WCHK (1290 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a Spanish-language Latin pop radio format, known as "La Mega." Licensed to Canton, Georgia, it serves Metro Atlanta. The call sign stands for Cherokee, the county of which Canton is the seat of government, largest city, and geographic center. The station is currently owned by Davis Broadcasting of Atlanta, L.L.C. By day, WCHK is powered at 10,000 watts, using a non-directional antenna. But at night, to protect other stations on 1290 AM, it switches to a directional antenna and greatly reduces power to 500 watts. The transmitter is on Keith Drive, near Interstate 575 and Hickory Log Creek in Canton. WCHK is also heard on two FM translator stations: 96.5 W243CE in Winder and 105.1 W286DU in Canton. History The Glory Days of WCHK WCHK first went on the air on April 11, 1957, under the ownership of Cherokee Broadcasting (headed by Chuck McClure, owner of Columbus-based McClure Broadcasting). Its programming involved country and southern gospel music, with local production. Among the personalities were station manager Byron Dobbs (retired in 1997), Mike McDougal, and Jim Axel (who moved to WAGA-TV). WCHK-FM Because WCHK was on the AM band with a daytime-only operation, it was required to sign-off by sunset, allowing clear-channel stations to take over the airwaves. Therefore, on August 1, 1964. WCHK launched a simulcast on 105.5 MHz, as WCHK-FM. This allowed the station to extend programming on the FM band by midnight. In 1991, WCHK-FM received FCC approval to upgrade to a class C2 license. It relocated its transmitter to Bear Mountain, providing greater coverage in north Atlanta. At the same time, the station switched its frequency to 105.7 MHz. Another station from Carrollton, WMAX-FM, later occupied the 105.5 MHz frequency in 1994. (In 2002, WMAX moved to 105.3 MHz; it is now WRDG.) The station was renamed "North Metro's K-105", then "Country 105.7", and finally as "Atlanta's Classic Country 105.7". WCHK-FM was bought by Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) in 1993, under a local marketing agreement, simulcasting news/talk station WGST as WGST-FM. (The station is now WBZY.) In 1998, WCHK launched another simulcast on 100.1 MHz, licensed to Talking Rock, Georgia, under the WCHK-FM callsign. In 1999, WCHK-FM was renamed WNSY, launching an oldies format as Sunny 100. The new station operated from the facilities of WCHK (with personalities Michael Searcy and Scott Evans). The end In