WEXL

Infobox Radio station
name = WEXL


city = Royal Oak, Michigan
area =
branding =
slogan = "The WMUZ Gospel Station"
airdate =
frequency = 1340 kHz HD Radio
format = Gospel
power = 1,000 watts day
1,000 watts night
erp =
haat =
class = C
facility_id = 61679
coordinates = coord|42|28|10.00|N|83|6|54.00|W|region:US_type:city
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns =
owner = Crawford Broadcasting
licensee = WMUZ Radio, Inc.
sister_stations = WMUZ, WRDT
webcast =
website = [http://www.wexl1340.com wexl1340.com]
affiliations =

WEXL is an Urban Gospel station at 1340 AM licensed to Royal Oak, Michigan and broadcasting in the Detroit area. It's known as "The Gospel Station" and owned by Crawford Broadcasting with WMUZ 103.5 FM and WRDT 560 AM.

History

What is now WEXL took to the air August 19, 1926 with the calls WAGM. The WEXL ("We Excel") calls were adopted in 1931. The station carved out a niche with local, block-programmed variety programming, including country music aimed at men who migrated from the southern United States to work in Detroit's automobile assembly plants. After a brief period as a Top 40 station with limited success, WEXL expanded its country music programming to a 24-hour format in 1963, the first station in metro Detroit to do so. The station was successful for a number of years; a 1966 Billboard magazine poll showed WEXL as the most influential country station in the southeastern Michigan area by far( [http://www.keener13.com/images/billboard070266.gif] ). However, the station got competition in 1970 when WJBK-AM 1500 flipped from Top 40 to hit-based country as WDEE (now WLQV), and in 1974 WEXL dropped country music in favor of religious programming. Current owner Crawford Broadcasting acquired WEXL in 1997 and changed the station's format from a combination of Christian and motivational talk to Urban Gospel. WEXL is now branded with the moniker "The Gospel Station", an alteration from the former "The WMUZ Gospel Station", in an attempt to distinguish it from its sister station, WMUZ, and maintain its unique identity in Crawford's company of stations.

Sources

* [http://www.michiguide.com/dials/rad-d/wexl.html Michiguide.com - WEXL History]

See also

* Contemporary Christian Airplay panel
* Christian CHR Airplay panel
* Christian Inspirational Airplay panel
* List of Sky Angel channels

External links

*AMQ|WEXL