WPJL (1240
AM) is a
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...
broadcasting a
Christian radio format. Licensed to
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southe ...
, United States, the station serves the Raleigh area. The station is owned by WPJL, Inc.
History
The station went on the air on March 29, 1939 as WRAL with 250 watts day and 100 watts night on 1210 kHz from studios on Salisbury Street in downtown Raleigh. In 1941 the broadcast frequency was moved to 1240 kHz. During those early days, the station was an affiliate of the
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...
.
Capitol Broadcasting
The Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. (CBC) is an American media company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Capitol owns three television stations and nine radio stations in the Raleigh–Durham and Wilmington areas of North Carolina and the D ...
sold WRAL in 1965, but kept the sister stations
WRAL-FM
WRAL (101.5 FM, "Mix 101.5") is a commercial radio station licensed to Raleigh, North Carolina, and serving the Research Triangle. It is owned by the Capitol Broadcasting Company and broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching t ...
and
WRAL-TV
WRAL-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for the Research Triangle area. It is the flagship station of the locally based Capitol Broadcasting Company, which h ...
. As WRNC, the station played
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...
and then
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
. In the 1960s the station was sold to Smiles Associates and in 1974 the format was changed to Christian. In 1978 the call letters were changed from WRNC to WPJL (We Proclaim Jesus Lord) to reflect the new orientation of the station.
References
External links
FCC History Cards for WPJL
PJL
PJL
Radio stations established in 1939
1939 establishments in North Carolina
{{NorthCarolina-radio-station-stub