WLPL and WKTK Baltimore

[JoeLouis]

I was stationed at Fort Meade in '72 and remember two really good FM stations, WLPL 92.3 (top 40) and WKTK 105.7 (A.O.R.) and they were both very popular especially WKTK, anyone recollect these stations?

 

[wibgradio99]

I would pick up ktk here in Philly many nights, they were a great progressive rock station, I believe they went Disco after, then oldies. Baltimore was a great radio market in the early 70s, both bands, WPGC was another great top 40 station, later on R1 entered the equation and what can I say.

 

[JoeLouis]

I always remember the WPGC I.D. (WPGC AM & FM, Morningside) always cracked me up, because they were the big bad D.C. station but was assigned to some small hamlet in Maryland.

 

[wibgradio99]

let me go into more detail, it really was WPGC AM AND FM STEREO MORNINGSIDE, funny the AM was the 5okw daytimer and they pushed it first. I guess FM didnt catch on yet. WMOD from DC was also a great off the wall oldies station early 70s, that was receivable in Baltimore.

 

[davideduardo]

I always remember the WPGC I.D. (WPGC AM & FM, Morningside) always cracked me up, because they were the big bad D.C. station but was assigned to some small hamlet in Maryland.

Of course, back when WPGC became an AM daytimer, it was easier to get a new license for a station in a suburban location than in the "central city" of a metro area.

I can remember when, around 1969, WPGC upped the tower and power of the FM and began positioning itself as primarily an FM station.

At the time, Top 40 was primarily on another suburban station, WEAM in Arlington and, secondarily, on WINX in Rockville. The metro area was filled with stations licensed to VA and MD suburbs, going as far out as Manassas!

 

[davideduardo]

let me go into more detail, it really was WPGC AM AND FM STEREO MORNINGSIDE, funny the AM was the 5okw daytimer and they pushed it first. I guess FM didnt catch on yet. WMOD from DC was also a great off the wall oldies station early 70s, that was receivable in Baltimore.

Until mid-1969, WPGC was a limited FM facility that had a powerful AM that had spent a decade or so as the "lead station" of the two.

In the late 60's, motivated by the growth of FM due to the simulcast prohibitions, they built out the FM. Since the AM was a daytimer, they could simulcast while fulltime AMs could not do that with a sister FM.

 

[JoeLouis]

Of course, back when WPGC became an AM daytimer, it was easier to get a new license for a station in a suburban location than in the "central city" of a metro area.

I can remember when, around 1969, WPGC upped the tower and power of the FM and began positioning itself as primarily an FM station.

At the time, Top 40 was primarily on another suburban station, WEAM in Arlington and, secondarily, on WINX in Rockville. The metro area was filled with stations licensed to VA and MD suburbs, going as far out as Manassas!

I actually remember WINX it was way up the dial at 1600, I believe it was a top 40, there's actually a reboot of WRC 980 on the net (D.C.) they cleverly brand themselves with those same call letters "Web Radio Classics"

 

[JoeLouis]

let me go into more detail, it really was WPGC AM AND FM STEREO MORNINGSIDE, funny the AM was the 5okw daytimer and they pushed it first. I guess FM didnt catch on yet. WMOD from DC was also a great off the wall oldies station early 70s, that was receivable in Baltimore.

98.7 WMOD (always remember their poor audio quality) they went Country in the late 70s and they still are (I think they changed call signs)

 

[JoeLouis]

let me go into more detail, it really was WPGC AM AND FM STEREO MORNINGSIDE, funny the AM was the 5okw daytimer and they pushed it first. I guess FM didnt catch on yet. WMOD from DC was also a great off the wall oldies station early 70s, that was receivable in Baltimore.

I have to ask you wibgradio99, I know WIBG was on 990AM but where the heck did the "WIBBAGE" name come from?

 

[davideduardo]

I have to ask you wibgradio99, I know WIBG was on 990AM but where the heck did the "WIBBAGE" name come from?

Lot's of stations "pronounced" their call letters.

WIXY in Cleveland was "Wixxie" and WQXI in Atlanta was "Quixie". KUPD in the Phoenix market was "Cupid" and XETRA across from Tijuana was "Extra". There were and still are hundreds and hundreds of such conversions of call letters into pronounceable names.

 

[JoeLouis]

True David, my local top 40 in New Haven was WAVZ (waves)

 

[seattlesarchiebunker]

My question is what was so special about early 98rock to cause WKTK to drop rock within a year?