WCTS began service on FM100.3 in June of 1965, under the leadership of Dr. Richard V. Clearwaters, as a ministry of Central Seminary. Studios were located at 2105 Fremont Avenue North in the historic Fourth Baptist Church building, now demolished. By the early 1990s, FM100.3 was broadcasting at 100kW, covering a large part of southeastern Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin. In July 1992, the FM station was sold in order to reorganize and relocate the ministry. As part of that sale, Central Seminary acquired an AM station. Today, true to our original mission, WCTS ministers to the Twin Cities region at AM1030 from studios at Fourth Baptist Church in Plymouth and a transmitter site in Woodbury, both in Minnesota. In December 2019, WCTS received a license for an FM Translator Station, first located at the site of our Plymouth campus, and then relocated to the IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis. Translator Station K250BY now covers much of the Twin Cities metro area at FM97.9.

Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Minneapolis (CBTS). Dr. Matt Morrell, president of Central Seminary, is also president of WCTS Radio. For day-to-day oversight, Central Seminary employs a General Manager. WCTS Radio has had four General Managers in its 60-year history: Howard McDonald (1965-1966), Dennis Whitehead (1966-2006), Kimball Cummings (2006-2011), and Dr. Steve Davis (since 2011).

Yes! We broadcast on AM1030 and FM97.9. Our AM signal reaches the Twin Cities, East-central Minnesota and West-central Wisconsin. [View our daytime coverage map here.]

WCTS is required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reduce broadcast power at local sundown from a daytime power of 50kW to 4kW. We are also required to employ a more directional antenna than by day. Because AM skywaves bounce off the ionosphere, and because the ionosphere rises at night, AM stations must lower their power in order to prevent interference with other stations at night. The power-down requirement prevents nighttime broadcast chaos on the AM band. View our night AM coverage map here. If you are within the red contour on the map, you should receive WCTS AM reliably at night.

The WCTS FM Translator Station, K250BY, is at FM97.9. Because it is a Translator Station, it must broadcast exactly what you hear on WCTS AM. As of January 15, 2025, K250BY was expanded and now covers much of the Twin Cities metro area, both day and night, from the IDS Center. View the K250BY coverage map here. You should receive a reliable FM signal within the red contour on the map.

No. By FCC rule, it is limited to 250 watts of effective radiated power.

No. By definition, a Translator Station is dependent on the host AM station and must fully repeat it, so it is not possible to do away with the originating AM signal.

You can listen to the radio stream or the instrumental music stream on our website @ wctsradio.com, on your Smartphone, and on Alexa or Google speaker devices through the TuneIn feature. Say “_____, Play WCTS Radio on TuneIn” Because these are free services, we have almost no direct control over which of our streams these devices play.

Amazon: “Alexa, play WCTS Radio on TuneIn.”
Google Home: “Google, Play WCTS Radio on TuneIn.”
Apple devices: “Hey Siri, play WCTS Radio on TuneIn.”

Our programming features a mix of hymns, traditional Christian music, and Bible teaching created for Christian growth and encouragement. Christian believers through the centuries have obeyed the biblical command to “speak to yourselves with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” WCTS offers the best of both traditional and modern Christian worship music. Such music is not only true, it contains remarkable insights into biblical truth. It is singable, accessible, and useful because the music works with the lyrics to lift the heart to worship God.

Yes, we offer a variety of inspirational talk shows and teaching programs alongside our music. A schedule of programs is available on this website.  See the icon for our “Program Guide”.

Yes! Every week the services of the related Fourth Baptist Church can be heard live on Sundays at 10:30 am and 6:00 pm.

• • o Sunday Concert, every Sunday afternoon from noon to 2:30 PM.
    o Daily Mini Concerts to bring you joy throughout your busy week.
    o Traditional Christmas music from the day after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day.
    o A locally-oriented Memorial Day Service on the air Memorial Day at 10 AM and 5 PM.
    o A locally-produced patriotic program on Independence Day, July 4th at 10 AM and 5 PM.
    o Sermon excerpts featuring WCTS’ founding pastor Dr. Richard V. Clearwaters throughout the day every day of the week.

A schedule of programs is available on this website.  See the icon for our “Program Guide”.

We appreciate your financial support! You can donate securely online through our website (click on “Donate”) or by mailing a check to WCTS Radio, 900 Forestview Lane North, Plymouth, MN 55441.

Yes! We offer a monthly giving program that allows you to support our ministry on a recurring basis. On our homepage, click on “Donate,” then under the amount check the box captioned, “Make this a recurring donation” and continue with your giving information. The amount you choose will be charged to your credit card monthly as long as you desire.

Yes! Limited volunteer opportunities are available, especially during our annual Sharathon in September. Visit our website or contact us for more information. Listen for Sharathon ’25!

WCTS Radio exists to support the mission of Central Seminary by ministering the message of the Gospel to our community through music and Bible teaching.

We are a Christian radio station and our programming reflects a biblical worldview. WCTS is known as “The Bible Station” and we love to share the Word of God. You’ll hear daily Bible readings and a daily verse throughout your day. As a ministry of Central Baptist Theological Seminary, we subscribe to the seminary’s doctrinal statement, which can be found at https://centralseminary.edu/doctrine-mission-purpose/ .

You can contact us by phone at 763-417-8270, by email at wcts@wctsradio.com, or by letter at 900 Forestview Lane North, Plymouth, MN 55441.You can also send a message through our website.