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Broadcast area | Washington metropolitan area |
Frequency | 95.5 MHz (HD Radio) |
Branding | WPGC 95.5 |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Format | Urban contemporary |
Subchannels | HD2: WJFK-FM simulcast |
Ownership | |
Owner |
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History | |
First air date | June 1948 |
Former call signs |
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Former frequencies | 96.7 MHz (1948–1954) [1] |
Call sign meaning | Prince George's County |
Technical information [2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 26832 |
Class | B |
ERP | 50,000 watts |
HAAT | 148 meters (486 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 38°51′50″N76°54′40″W / 38.864°N 76.911°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen live (via Audacy) |
Website | www |
WPGC-FM (95.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Morningside, Maryland, and serving the Washington metropolitan area. It is owned by Audacy, Inc., and airs an urban contemporary format.
WPGC-FM has studios in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Southeast D.C., with its transmitter located off Walker Mill Road at Tanow Place in Capitol Heights, Maryland. [3] In 2005, WPGC began broadcasting in IBOC digital radio, using the HD Radio system from iBiquity. The HD-2 digital subchannel carries a simulcast of WJFK-FM.
The station signed on the air on January 18, 1948, on the 96.7 frequency with the WBUZ call letters. WBUZ was owned by Arthur Baldwin Curtis, president of Chesapeake Broadcasting Company, Incorporated, and was located in Bradbury Heights. [4] WBUZ-FM broadcasting at 420 watts effective radiated power. The call letters were a play on the word "bus", as WBUZ broadcast background music for a Prince George's County, Maryland based bus company. [5]
In May 1953, WBUZ-FM raised power to 6,300 watts and its city of license was changed to Oakland, Maryland (near District Heights; [6] not the Western Maryland town). Then on June 8, 1953, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted a permit to the station to raise power from 6.3 to 18 kilowatts. WBUZ-FM changed frequency from 96.7 to 95.5 Megahertz and power was reduced to 16.5 kilowatts from a new transmitter and tower site on Walker Mill Road in Oakland. The calls were changed to WRNC on March 30, 1956. By the end of the year, WRNC was simulcasting WPGC (AM). The ERP was reduced to 15.7 kilowatts while the power increase authorized for WPGC (AM) in 1955 to 10,000 watts daytime only.
WPGC-AM, Inc., purchased WRNC in 1956. The calls were changed to WPGC-FM in March 1958. [5] WPGC-FM temporarily went silent until February 1959, as new studios were being constructed for the top 40 format. Though the calls have always stood for Prince George's County for the county Morningside resides in, during the 70s and early 80s an alternate contest slogan had them standing for Where People Get Cash on-air.
WPGC-FM maintained some form of the top 40 format (skewed from rock 'n' roll-based to adult contemporary) until 1984, when it flipped to easy listening/adult contemporary. For two years, the station took the calls WCLY and was known on-air as "Classy 95". [7]
Classy 95 ended up being a failure, and First Media sold its stations off to Cook Inlet Radio Partners, a group of Alaska Natives for $177 million in 1987. [8] Cook Inlet returned the WPGC-FM calls on the weekend after Memorial Day on May 30, 1987. [7] The first song under the new format was "Jam On It" by Newcleus, and the new CHR format with an urban lean became much more popular. [9] The station was initially branded WPGC, 95 Jams. In the early 2000s, the branding reverted to simply WPGC 95.5, dropping the Jams moniker from the brand, although it still visibly remained on the station's logo. In August 2009, the station rebranded again to 95-5 PGC.
Donnie Simpson hosted The Donnie Simpson Morning Show during the morning drive from March 1993 to January 29, 2010.
Infinity Broadcasting acquired the station and sister station WPGC from Cook Inlet in June 1994 for $60 million. The stations moved to new studios and offices at 4200 Parliament Place, Suite 300 in Lanham, Maryland, in the summer of 2000. In January 2006 owner Viacom split into two companies, Viacom and CBS, and the Infinity Broadcasting name was dropped in favor of CBS Radio.
WPGC announced they were moving their studios from Parliament Place in Lanham in suburban Maryland to the Navy Yard neighborhood in southeast DC on March 26, 2015. [10]
On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom. [11] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th. [12] [13]
Similar to other long-time rhythmic turned urban stations including KMEL in San Francisco and WQHT in New York, WPGC has evolved into a full-service urban contemporary station that is still monitored by Nielsen BDS as a rhythmic. WPGC-FM also has been a debated topic amongst radio experts about its format classification as a Rhythmic Contemporary Hit radio station even though it really operates musically and programmed as an Urban Contemporary. In 1987, when the current format on WPGC was introduced it was a mix of R&B, hip-hop, dance and pop titles. This came at a time when many radio stations took on the "crossover"-based format for the first time as Emmis Communications pioneered it on KPWR in Los Angeles and WQHT in New York upon acquiring those stations. In the case of Washington, D.C., the new format niched in well with established R&B stations WKYS, WMMJ and WOL as well as top 40 stations (at the time) WRQX and WAVA-FM.
