WGPL is a black gospel formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Portsmouth, Virginia, serving Hampton Roads.[1] WGPL is owned and operated by Friendship Cathedral Family Worship Center, Inc.[5]
History
The station began broadcasting as WSAP in February 1943 as a Mutual affiliate. It operated on 1490 kHz with 250 watts of power from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.[6] As WAVY in the 1950s and '60s, the station competed against cross-town WGH with a top 40 music format until 1962. In the early 1970s the station competed against WGH and WNOR with a top 40 format as WCVU and WKLX.
WRAP
From 1979 until 1987, the station's call sign was WNIS. At that point, a swap was made with AM 850, which moved the WNIS call sign to AM 850, and transferred the WRAP call letters, with its associated black-oriented format, to this station.[7]
This was the last of the three Hampton Roads radio stations to operate as WRAP. In 1989, the station was sold to Three Chiefs Broadcasting, which changed the call sign to WBSK, and fired most of the existing staff.
References
- ^ a b "Arbitron Station Information Profiles". Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ a b c "FCC History Cards for WGPL".
- ^ "Call Sign History". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WGPL". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "WGPL Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ "4 Webs Now Served In Portsmouth, Va". Broadcasting. February 27, 1943. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
- ^ "For The Record: Call Letters", Broadcasting, November 9, 1987, page 96.
External links
- WGPL in the FCC AM station database
- WGPL in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- FCC History Cards for WGPL (covering 1941-1981 as WSAP / WAVY / WCVU / WKLX / WHNE / WNIS)