WUFF-FM

The first commercial radio station in Eastman, Georgia was licensed to O'Quinn Broadcasting and hit the airwaves in September 1961. The frequency was 1580 AM, and the call letters were WPFE, or "We Pull For Eastman".

Early personalities were Logan Hemphill, Marion Monk, Jerry Franks, Billy Edenfield, Clark Parkerson, Bob Joiner, Bill Ellis, Carey Lynn Lee, Neil Minor, Ray Beck, Vern Williams, Ernest Batchelor, Dave Lane, and Gene Rogers. A former television host and musician originally from Brunswick, Georgia, Rogers had been a staff disc jockey for only a short time when he was promoted to management in 1962. He managed the station successfully until retirement in 2006.

Under Rogers' leadership, the station grew in the 1970s. Broadcasting power and coverage area were expanded. The call letters were changed to WUFF (Wake Up For Fun), and the company became known as Big WUFF Radio. WUFF began simulcasting. The AM Frequency changed to 710, and the FM Frequency 92.1 was added. For many years, Big WUFF Radio was primarily a pop/rock station, but there was something for everyone. Country and especially gospel music were driving forces in the market.

In the mid 1980s, WUFF ditched the pop/rock format in favor of country and gospel full time. Steve Daniel, Terry Goodson, Steve Rogers, Tony Winborn, and Mike Harrell were prominent on air. Colonel Bob Scott soon joined the staff and rose to the rank of morning host. He stayed until 1990 when Rich Kincaid took over the morning show. Kincaid stayed until 1996. After his departure, Eric Lee was named interim morning host. Lee had been substituting for Kincaid since 1993 and had hosted the Saturday morning show since 1992. The weekday morning announcer worked live on the air from 6 a.m. until 1 p.m. and it wasn't unusual for the morning host to report to Studio B as early as 4:30 a.m. to record commercials that had to be changed and updated daily. Others tackling the morning shift before the arrival of longtime morning host Buddy Leach in 1998 were Billy Barrett and Autumn Sheffield (no relation to longtime advertising executive G.W. Sheffield).

In 1988, Charlie Eck Graham began building Graham's Golden Gospel, a widely popular gospel music and trivia show that aired on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. Graham remained with WUFF until his retirement in the early 2000s. He also hosted a gospel music television show on TV-35 in Dublin, Georgia and WGXA-TV 24 in Macon, Georgia.

In 1992, WUFF-FM changed frequencies from 92.1 FM to 97.5 FM. and increased its broadcasting power and coverage area. Popular personalities during the 1990s were Annette Cooper, G.W. Sheffield, Lynn Hardeman, Joann Cooper, Lisa Graham, Eric Lee, Autumn Sheffield, Joy Hardeman (cousin of Lynn Hardeman), Bill Cooper, Jody Batts, Robert Kelly, T.J. Johnson, David Sumner, Billy Barrett, Don "Buckshot" Jones and Buddy Leach. Chirs Screws does a great job as part time announcer. Greg Grantham hosts the afternoon drive show and The Country Club live on Saturday evenings. Grantham started his career while still in high school at WVMG AM-FM Cochran 96.7. He later enjoyed success at a number of Middle Georgia radio stations, notably WPEZ 107.9 Z-108 Macon, WQSY Sunny 103.9 FM Hawkinsville, and WQZY 95.9 Dublin. He is also associated with WPGA FM 100.9 Macon. Grantham and Leach are the only fulltime hosts at Big WUFF, a station that once prided itself on being the only local station that employed live announcers around the clock. Automation and voice tracking have changed the business immensely, and the prospect of calling in and talking to a live disc jockey now is almost nonexistent.

In late 1997, Big WUFF began broadcasting 24 hours a day. Previously, the stations went off the air between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

WUFF is a major supporter of high school athletics. The Dodge County Indians football games are called by the dynamic duo of Dr. Don Parkerson and Dr. Clark Carroll. They have been broadcasting the game since the 1970s.

In 2004, Steve Sellars purchased WUFF from O'Quinn. In 2006, the station increased its broadcasting power and coverage area once again and began broadcasting in stereo. The Big WUFF continues today as a regional entity. Country music is the dominant format except on Sundays when both WUFF 710 AM and WUFF 97.5 FM air religious programming and gospel music. Minister Corrine Edmondson and her son Michael host The New Gospel Spotlight Time Morning Program; the Edmondsons have been with the station since the 1980s. Sister Lillie Holton hosts Community Church and Spiritual Time. Rev. Wendell Brown of Hawkinsville, Georgia did a show for years and has finally retired. A host of others, including Rev. Ralph Smith have programs on Sunday. Rev. Bruno Rogers was one of the legends of yesteryear, along with Rev. Harry A. Hand, Sr, the dearly departed Elder Moore and Truck Drving Preacherman Bill Simmons, just to name a few.

Many of those associated with WUFF during the Gene Rogers era have moved on to careers in engineering, sales, advertising, real estate, plumbing, education, broadcasting, farming, and law enforcement. Rogers instilled many values in his employees, including the satisfaction one achieves through hard work, thriftiness, humility, patriotism, and Godliness. All employees were treated equally and were expected to take out the trash and clean the station if they happened to be working on Monday evenings.

Today the station is identified as Wolf Country 97.5. The logo has been modernized, ditching the photo of Wuffie, longtime station mascot in favor of a more modern design. Also gone is the signature Wolf Howl that blanketed all broadcasts during most of the station's life. Big WUFF's studios at 731 College Street in Eastman were renovated in 2006.

REFERENCES History of Dodge County, Georgia 1993. Dodge County Historical Society. WH Wolfe Associates

BIA Financial Networks (2004, August) Broadcasting and Cable. Available:http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA448599.html