application, backed by faculty adviser and station manager Jack Howard, was approved in October 1976. WGAG-FM "FM 89", also known as "Green and Gold Radio" for the school's colors, began regular programming on November 3, 1977.[1] Its regular programming included rock, beautiful music and easy listening programs, along with military-sponsored programs and political commentaries by the school's student body president as well as local and school news. Initially broadcasting from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., its broadcast day was extended to 9 p.m. by 1979.[2]
WGAG-FM operated with an array of equipment donated by seven local radio and television stations, as well as donated records and lumber for construction. Its transmitter had been manufactured in 1947,[3] and the age of the donated equipment presented issues at times for staff. The station, operated by the school's radio club, ran on a shoestring budget: $200 a year, brought in by selling doughnuts and clearing lawns.
Oak Ridge's radio station, however, quickly found an insurmountable obstacle: a major change in Federal Communications Commission regulations relating to Class D 10-watt radio stations. In 1978, the FCC announced it would cease licensing new Class D stations and encouraged as many as possible to upgrade to "full-service" Class A operation, with an effective radiated power of at least 100 watts. The power increase was a financial impossibility for Oak Ridge High School, resulting in the closure of WGAG-FM in 1981 and the school instead pursuing the idea of creating a television production studio to be operated by students.[4]