WGAU
| Company type | Radio broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | May 1, 1938 in Athens, Georgia, United States |
| Founder | Clarke Broadcasting Company (H. Randolph Holder and Tom Lloyd) |
| Headquarters | Athens , United States |
Area served | Athens, Georgia and surrounding area |
| Products | News and talk radio programming |
| Owner | Cox Media Group |
| Website | wgau |
WGAU (1340 AM, branded as "News-Talk 1340") is an Athens, Georgia-licensed radio broadcaster delivering a news and talk programming format. The station is under the ownership of Cox Media Group, with its transmission facilities and studios, shared alongside WNGC, situated in the Five Points area.
The station commenced operations on May 1, 1938, and expanded in 1948 by launching WGAU-FM. In 1956, Clarke Broadcasting Company—controlled by H. Randolph Holder and Tom Lloyd, who also managed radio outlets in Rome and Griffin, Georgia—acquired WGAU. Holder’s widely followed news commentary segments notably enhanced the station’s profile.
Originally airing a variety of musical genres, WGAU transitioned to a dedicated news and talk format during the early 1990s. It has played a significant role in developing broadcasting talent from the University of Georgia’s Henry Grady College of Journalism, with alumni such as Harry Chapman (who later joined WTVF Nashville) and Bruce Bartley (lead newscaster at Atlanta’s WSB Radio). John Holliman, a former news director at WGAU, gained national recognition as a CNN correspondent for his Persian Gulf War reporting in 1991 and subsequent work in science and technology journalism; in tribute, NASA named the auditorium at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39 Press Site after him in 1999.
Country music artist Bill Anderson served as a disc jockey at WGAU during the 1950s but was terminated for defying management directives by playing country music. Initially hired by Holder with the explicit instruction to avoid country tunes, Anderson was let go after broadcasting a CBS Radio Network show featuring that genre.
In January 2008, Cox Radio expanded its portfolio by acquiring WGAU along with sister stations WGMG, WPUP, WRFC, and WNGC. University of Georgia sports broadcasts previously aired on WGAU have since moved to its sister outlet "Sports Radio 960 WRFC."
In June 2024, Cox Radio made sudden staffing changes including the dismissal of veteran host Tim Bryant. The station’s syndicated lineup includes conservative commentators such as Brian Kilmeade, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Dana Losech, alongside consumer advocate Clark Howard and the paranormal-themed program Coast to Coast AM.
WGAU holds affiliation with the Atlanta Braves radio network—the most extensive in Major League Baseball—and maintains partnerships with Fox News Radio and The Weather Channel.