WPGC-FM

Infobox Radio Station


name = WPGC-FM
city = Morningside, Maryland
area = Washington, D.C.
airdate = March 1958
frequency = 95.5 (MHz) HD Radio
format = Urban Contemporary/Mainstream Urban
owner = CBS Radio
sister_stations = WJFK, WLZL, WPGC, WTGB
erp = 50,000 watts
haat = 148 meters
branding = "WPGC 95.5"
slogan = "DC's #1, Always Blazin' At Least 18 Jams in A Row!"
class = B
facility_id = 26832
webcast = [http://cbsplayer.streamtheworld.com/index.php?CALLSIGN=WPGCFM Listen Live]
website = [http://www.wpgc955.com/ www.wpgc955.com]
callsign_meaning = We're Prince George's County

"WPGC 95.5" is the one of the most popular radio stations among Washington, D.C.'s urban format radio stations, and has been ranked as one of its top rated radio stations for over 20 years, according to the Arbitron ratings (thus the reasoning behind their slogan "DC's #1, Blazin' At Least 18 Jamz in A Row"). It has a city of license of Morningside (its studios are located in Lanham) at the 95.5 MHz frequency on the FM dial. Its tower operates at an effective radiated power of 50 kilowatts (kW) and is located in Capitol Heights, Maryland. It also shares the WPGC calls with sister station WPGC-AM, which once played Urban gospel music. As of October 7, 2008, both WPGC-AM/FM are simulcasting. In 2005, WPGC began broadcasting in IBOC digital radio, using the HD Radio system from iBiquity.

WPGC-FM is the station home to several personalities including:
*Donnie Simpson — a DC morning show veteran with over 20 years of on-air experience. Simpson also hosted BET's "Video Soul".
*Big Tigger — another BET personality who started as an intern for Albie Dee. He worked his way up to become DC's #1 night-time DJ, and now hosts a syndicated weekend radio show through CBS Radio.

History

The station that later became WPGC-FM signed on as 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. WBUZ-FM was broadcasting at 420 watts effective radiated power. The call letters was a play on the word "bus," as WBUZ broadcast background music for a Prince George's County, Maryland based bus company.

WBUZ-FM raised power to 6.3 kilowatts and its city of license was changed to Oakland, Maryland in May 1953. Then on June 8, 1953, the 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 & tower site on Walker Mill Road in Oakland (near District Heights). The calls were changed to WRNC on March 30, 1956. By the end of the year, WRNC was simulcasting the WPGC-AM programming. The ERP was reduced to 15.7 kilowatts while the power increase authorized for the 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. WPGC-FM temporarily goes silent until February 1959 as new studios were being constructed for the top 40 format. The call letters stands for We're Prince Georges County, the county in which the station is actually located, but at one time in the 1970's, it was referred to in on-air promos as "Where People Get Cash".

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 WCLY, "Classy 95."

The format failed and First Media decided to sell all of its properties for $177 million to a minority interest in early 1987. New owners, Cook Inlet Media, a group of Alaska Natives, promptly rebuilt the station as a Rhythmic and reclaimed the legendary call letters, WPGC on May 30, 1987. The station flipped to a successful music format with the brandname "WPGC, 95 Jams"". Also in the early 2000s, the branding reverted to simply "WPGC 95.5"", dropping the "Jams" moniker from the brand although it still visibly remains on the station's logo and is used in the slogan.

Controversy

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 as a Mainstream Urban. In 1987, when the current format on WPGC was introduced it was actually a mix of R&B, hip-hop, dance and pop titles. Many critics say the ability to attract more mainstream advertisers as Rhythmic, rather than Urban, is the real reason.

ale

Infinity Broadcasting acquired the station and sister station WPGC-AM 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 Infinity Broadcasting was dropped in favor of CBS Radio.

External links

* [http://www.wpgc955.com/ WPGC Homepage]
* [http://www.amandfmmorningside.com/ WPGC (Top 40 Format) Tribute Site]
*FMQ|WPGC
*FML|WPGC
*FMARB|WPGC