Last month, I introduced you to WBTX’s former sister station – WLTK-FM. Although now owned and operated by the K-LOVE radio network, for over twenty years WLTK provided listeners with a ‘live and local’ Contemporary Christian format. This month, we’ll dive into exactly what WLTK would have sounded like in its first few years of operation.
WLTK signed-on at 95.5 MHz on December 8, 1989. However, it was known at the time that WLTK soon would be upgraded to the more-powerful 96.1 MHz frequency (in April of 1990). Thus, the initial ‘brand’ for WLTK was ‘Light 96’.
Spearheading ‘Light 96’ was the ‘dynamic duo’ of Brad Huddleston and Brian Charrette. Huddleston had spent a few years on-air at WBTX, and Charrette was hired as a consultant. Together, they created the initial ‘brand’ for WLTK.
Brian Charrette recalls, “we wanted to center on music with Biblical lyrics, and we also wanted to be fearless in how we approached things. While the base [of the music] was mainstream, we also wanted to give listeners an education about the breadth and depth of Contemporary Christian music, since WLTK was really the first radio station of its kind in the area…we wanted a feel where listeners would hear a song and say, ‘I had no idea Christian radio could be like this!’”.
Although WLTK and WBTX were owned by the same company, and operated from the same studios on Main Street in Broadway, they were vastly different – not just in terms of formats, but also presentational styles. While WBTX balanced southern gospel music with Bible teaching programs and local interests, WLTK sought to be music-heavy.
Brad Huddleston noted on one of WLTK’s first promotional brochures, “you’ll never hear an hour of country-style music followed by an hour of headbanging music followed by preachers screaming about the headbanging music. We play Adult Contemporary Christian Music ALL THE TIME!!”
About three years ago, I uncovered a well-worn binder in our studios that was labeled ‘Light 96 Music Directory’. What a find! This was a printout of all the music that was in the WLTK library as of mid-1992, so it paints a clear picture of the early ‘sound’ of ‘Light 96’
Some of the artists you would have heard on WLTK in its first few years included Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Michael Card, Twila Paris, Susan Ashton, Margaret Becker, Steve Camp, the Imperials, Wayne Watson, and Sandi Patty. But remember that ‘education’ part that Charrette mentioned? Well, there were plenty of Contemporary Christian ‘pioneers’ in the library as well, including Don Francisco, Scott Wesley Brown, Mark Heard, the Sweet Comfort Band, and Randy Stonehill.
A typical broadcast day on WLTK began with sign-on at 5:15am. This first hour was praise and worship music, largely from the Integrity Hosanna library. Then, at 6:00am, Brad Huddleston began signature ‘Brad Huddleston Morning Show’, which aired until 10:00am. (WBTX would simulcast the show until 7:30am).
Afternoons and evenings were music-heavy. Yes, there were a few ‘talk’ programs, but they were centered around the music. Some early programs included On Track with Dave Tucker, The Contemporary Christian Countdown with Jim Channell, and Heartsong Magazine with Greg Fentress.
When programming ‘Light 96’, Charrette and Huddleston were careful in selecting just the right songs to fit not just the all-important message, but also the overall sound. The music was ‘Adult Contemporary’ (the same sound as ‘mainstream’ secular, but with Christian lyrics). Especially in its early years, WLTK largely steered clear of the fast-growing industry of ‘Christian rock’. In fact, an early promotional campaign for WLTK was labeled, “It’s not rock, it’s Light 96!”.
By 1994, both Charrette and Huddleston had departed, and WLTK was now in the hands of newcomer Greg Crabtree. Crabtree would carry WLTK through the next 16 years of its existence. Throughout the late nineties, the ‘Light 96’ brand would be retained, but the musical spectrum broadened just a bit. Programs such as ‘Z Jam’, hosted by Chris Swortzel, introduced listeners to the world of Christian rock. Other favorites such as Christian Oldies (hosed by Mike and Christine Pompeo) and The Light 96 Eight O’Clock Album Special (hosted by Tammy Cullers) debuted around this time.
WLTK’s programming did change drastically in late 1996. When the WBTX tower was destroyed by floodwaters in September of that year, a number of programs from WBTX (especially many of the Sunday morning local preaching programs) were carried on WLTK until December 13, 1996, when WBTX returned to the airwaves.
Next month, we will conclude our look at WLTK. In 2001, the station will move from 96.1 MHz on the FM dial to 103.3 MHz. Thus, ‘Light 96’ will become ‘Light 103’. We’ll also chronicle the latter years of the station, and its eventual lease – and sale – to K-LOVE.
