WPLY (AM)
| |
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Branding | Sports Radio Virginia |
Programming | |
Format | Sports |
Affiliations | |
Ownership | |
Owner | Mel Wheeler, Inc. |
WFIR, WPLI, WSLC-FM, WSLQ, WVBB, WVBE-FM, WXLK, WZZU | |
History | |
First air date | October 1, 1940 |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | PLaY |
Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 41111 |
Class | B |
Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 37°18′11.0″N 80°2′33.0″W / 37.303056°N 80.042500°W |
Translator(s) | 101.1 W266CY (Roanoke) |
Repeater(s) | 1390 WPLI (Lynchburg) |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | sportsradiova.com |
WPLY (610
radio station licensed to Roanoke, Virginia, and serving Southwest Virginia and the New River Valley. WPLY simulcasts a sports radio format with WPLI 1390 AM in Lynchburg. Both stations are owned and operated by Mel Wheeler, Inc.[2] Most programming is supplied by Fox Sports Radio
.
By day, WPLY transmits 5,000
History
WSLC Country
Just before noon on October 1, 1940
, the stationNBC Blue Network, dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts. (The Blue Network later became ABC.) A partner FM station, 99.1 WSLS-FM, launched in 1947, largely simulcasting the AM station. WSLS-TV
followed five years later on Channel 10.
As network programming moved from radio to television, 610 WSLS switched to a
full service, Country music format. In 1969, Park Communications purchased WSLS-AM-FM-TV. Due to FCC ownership restrictions, Park kept the television station and sold the radio stations to Bass Brothers Telecasters. As the stations could no longer share a call sign after the purchase, the AM became WSLC at midnight on August 1, 1972, keeping its country sound. The FM switched to album-oriented rock and briefly became WSLC-FM before settling on current call sign WSLQ. Only the TV station still carries the original call letters.[7] Mel Wheeler purchased the two stations in 1976.[8]
Urban AC and Sports
At noon on May 25, 2000, WSLC began simulcasting with its new
R&B music full-time to Roanoke.[9]
On January 20, 2016, the station dropped its Urban AC format for sports talk with the new call sign WPLY. The station became an affiliate of Fox Sports Radio.[10][11][12]
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WPLY". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "WPLY Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/WPLY
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/W266CY
- ^ "Wsls Am". Roanokeradio.com. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1950 page 311, Broadcasting & Cable
- ^ "WSLC AM 610". Roanokeradio.com. 1972-08-01. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
- ^ "FCC History Cards for WPLY".
- ^ "610 WSLC drops country WSLC-FM for Urban AC WVBE-FM | Format Change Archive". Formatchange.com. 12 March 2002. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
- ^ "Roanoke getting another all-sports radio station". www.roanoke.com. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
- ^ "Roanoke Gets Second Sports Station". Insideradio.com. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
- ^ "Wheeler Launches New Sports Station In Roanoke". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
External links
- WPLY Online
- WPLY in the FCC AM station database
- WPLY in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- W266CY in the FCC FM station database
- W266CY at FCCdata.org