And You’re Invited to Join in the 65th Anniversary Homecoming Celebration!!

Friday, May 3rd from 4:00 to 8:00 PM Sharathon, April 29-May 3, 2013

Can you believe it’s been 65 years?

It seems unreal, like it was just yesterday you tuned the radio to Mountain Gospel for the very first time, or for those of you who worked here, like it was just last week you were spinning records and reading the news on the air. How quickly time passes. Time may fly, but it leaves behind many fond memories. As we celebrate sixty-five years of history, broadcasting, and ministry in spreading the Gospel, we’re also celebrating all the fond memories we’ve collected over the years. And we would love for you to participate!

Tune in at 99.9 FM or online at mountaingospel.org all week long from Monday, April 29 through Friday, May 3 for our Mountain Gospel Spring Sharathon! Hear from familiar voices from past and present such as Dr. Wilfred Fisher, founder of WMTC in 1948, Donna Woodring,Dr. Eldon Neihof, Jennifer Cox, your Ol’ Neighbor, Robert Cundiff,  among many others. Listen to stories about the founding of WMTC, and how God has led and worked down through the years. Catch up on the latest news as we share how God continues to work through Mountain Gospel Radio.

Most of all, join us Friday, May 3 from 4:00-8:00 p.m. at the studio for our 65^th Anniversary Homecoming! We’ve got an exciting outdoor event planned and just possibly the largest event we’ve ever held. Ed Carpenter will be here frying fish and hush puppies. Other menu items include potato wedges, cole slaw, baked beans, and “birthday” cake to help us celebrate sixty-five years. The evening features an outdoor concert with Southern Gospel artist Mark Bishop, some folks sharing memories from the past, special clown activities for the kids, and we’ll be giving away a ton of prizes! We also have a special gift bag for every person or couple that attends, filled with handy Mountain Gospel supplies, a Southern Gospel CD, and candy – YUM! You definitely want to be here for this exciting time of celebration! We’ll also be broadcasting the event on 99.9 FM and online at mountaingospel.org, so make sure you’re listening if you can’t get here (but you can’t eat fish over the radio).

Along with many others, we’ll also be hearing stories about Kenneth Amspaugh, Seldon Short, and others. We’ll have funny stories, serious stories, crazy stories, miraculous stories and stories about how God has worked in people’s lives. If you ever worked at WMTC or know a story that would contribute to our Homecoming theme, we would love for you to send it to us (or maybe even share it on the air). You can submit your story by clicking here.

To help us prepare for Homecoming, would you mind taking a few minutes to tell us if you’re planning to attend? It’s easy to RSVP! You can either call, write, or simply fill out this online form! Thanks for letting us know. It will help immensely as we plan this exciting event! And don’t be bashful. Come on out and join us for the fun. Bring the family. Bring a friend. We want to celebrate together!

As you know, Mountain Gospel Radio is a listener supported ministry. Sharathon is one of our main venues of raising the financial resources to meet the needs of the station. We also have some exciting upcoming opportunities that we’ll be sharing. So stay tuned and tune in to hear more about how you can be a part of the ministry of Mountain Gospel Radio and keep the sixty-five year old legacy alive and well for the glory of God and the sake of the Gospel!

We’re really excited about Mountain Gospel Spring Sharathon & 65^th Anniversary Homecoming! God has continued to do amazing things at and through Mountain Gospel Radio and we want to share those with you. As a part of Sharathon & Homecoming, we’ll be debuting the all-new broadcast software and system, a new and improved online streaming with a new mobile app so you can listen on the go. All these changes are still in the works and are nearing completion. If you haven’t been here for a few years, we also have a completely remodeled exterior with beautiful new siding and roof. Many things have changed, but the most important things are still the same. We’re more committed than ever to proclaiming the message of the Gospel and building believers in the faith.

P. S. If you’re an alumnus of Kentucky Mountain Bible College, you may be interested to know that KMBC’s Alumni Day is the same weekend on Saturday, May 4^th. What a perfect opportunity to reunite with all your friends from the radio station & your alma mater in the same weekend! If you’re traveling in for Alumni Day, there may be some guest rooms available. Contact KMBC for more information or visit www.kmbc.edu.

Area Hotels:

Paul’s Motel: (606) 666-2471
1184 Main Street  Jackson, KY 41339
(About 10 Minutes from the College)

Jackson Inn: (606) 666-7551
19 Brewers Drive Jackson, KY 41339
(About 10 Minutes from the College)

Campton Parkway Inn: (606) 668-7072
205 Quillins Chapel Service Rd. Campton, KY 41301
(About 20 Minutes from the College)

Thanks for letting us know. It will help immensely as we plan this exciting event! And don’t be bashful. Come on out and join us for the fun. Bring the family. Bring a friend. We want to celebrate together!

