WGPL

WGPL is a black gospel formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Portsmouth, Virginia, serving Hampton Roads.^[1] WGPL is owned and operated by Friendship Cathedral Family Worship Center, Inc.^[5]

WGPL

Portsmouth, Virginia United States
Broadcast area	Hampton Roads
Frequency	1350 AM kHz
Branding	Peace Radio 1350
Programming
Format	Black gospel[1]
Ownership
Owner	Friendship Cathedral Family Worship Center, Inc.
Sister stations	WPCE
History
First air date	March 1943 (1943-03)[2]
Former call signs	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)[2][3]
Former frequencies	1490 kHz (1943–1951)[2]
Call sign meaning	"Gospel"
Technical information[4]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	69560
Class	B
Power	5,000 Watts day and night
Transmitter coordinates	36°53′0.0″N 76°22′22.0″W
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	WGPL Webstream

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.^[6] 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

Main article: WRAP (Norfolk)

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.^[7]

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.