MARBLE HILL -- Radio listeners will have another station to tune in next month.

KQUA-FM 104.1, "the home of southern gospetality," will operate 24-hours a day beginning Aug. 1. It is the only FCC-licensed radio station in Bollinger County.

The station is owned by Harold Lawder of Murphysboro, Ill. A sister station in Ava, Ill., was voted the No. 1 southern gospel station in 1991.

Although the tower site is assigned to Scopus, the FCC license is registered in Marble Hill. Because Scopus is the second highest point in Bollinger County, it will house the 3,000-watt transmitter tower.

"On a good day, we could reach the Arkansas border," station manager Rick Jones said.

In Missouri, the station will reach the surrounding cities of Sikeston, Piedmont, Festus and Perryville.

Although the station will operate 24 hours, some of the programs are broadcast via satellite. A popular program with Dr. James Dobson, "Focus on the Family," will be aired.

Both local and national church programs will be broadcast, Jones said, adding that the station will also cover Woodland School sports activities and community events.

Members of the Marble Hill community have been waiting for the station to arrive for two years.

The permit for the station was purchased two years ago, Jones said. But the FCC lost it during a change in tower sites. The license was eventually purchased from a country-music station in Mayfield, Ky.

Davie Lee, a former country-music disc jockey, will emcee the station's morning show from 6 to 10 weekdays. Jones serves as the afternoon disc jockey and station manager and has been in the radio business for about five years.

He previously worked at country-music stations in the St. Louis area and said the switch to a gospel market is not difficult.

"When you switch from secular to gospel, you believe more in the music," he said. "It's not just a job, it's a calling."

The station will represent all churches in an equal light, Jones said. In conjunction with operating the radio station, the group also publishes a monthly newsletter.