Today Dr. Wilfred Fisher resides at the Wolfe County Health Care Center in Campton. During his lifetime of 98 years, Dr. Fisher has experienced much and has many stories to tell. These stories warranted an interview, and with the help of the workers at the Health Care Center, current General Manager, Dan Lorimer set up an interview with Dr. Fisher to capture these timeless memories.

With lights, camera, and sound equipment set up, Dan Lorimer proceeded to ask Dr. Fisher specific questions to elicit stories from the early days of WMTC Radio. Dr. Fisher related such events as the founding of WMTC and the story behind its 730AM frequency. Personal stories of struggles and successes were captured as Dr. Fisher shared events both miraculous and humorous from his time as general manager. Throughout the interview, Dr. Fisher gave all the glory to God for the success of Mountain Gospel Radio. We were very privileged to have this opportunity to record Dr. Fisher’s experiences for our archives.

We thank the staff of the Wolfe County Health Care Center for their assistance in performing this interview.

]]> http://wp.mountaingospel.org/a-walk-down-memory-lane-with-dr-fisher/feed/ 0 http://wp.mountaingospel.org/a-mountain-gospel-christmas/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-mountain-gospel-christmas http://wp.mountaingospel.org/a-mountain-gospel-christmas/#comments Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:59:29 +0000 David Bagby http://wp.mountaingospel.org/?p=659 Read More →]]>        Advent season is here, and as we remember the birth of our Savior, we are excited to air special Christmas programs and music! Tune in to Mountain Gospel this December for festive Christmas music and special programs which will get you into the true spirit of the season! Whether it’s music from Handel’s Messiah and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir or programs such as Treasures in the Snow, A Christmas Carol, and A Veggie Tales Christmas, you won’t want to miss our special programming this season! For a complete schedule of our Christmas programming: click here.

Not all of the programs were specifically Christian; but whatever programs would be on the air, Dr. Fisher said that the emphasis was to keep the station Christian- to “show people their need for Christ and need to be sanctified.”

WMTC radio has blessed the lives of people in many ways. “Sometimes you don’t see what happens,” said Dr. Fisher, “but one thing that I have seen was that before there was a station, I would do three week revivals to prepare people.” Dr. Fisher said that long revivals would prepare hearts because people did not know much about holiness, and now the radio station with its Christian programs helped in teaching people. Dr. Fisher noted that WMTC prepared people for the message of holiness. The Christian emphasis of Mountain Gospel Radio has not changed since these beginning years. The purpose is still to “show people their need for Christ.”

One program that has been on WMTC from the beginning is the Birthday Club started by Louis Bouck. This program is still being aired on weekdays at 10:00 AM and 7:30 PM. Dr. Fisher stated that Mr. Bouck was “a genius in front of the microphone.”

For other programs, pastors would come and bring their churches to do a service on the air. Other times students from KMBI would sing and testify for programs. The Church of the Air was what this was called. Dr. Fisher said that he really enjoyed preaching on the radio himself. Sometimes people would stay home to listen to WMTC instead of going to church. A time was worked out that was for people to be at their own churches. Dr. Fisher explained that they did not want to take people away from their own churches.

WMTC Mountain Gospel radio still provides uplifting Christian music and programing.  

Podcasts of the Mount Carmel Camp Meeting are being made available to listen online or to download at your convenience. Click Here to access the Archived Page of the Mount Carmel Services or click the Mt. Carmel Camp Meeting link in the menu bar at the top of our website, MountainGospel.org.

Much history can be found in just WMTC’s radio frequency. How did WMTC come to be on 730 AM?

“We wanted the lowest frequency possible,” said Dr. Fisher. Low frequencies are good for hilly country because they reach into the valleys better than high frequencies which skip across the mountain tops. “We wanted to reach the people in the valleys.” Dr. Fisher explained that the lowest frequency available was in the 600s range. They wanted this frequency, but another group applied for it and got it. The next lowest frequency was 730 AM, but there was also a problem in trying to get this frequency. About the same time, the governor of West Virginia also applied for this frequency. Dr. Fisher and others came to the conclusion that WMTC should be on 730 AM or nothing at all. They did not want to cause a conflict over this issue, but this frequency was the most desirable for the new station. Eventually the governor decided not to apply for it anymore, and WMTC received the 730 AM frequency.

Sometime after the station was established, they discovered that it was better for WMTC to be on 730 AM rather than on the other frequency in the 600s range that they had originally wanted. Dr. Fisher explained that there were two large stations in the area at this time, one in Louisville and one in Cincinnati. WMTC’s 730 frequency was in between these two stations, so “when people would change between these two stations, they would come across WMTC in the middle.” Dr. Fisher said that this resulted in more people knowing about the existence of WMTC in the early days. In 1948 WMTC went on the air with 1,000 watts on 730 AM.