WTPL

WTPL
City of license Hillsborough, New Hampshire
Broadcast area Concord-Manchester, New Hampshire
Branding 107.7 The Pulse
Frequency 107.7 (MHz)
First air date October 1, 1989
Format News/talk/sports
ERP 1,250 watts
HAAT 217 meters
Class A
Facility ID 54910
Transmitter coordinates 43°09′17.0″N 71°47′44.0″W / 43.154722°N 71.795556°W
Callsign meaning W
The
Pulse
Former callsigns WRCI (1989-2000)
WKXL-FM (2000-2002)
Affiliations NBC News Radio
ESPN Radio
Owner Great Eastern Radio, LLC
Sister stations WLKZ, WZEI
Webcast Listen Live
Website wtplfm.com

WTPL (107.7 FM, "The Pulse") is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk/sports format. Licensed to Hillsborough, New Hampshire, USA, it serves the Concord-Manchester area. The station is currently owned by Great Eastern Radio.

History

The original construction permit for the station was granted on August 4, 1987,[1] under the call sign of WRCI;[2] a license to cover was granted on September 7, 1990.[3] However, the station's original owners, Empire Radio Partners, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1992,[4] and the station was sold to Radioworks in 1993.[5] By 1994, WRCI was serving as a simulcast of its then-sister station WJYY (105.5), an adult contemporary station.[6] The station had changed simulcast partners to WNHI (93.3; now WNHW),[7] a classic rock station,[8] by 1996.[7]

Radioworks sold its stations to Vox Media in 1999,[9] and on December 27 the station was converted to the current news/talk format by way of a simulcast with another Vox station, WKXL, as part of a format shuffle that resulted in WKXL's original FM station, on 102.3, becoming the country music station WOTX-FM (now WWHK).[10] The WKXL-FM call sign moved to 107.7 the following February.[11]

Vox sold WKXL to Embro Communications in 2002.[12] The sale did not include WKXL-FM or its programming; as a result, WKXL launched a separate news/talk format, with its prior programming remaining on 107.7 under the new call letters of WTPL.[13] Embro took over WTPL as well under a local marketing agreement the next year, and reintroduced some shared programming, including a talk show hosted by Arnie Arnesen.[14] Vox then sold WTPL to its current owner, Great Eastern Radio (whose principal, Jeff Shapiro, had co-owned Vox with Bruce Danzinger[6]), in 2004,[15] and soon afterward the station again became independent of WKXL,[16] relocating to studios in Bow, New Hampshire, and a transmitter atop Pats Peak, both originally constructed for WNNH (99.1).[6] (Clark Smidt, who founded WNNH, has had involvement with WTPL.)[16]

Programming

107.7 The Pulse/WTPL FM broadcasts 12 hours of local programming every weekday, as well as some local programming at weekends. No other radio station north of Boston can boast such a locally based talk line-up. The well-known and longtime area morning hosts Peter St. James and Ken Cail broadcast from 6:00 am to 10:00 am. The issues driven and highly acclaimed Bulldog Live with Brian Tilton is broadcast mid morning. Money Basics, hosted by "Steve and Cynthia" from Charter Trust, is a midday business and financial show. The legendary Boston sportscaster Bob Lobel does a two hour show on weekdays, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Jack Heath, the former WMUR-TV news director and a very well-respected journalist, hosts NH Today from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, although he is being signed by Clear Channel to host mornings on WGIR AM 610. The station also simulcasts several WMUR-TV newscasts on weekdays, including the first hour of the morning newscast, the first segment of the midday newscast, and the 6:00 pm newscast. Sports programming includes Boston Red Sox baseball, Boston Bruins hockey, New England Patriots football, and coverage of college football. The station is also affiliated with ESPN Radio, broadcasting it on nights and at weekends when no games are being broadcast.

References

  1. ↑ "Application Search Details (1)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Call Sign History (WTPL)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commissio. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Application Search Details (2)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Company News; Empire Radio Partners Files For Chapter 11". The New York Times. November 28, 1992. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Application Search Details (3)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Wollman, Garrett. "WTPL promo vehicle". New Hampshire, June, 2005. Archives @ BostonRadio.org. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Fybush, Scott (February 17, 1996). "WBPS reborn, WZLX subs". New England RadioWatch. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  8. ↑ Fybush, Scott (October 23, 1997). "Sales and Format Changes Everywhere...". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  9. ↑ Fybush, Scott (October 8, 1999). "The Big Get Bigger -- Again". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  10. ↑ Fybush, Scott (December 26, 1999). "Citadel Bulks Up in Worcester". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  11. ↑ Fybush, Scott (February 18, 2000). "Consolidating in Bangor". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  12. ↑ Fybush, Scott (June 25, 2002). "Battaglia Sells WALE, Vox Sells WKXL". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  13. ↑ Fybush, Scott (July 1, 2002). "New 1610 Signs On in Montreal". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  14. ↑ Fybush, Scott (August 4, 2003). "WUTR Pulls Plug on Local News". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  15. ↑ Fybush, Scott (June 14, 2009). "WBIX Sold (Again) - and a Clearance Sale on Tower Site Calendars". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Fybush, Scott (July 15, 2005). "New Hampshire's WMEX, WTPL and WCNH-LP". Tower Site of the Week. Retrieved August 17, 2009.

External links