Last Local FM Station Hope to Expand Community Outreach, Service
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Anderson’s “Mr. Christmas” has turned his year‑round passion for community into a full‑time presence on the local airwaves with 94.9 WALH, Anderson County’s only local FM radio station. The station, which takes its call letters from Anderson Lights of Hope, is now ramping up power and programming so more residents can tune in across the county.
Station owner Ben Phillips said 94.9 WALH is running at about 700 watts, reaching most of the area around the City of Anderson beyond, and is designed to “sound like Anderson” all day long. The format mixes a wide variety of music with heavy emphasis on local information, from news to weather and public‑service content.
Weekday mornings at 9 a.m., listeners can hear city and county news produced by The Anderson Observer, which Phillips calls a trusted local source. Phillips said the goal is to make sure people can flip on the radio and quickly find out what is happening in their own community rather than relying on out‑of‑town stations.
Afternoons feature a lineup of specialty shows, including programs sent in from Myrtle Beach radio personality Pac Winn, who builds “beach music” blocks that tie in Anderson’s own lake and “inland beach” vibe. A smaller sister station, WSAC at 89.5, is expected to be on the air by summertime, adding another local listening option for Anderson County.
One of Phillips’ original goals was to restore truly local emergency alerts for Anderson County, something he said has been missing as most signals now originate from Greenville. During tests last year, he said the station’s remote forecasters correctly anticipated two tornadoes in Pickens and Oconee counties and alerted listeners to approaching thunderstorms about 30 minutes before they reached Anderson County, with an accuracy rate he estimates at about 90 percent.
Phillips said the combination of music, news, and real‑time weather alerts is meant to fill a void in local broadcasting and give Anderson County residents a station that reflects their own lives. With 94.9 WALH now audible across more of the county and WSAC on the way, he hopes listeners will come to see Anderson’s only local FM station as both a daily habit and a vital part of the area’s safety network.
