WPRS (FM)

Last updated

WPRS
Broadcast area
Frequency 92.7 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingPraise 92.7 & 95.9
Programming
Format Urban contemporary gospel
Ownership
Owner
WDCJ, WMMJ, WKYS, WOL, WYCB
History
First air date
August 1, 1971
(54 years ago) (1971-08-01) [1]
Former call signs
  • WESM (1971–1973)
  • WMJS (1973–2000)
  • WBZS-FM (2000–2006)
  • WWXT (2006–2017)
  • WDCJ (2017–2025)
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 43277
Class A
ERP 2,850 watts
HAAT 145 meters (476 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 38°40′26″N76°35′41″W / 38.67389°N 76.59472°W / 38.67389; -76.59472
Translator 95.9 W240DJ (Washington)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live
Website praisedc.com

WPRS (92.7 FM), known on air as "Praise 92.7 & 95.9" is an urban contemporary gospel formatted radio station licensed to Prince Frederick, Maryland, and serving the southeastern Washington metropolitan area.

Contents

History

92.7 FM signed on August 1, 1971 as WESM, a local station serving Calvert County, Maryland with country music. Original owners George Gautney and Carl Jones sold the station to Mel Gollub's MJS Communications in 1973. [3] As WMJS, the station continued as country at first, but later flipped to adult contemporary in 1985 and again to easy listening in 1987. [4]

In 2000, Mega Communications bought the station. [5] Under the new callsign WBZS-FM, it joined a simulcast with WBPS (94.3 FM, Warrenton, Virginia) to create a metro-wide network for its "La Nueva Mega" Spanish-language adult contemporary format. In 2005, the network flipped to Spanish oldies branded as "Mega Clasica". [6]

Immediately after the sale, efforts began to build a low-powered station to return local service to Calvert County. [7] WMJS-LP, taking the now-unused callsign, signed on in 2003.

Red Zebra Broadcasting, headed by Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, purchased the two stations along with WKDL (730 AM, Alexandria, Virginia) in January 2006. Snyder's goal was a sports talk radio competitor to WTEM (980 AM). The three-station network was known as "Triple X ESPN Radio", with 92.7 FM gaining the WWXT callsign to match. [8] Snyder bought WTEM itself in 2008, after which the network was simply known as "ESPN 980". [9]

Snyder began selling his radio properties in 2017. WWXT was sold to Urban One on April 20; the station was flipped to a simulcast of WMMJ's urban adult contemporary format on May 1, with the new WDCJ callsign taking effect on the 19th. [10]

On October 16, 2025, WDCJ changed their format from a simulcast of WMMJ to urban contemporary gospel, branded as "Praise 92.7 & 95.9". The format moved from what was WPRS-FM (104.1 FM), which took the WDCJ callsign. [11]

References

  1. ↑ 1972 Broadcasting Yearbook (PDF). p. B-96.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WPRS". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ "Changing hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 5, 1973. p. 32.
  4. ↑ Madden, Marty. "WMJS History".
  5. ↑ Hughes, Dave (November 17, 1999). "Mega Buys WMJS".
  6. ↑ Hughes, Dave (November 17, 2005). "Mega Flips 92.7 & 94.3 To "Classica"". DCRTV.
  7. ↑ Ahrens, Frank (May 2, 2000). "In Calvert County, Hola and Goodbye". The Washington Post.
  8. ↑ Clabaugh, Jeff (January 20, 2006). "Snyder buys three Washington radio stations". Washington Business Journal.
  9. ↑ Hughes, Dave (June 4, 2008). "Snyder To Buy WTEM & Two Talkers From Clear Channel". DCRTV.
  10. ↑ Madden, Marty (April 23, 2017). "Calvert-licensed radio station changing ownership again". TheBayNet.
  11. ↑ Praise Moves in Washington DC Radioinsight - October 16, 2025
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