By 1997, following the departure of longtime assistant program director/music director and afternoon host Albie Dee, its playlist consisted mainly of R&B and hip-hop titles. Many critics say the ability to attract more mainstream advertisers as Rhythmic, rather than Urban, is the real reason. By the early 2000s, WPGC was regularly airing go-go, a local sub-genre of funk, soul, and R&B, made popular by live performers including Chuck Brown, Experience Unlimited, and Rare Essence in local clubs and performance venues.
In June 2009, speculation began circulating that WPGC might be evolving towards a Top 40/CHR direction or back to its former urban-leaning Rhythmic format similar to sister station WZMX. The move might have been fueled by the recent drop in the ratings and in part due to the introduction of PPMs in the market, where it has hurt them audience-wise. [14] However, WPGC remained an urban, albeit a Mainstream Urban (in terms of programming and music playlist, although still basically considered a rhythmic), that focuses primarily on the current urban hits with some recurrents and throwbacks mixed into its playlist.
In December 2010, WPGC began to open up its playlist to include songs that they wouldn't have touched, i.e. Just The Way You Are from Bruno Mars. This issue of whether WPGC might be shifting to a broader Rhythmic sound continued to be debated on message boards like Radio-Info. [15] Even though WPGC-FM was still considered as a rhythmic, it added more rhythmic-friendly tracks but reduced the urban lean from 2010 to 2018.
From 1992 to 1997, WPGC was an original member of the BDS Rhythmic Top 40 panel, when it was moved to BDS's R&B/Hip-Hop reporting panel in 1997. It was the only Rhythmic owned by then CBS Radio that was not listed on the Nielsen BDS rhythmic panel. From 1997 to 2012, Nielsen BDS placed WPGC-FM on the urban panel, while it remained on the rhythmic panel on Mediabase, as Radio One's WKYS is its competitor, but is an urban contemporary station. On June 13, 2012, WPGC returned to the Nielsen BDS Rhythmic Top 40 panel after 15 years. [16] CBS Radio moved WPGC to the Rhythmic panel from the R&B/Hip-Hop panel due to WPGC becoming more of a hit-driven Rhythmic Top 40 that is more in line with their other Rhythmic outlets and to be more competitive with Top 40/CHR rival WIHT. However, it retained a heavy urban lean to programming when compared to most rhythmic-formatted stations on the panel. Ironically, they were also the second CBS Radio Rhythmic outlet on the BDS Rhythmic panel with a R&B/Hip-Hop direction, the other being WZMX-Hartford, Connecticut.
WPGC is considered the 2nd largest and co-flagship (along with WVEE) owned by Audacy within its urban/rhythmic division, based on market size (Washington, DC #8). Until August 2012, CBS Radio did list WPGC as an urban on their corporate listings, but by 2012, it was programmed as a hybrid of both formats. [17] As a result, Atlanta (market rank #7) sister station, WVEE, is considered the largest urban station from 2012 to 2018 and again in 2023, but WVEE is still the co-flagship of the company's urban/rhythmic division. As of January 2018, Audacy does list WPGC-FM as an urban on their station listings, making WPGC an urban station once again. [18]
As of April 2021, Mediabase does monitor WPGC-FM as an urban on its weekly station panel. [19]
Currently, WPGC is musically programmed as a hit-driven, full-service, urban contemporary station that spins a heavy concentration of mainly contemporary hip-hop, soul, go-go and R&B music with numerous urban music throwbacks throughout the day and an occasional crossover pop hit song. The station directly competes with urban contemporary rival WKYS and urban adult contemporary rivals WMMJ and WHUR full-time, and to a lesser extent the station competes with contemporary hit radio rival WIHT. The station airs current and classic R&B and soul slow jams late nights on Sunday through Thursday dubbed The Coolout. After many years of only giving occasional spins to urban contemporary gospel music that charted well on the Billboard, the station added a program dedicated to the genre on early Sunday mornings. The station also airs urban and crossover pop music throwbacks on Sunday evenings.
The station's signal covers both Washington and Baltimore, so it also competes with Baltimore's WERQ, an Urban One-owned urban contemporary station, and to a lesser extent, iHeartMedia's WZFT which has a more generic Top 40/CHR format. It is the only Audacy rhythmic/urban in the Eastern United States to use its call letters as a branding on-air (the other two, KSFM in Sacramento and KLUC-FM in Las Vegas, are both in the Western United States).
WSTR is an FM radio station licensed to Smyrna, Georgia, and serving the Atlanta metropolitan area. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts a rhythmic adult contemporary format. Its studios are located at Colony Square in Midtown Atlanta, while the station transmitter resides in Atlanta's Reynoldstown neighborhood.
