WPGR (AM)
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| WPGR | |
| Broadcast area | Monroeville, Pennsylvania/Pittsburgh |
|---|---|
| Branding | "AM1510, WPGR" |
| Frequency | 1510 (kHz) |
| First air date | 1960 |
| Format | Urban Gospel |
| ERP | 5,000 watts (Daytime) 1 watt (Nighttime) 2,500 watts (Critical Hours) |
| Class | D |
| Callsign meaning | W PittsburGh Radio |
| Owner | Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation |
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This article is missing citations or needs footnotes. Using inline citations helps guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. (December 2007) |
WPGR is a Urban Gospel radio station serving the Pittsburgh area. The station, which is owned by Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation, broadcasts at 1510 kHz, with an effective radiated power of 5 kW-D/1w-N/2.5 kW-C pattern, and is licensed to Monroeville, Pennsylvania.
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[edit] History: Beginnings as WPSL
WPGR, whose previous formats included adult contemporary, urban contemporary and modern rock, flipped to its current format (which had previously been at what's now WWNL) in 1999.
This station first went on the air as WPSL back in 1964, and operated as a daytime-only operation with a power output of 250 watts, non-directional. The call letters were an acronym for Punchy Sylves Leib, the station's founder. The station's studio and transmitter location, where it had operated for many years, was located at One Sylves Lane within the city of Monroeville. It would remain at this location until 1999.
WPSL was primarily a broadcast outlet for an announcer training school managed by Pittsburgh radio great Bill Lynch. The station later evolved into a commercial enterprise, maintaining its same ownership until being silenced in 1979, after the deaths of Leib and her father, who was one of the other owner principals of the station. The station would remain silent until its sale to Barua Communications of Monroeville the following year.
[edit] The X-15 Experiment
The station returned to the air in 1980 under a new set of call letters, WRUA, and a new owner, Barua Communications of Monroeville, founded by a local podiatrist. The station operated under these same call letters until 1989, when Barua leased the station to another operator (Julco Enterprises), Robert Julian. WRUA took on a new set of call letters, and WXVX (the last three standing for the Roman numeral 1510) was born. The new WXVX, marketed as "X-15" was created as an outlet for progressive and alternative rock after New Kensington-licensed FM station WXXP switched its format from this kind of music to adult contemporary and adopted the slogan "Mix 100.7".
WXVX's presentation was that of inmates running the asylum, with concerts being held outside the station's ramshackle studio building (whose address by this time was unofficially renamed One Progressive Alley), by up and coming new rock acts. Though the station proved popular with listeners, and introduced acts such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Lenny Kravitz to the market, it didn't meet its financial goals and the station reverted back to Barua's control in 1992. A volunteer airstaff, dedicated to the format, kept the station going by working for free and selling airtime, including its new general manager, Paul Goodman.
Goodman managed to keep WXVX afloat until it was sold to another local doctor who owned several properties in the area. The new doctor leased the station to Chae Communications, a broadcast company controlled by former WLOA General Manager Del King, who programmed a format of adult urban contemporary. Unable to make a go of the operation, King let the contract lapse. WXVX was then sold in 1997 to Westmoreland County broadcaster Michael Horvath, who later purchased WPLW in Carnegie. Horvath changed from the WXVX urban format, and put an automated format of 80's music on the air, soliciting the airtime for sale to those interested in their own radio programs. After a few years, the station was sold to Mortenson Broadcasting from Kentucky. Mortenson carried an automated gospel music format from Sheridan Broadcasting during his tenure and eventually sold the station to Sheridan several years later.
[edit] WPGR Today
Sheridan still continues to run the format as their "Flagship" station with their offices located in close by Pittsburgh, PA.
