WLLQ
WLLQ is a daytime only AM radio station licensed to Chapel Hill, North Carolina heard at 1530 kHz. The station is part of a simulcast of the regional Mexican music format called La Grande.
City | WLLQ: Chapel Hill, North Carolina WRTG: Garner, North Carolina WGSB: Mebane, North Carolina |
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Frequency | WLLQ: 1530 kHz WRTG: 1000 kHz WGSB: 1060 kHz |
Branding | La Grande |
Programming | |
Format | Regional Mexican WGSB: Defunct |
Ownership | |
Owner | Estuardo Valdemar Rodriguez and Leonor Rodriguez |
Sister stations | WRTG, WGSB |
History | |
First air date | WLLQ: 1973 (as WRBX) WRTG: 1994 WGSB: 1973 |
Former call signs | WLLQ: WRBX (1973-1986) WRTP (1986-2005) WRTG: WKBQ (?-1987) WHEV (1987-1994) WGSB: WMYT (1985-1986) WGLH (1986-1990) |
Technical information | |
Facility ID | WLLQ: 9068 WRTG: 9072 WGSB: 25036 |
Class | WLLQ: D WRTG: D WGSB: D |
Power | WLLQ: 10,000 watts daytime only WRTG: 1,000 watts daytime only WGSB: 1,000 watts day 500 watts critical hours |
Transmitter coordinates | WLLQ: 35°58′07″N 79°00′10″W WRTG: 35°43′50″N 78°36′12″W WGSB: 36°03′28″N 79°16′36″W |
Links | |
Webcast | Listen live |
Website | lagrandenc.com |
History
Prior to their current Spanish language format with programing from Que Pasa, WLLQ, WRTG, and WGSB broadcast a contemporary Christian format as His Radio WRTP, which now airs from WRTP-FM and WCCE-FM, along with a number of FM translators throughout central and eastern North Carolina.
WLLQ
In 1973, WRBX began life as a jazz-formatted station under the ownership of Stuart Epperson, now the head of national Christian broadcaster Salem Communications.
WRBX's studios were located on Chapel Hill's West Rosemary Street and the daytime-only station had 5,000 watts of power. As the jazz format lost listeners to competitors on the FM dial, WRBX moved towards an inspirational Christian format.
By 1978, WRBX had gone Southern gospel, increased its power to 10,000 watts and moved to studios on Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard (US 15/501) near present-day New Hope Commons Shopping Center.
In 1979, Epperson sold the station to Hugh Johnston, who changed WRBX to a country format. The country format continued until 1985, when WRBX was then sold to L. L "Buddy" Leathers' Carolina Christian Communications.
Under Leathers' Carolina Christian Communications, an inspirational Christian format was reinstated, the station's studios were moved into Leathers' repair shop and WRBX became WRTP.
The inspirational format soon became a contemporary Christian one. Carolina Christian Communications expanded WRTP to a simulcast with Garner-based WRTG, 1000 AM, in 1994 and to Mebane-based WGSB, 1060 AM in 1995. Between these three stations, the Triangle area was covered, but only during daylight hours, as all three stations were licensed only for daytime operation.
In October 2004, WRTP-AM, WRTG and WGSB were purchased by Estuardo Valdemar Rodriguez and Leonor Rodriguez, owners of WLLN in Lillington, for $1.1 million.
On February 3, 2005, WRTP and its sister AM stations ceased broadcasting the "His Radio WRTP" Christian format on AM, but WRTP still continues on a number of frequencies on FM 24 hours a day. After a day off-air, the three stations resumed broadcasting a regional Mexican format on February 4, 2005, with AM 1530 adopting the new call letters WLLQ.
WGSB's license was cancelled by the Federal Communications Commission on March 12, 2019, due to the station having been silent since January 13, 2017.
References
External links
- WLLQ in the FCC's AM station database
- WLLQ on Radio-Locator
- WLLQ in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- WRTG in the FCC's AM station database
- WRTG on Radio-Locator
- WRTG in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- WGSB in the FCC's AM station database
- WGSB on Radio-Locator
- WGSB in Nielsen Audio's AM station database