WGPL

{{Infobox radio station

| name = WGPL

| logo = WGPL-AM 2008.PNG

| city = Portsmouth, Virginia | country = US

| branding = Peace Radio 1350

| airdate = {{start date|1943|3}}{{cite web|title=FCC History Cards for WGPL|url=https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=65791}}

| frequency = {{Frequency|1350 AM|kHz}}

| format = Black gospel

| licensing_authority = FCC

| power = 5,000 Watts day and night

| class = B

| facility_id = 69560

| coordinates = {{coord|36|53|0.0|N|76|22|22.0|W|type:landmark}}

| callsign_meaning = "Gospel"

| former_callsigns = {{ubl|WSAP (1943–1953)|WAVY (1953–1968)|WCVU (1968–1970)|WKLX (1970–1977)|WHNE (1977–1979)|WNIS (1979–1987)|WRAP (1987–1989)|WBSK (1989–1993)|WSVY (1993–1996)}}

| former_frequencies = 1490 kHz (1943–1951)

| owner = Friendship Cathedral Family Worship Center, Inc.

| licensee =

| sister_stations = WPCE

| webcast = [https://churchwebcast.com/wgpl.html WGPL Webstream]

| website =

| affiliations =

}}

WGPL is a black gospel formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Portsmouth, Virginia, serving Hampton Roads. WGPL is owned and operated by Friendship Cathedral Family Worship Center, Inc.

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.{{cite news |title=4 Webs Now Served In Portsmouth, Va. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lAwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA6|access-date=October 18, 2018 |work=Broadcasting |date=February 27, 1943}} 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.[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1987/BC-1987-11-09.pdf#page=96 "For The Record: Call Letters"], Broadcasting, November 9, 1987, page 96.

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

{{reflist|30em|refs=

{{cite web|url=http://www1.arbitron.com/sip/displaySip.do?surveyID=SP15&band=am&callLetter=WGPL|title=Arbitron Station Information Profiles|access-date=July 18, 2015|work=Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings}}

{{cite web|url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=69560&Callsign=WGPL|title=Call Sign History|access-date=July 18, 2015|work=Federal Communications Commission, audio division}}

{{cite web|url=https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?call=WGPL|title=WGPL Facility Record|access-date=July 18, 2015|work=Federal Communications Commission, audio division}}

}}

External links

[https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=65791 FCC History Cards for WGPL] (covering 1941-1981 as WSAP / WAVY / WCVU / WKLX / WHNE / WNIS)

Category:1943 establishments in Virginia

Category:Gospel radio stations in the United States

Category:Radio stations established in 1943

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