WCTS began broadcasting 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 old 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 Churchin Plymouth, Minnesota and a transmitter site in Woodbury, MN. In December, 2019, WCTS also received a license for an FM translator, located currently at the site of our studios. Translator station K250BY covers Plymouth, MN, and beyond, with 250 watts of power at FM97.9.

WCTS is owned and operated by Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Minneapolis (CBTS). The station operates as a Noncommercial Educational (NCE) station. 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 our nearly 60 years of history: Howard McDonald (1965-1966), Dennis Whitehead (1966-2006), Kimball Cummings (2006-2011) and 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.]

Like many AM radio stations, WCTS is required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to drop our broadcast power at sundown from a daytime power of 50kW to 4kW.  We also are required to employ a more directional antenna than by day. Because AM waves bounce off of the ionosphere, and because the ionosphere rises at night, AM stations must lower power in order to prevent interference with other distant stations at night. The power-down requirement prevents nighttime broadcast chaos. 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 K250BY is at FM97.9. Because it is a translator, it always broadcasts exactly what you hear on WCTS AM. Its effective radiated power is 250W, so it is not a full-power FM station. At the present time, K250BY covers the city of Plymouth, MN, and somewhat beyond both day and night. View the K250BY coverage map here. You should receive a reliable FM signal within the red contour on the map.

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.

No. By FCC rule, it is limited to 250 watts effective radiated power. However, it is possible to increase coverage by raising the height of the FM antenna and changing its directional characteristics. We applied to do both and have received FCC approval which is being challenged by a competing applicant.

You can listen to the radio stream or the instrumental music stream on our website at wctsradio.com, on your Smartphone, and on Alexa or Google speaker devices through the TuneIn feature. Say “_____, Play WCTS Radio on TuneIn” At the present time, for reasons we don’t fully understand, if you have an Amazon (Alexa) device, you will hear our instrumental music stream on TuneIn. If you have a Google Home smart speaker, or “Siri” on Apple devices, you will hear the radio broadcast on TuneIn.

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, conservative Christian music and Bible teaching designed 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 Fourth Baptist Church can be heard live on Sundays at 10:30 am and 6:00 pm.

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 monthly 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.

 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.