WVEE – branded as V-103 – is a commercial radio station in Atlanta, Georgia. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an urban contemporary radio format. WVEE is one of the highest-rated stations in the Atlanta radio market according to Nielsen Audio, reaching number one on many reports. Its studios and offices are located in Colony Square on Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta, along with its sister stations WAOK, WSTR and WZGC.
WDHT is an urban-leaning rhythmic contemporary radio station in Urbana, Ohio serving the Dayton–Springfield area that broadcasts on the 102.9 frequency. WDHT is currently owned by Alpha Media, which also owns WING, WROU-FM, WCLI-FM and WGTZ. Its transmitter site on Miller Road in Springfield is shared with that of WULM, as this was previously the transmitting site of the former WBLY/WAZU. Its studios are in Kettering, Ohio.
KSFM is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Woodland, California and serves the Sacramento metropolitan area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and broadcasts an urban contemporary format. KSFM's studios and offices are located on Lava Ridge Court in Roseville, and its transmitter is in Woodland.
WKYS is a commercial radio station licensed to Washington, D.C. The station is owned by Urban One through licensee Radio One Licenses, LLC, and broadcasts an urban contemporary radio format. It is co-owned with WMMJ, WOL, WPRS-FM, and WYCB, with studios and offices in Silver Spring, Maryland.
WPHI-FM is a commercial radio radio station licensed to Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, and serving the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc., simulcasting an all-news radio format with co-owned KYW. Its studios are located in Audacy's corporate headquarters in Center City, Philadelphia.
WJFK is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a sports gambling radio format. Licensed to Morningside, Maryland, and serving the Washington metropolitan area, the station is owned by Audacy, Inc. The radio studios are in Southeast DC in the Navy Yard neighborhood. Programming is supplied by the co-owned BetQL Network and CBS Sports Radio.
WAMO is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, and serving the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. It broadcasts an urban contemporary radio format, is owned by the Martz Communications Group and is operated by Audacy, Inc., under a local marketing agreement (LMA).
KALV-FM is a commercial radio station in Phoenix, Arizona. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and it airs a top 40 (CHR) format. KALV-FM's studios are located in downtown Phoenix, and its transmitter is in South Mountain Park. For its first 20 years, the stations went by the call letters KHEP. From 1992 - 2016, the station used the callsign KZON.
WQMP is a radio station licensed to Daytona Beach serving the Orlando and Space Coast areas of Central Florida. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format branded as "FM 101.9". Its studios are located in Maitland and the transmitter is in Orange City. To the north, the station can be heard as far as St. Augustine, to the south, the station can be heard as far as Palm Bay and is one of the few Orlando stations that covers Ocala.
KXHT is a mainstream urban radio station licensed to Marion, Arkansas and serves the Memphis, Tennessee, area. The Flinn Broadcasting outlet operates at 107.1 MHz with an ERP of 2.75 kW. The station's studios are located in Southeast Memphis, and the transmitter site is in West Memphis, Arkansas along the west shore of the Mississippi River.
WTIC-FM is a commercial radio station in Hartford, Connecticut. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and broadcasts a hot adult contemporary radio format. The station's studios and offices are located on Executive Drive in Farmington.
WPOW – branded Power 96 – is a commercial classic hip-hop radio station licensed to Miami, Florida. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves Miami-Dade County, the Miami metropolitan area, and much of surrounding South Florida. WPOW's studios are located in Audacy's Miami office on Northeast Second Avenue, while the station's transmitter is located in the Miami Gardens neighborhood of Andover.
WZMX, better known as "Hot 93.7" is an urban-leaning rhythmic contemporary radio station licensed to Hartford, Connecticut, in the United States. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. Its transmitter is located on West Peak in Meriden, Connecticut, and the station's studios and offices are located on Executive Drive in Farmington.
WWMX, known on-air as Mix 106.5, is a commercial radio station in Baltimore, Maryland. It broadcasts a hot adult contemporary radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The studios and offices are on Clarkview Road off Jones Falls Expressway.
KLQB is a Regional Mexican radio station serving the Austin, Texas, area. It is owned by TelevisaUnivision, via Uforia Audio Network, and broadcasts with an ERP of 48,000 watts and is licensed to Taylor, Texas. Its transmitter is located in Coupland, Texas, and the station has studios along MoPac Expressway in Northwest Austin.
W261AX is a translator station serving the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania market, broadcasting on 100.1 MHz on the FM dial with a power of 99 watts. The station is owned by the Martz Communications Group, but broadcasts the programming of Audacy, Inc.-owned news/talk station KDKA. From 2011 to 2020, the translator carried a mainstream urban format, for most of that time in conjunction with Martz-owned WAMO. Audacy operates the station.
KRBQ is a classic hip hop radio station in San Francisco, California and owned by Audacy, Inc. The station transmits its signal from Mount Beacon atop the Marin Headlands above Sausalito, California, while studios are located in the KPIX-TV building in the North Beach district of San Francisco.
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