WPGW (AM)
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Ownership | |
Owner | Wpgw, Inc. |
WPGW-FM, WZBD | |
History | |
First air date | January 14, 1951 |
Call sign meaning | Portland-Glenn West (founder/original owner) |
Technical information | |
Facility ID | 73877 |
Class | D |
Power | 500 watts day 45 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°26′10.00″N 85°0′56.00″W / 40.4361111°N 85.0155556°W |
Translator(s) | 105.3 W287BC (Portland) |
Links | |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | wpgwradio.com |
WPGW (1440
Early history 1951-1974
Glenn West, a local electronics engineer founded the AM station in 1950 with its initial sign-on that took place January 14, 1951. From that point until the summer of 1974, West (owner/operator/original licensee) and his wife ran the station with a potpourri of big band nostalgia, middle of the road, polka and adult standards. Much of its programming was geared to older adults past the age of 50...some of the 15-inch transcription LPs were still in use in addition to public service programs produced by Armed Forces recruiters on 12 inch LPs. West anchored all local news (obits, hospital report and weather) at 12 noon and before sign-off at local sunset well into his later years when his voice aged.
PG-14 Radio 1974-present
In the summer of 1974. West and his wife retired and sold the daytime station to Bob Brandon (previously with
WPGW-FM signed on under Brandon's ownership on May 19, 1975. At first as a simulcast and continuation of PG-14's programming in the evening hours before WPGW-FM switched to "Jay Country 101" a country music format in 1980. Both AM and FM formats remain in place.
Contrary to popular belief, the
WPGW now operates in the evening hours with reduced power. Its normal daytime power is 500 watts.
WPGW's studios and transmitter remains located west of Portland on Indiana State Road 67 where West founded the station.
In 1980, Rob Weaver purchased both stations from Bob Brandon.
WPGW's sister station is WZBD (the former WQTZ) founded in August 1993 located to the north in Berne operating under the licensee name Adams County Radio Inc.
References
- ^ "WPGW Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- Arbitron.
External links
- Official WPGW site (with streaming audio)
- WPGW on Facebook
- WPGW in the FCC AM station database
- WPGW in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- W287BC in the FCC FM station database
- W287BC at FCCdata.org
- WPGW information at Indiana Radio Archive
- PG-14 information page from Gaebler Ventures website