WPGS in Mims (840 KHZ) has apparently changed to a Spanish Contemporary Christian format...(with some English language cuts).
It was oldies/classic rock/country....
KTW
It was oldies/classic rock/country....
KTW
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WPGS
- Thread starter Battenkill50
- Start date
"Promesa 840" is the new Id....
did they change formats again or is this streaming only, because their facebook page is actively promoting the prior music format
www.facebook.com
Local 840 WPGS
Local 840 WPGS. 3,330 likes · 68 talking about this. AM 840 WPGS White Springs, FL
www.facebook.com
Very possibly the Spanish language programming crew cares less than zero about the call letters and the old Facebook page and are focusing on "Promesa" as the station name. As you've likely noted, Spanish language stations don't emphasize call letters with rare and very traditional exceptions like "XEW" and "WKAQ" and "LR3"
That's not what is happening, here, at all. There's is actually TWO WPGS 840s, now operating. . . .
Sadly, there’s always been a bit of negative chatter about 840 WPGS as a “hobby station” (and it is, to a degree), but its owner, Edward Shiflett, is at least trying to keep radio, local. Sure, there no organized music or programmed format (well, maybe a little bit), but it is certainly better that the “hobby owners” who run their LPFMs as a vanity project to broadcast their iPod library -- with zero concern as to their transmitter’s community location or who the audience is in their coverage area (for example: the thankfully defunct "Shake 108" LPFM playing an eclectic, Anglo pop-rock format smack dab in the middle of heavily populated Latin or Caribbean-language community in Miami). Those LPFM-***-iPod’ers are just happy they get to play whatever they want. That is not the case with WPGS.
WPGS is a one-dog operation, valiantly by its owner, Edward Shiflett. The station hit hard times during the last hurricane; it flooded out the transmitter site and land, damaging the transmision line. Extensive repairs to the tower footings and the line was completed -- at a great expense.
Thus, Shiflett entered into a brokering arrangement with the operators of "La Promesa" to generate income and keep/save the station. That Spanish-religious format runs 24-7 over 840 AM. Meanwhile, the orginal "classic rock" format of WPGS has mirgated exclusively to the web. This is why you're seeing an "outdated" website and Facebook page; it's because "Classic Rock WPGS 840" is still an active station -- and the site and Facebook page are for that station -- NOT for the brokered "La Promesa" format. As far as I can tell, "La Promesa" has no website or social media presence.
"Classic Rock WPGS 840," the web-version is still the same station it was -- with a few tweaks -- when it was a terrestial station. Basically, you get classic rock in the mornings and afternoons, with some conservate talk programming (Dan Bongino, for one). When 840 went off the air at sunset, the station continued to broadcast on the web. Now, the format tweaks is that there is more bartered (you play the program's spots) oldies block programs during the week. Saturday is still all-day classic rock, while Sunday's is all-day oldies from the '50s and '60s. Again, this is now all, exclusive via the station's website, and I believe, the Alexa smart speaker. There was, for a time, when WPGS could be heard over the 50kw WIXC 1060 AM, Titusville.
***WPGS HISTORY***
If you’re a radio professional or hobbyist haunting radio broadcasting message boards—especially ones concerning Florida-based broadcasters—you may have come across discussions about a little ol’ station in Brevard County on Florida’s “Space Coast” in the Titusville suburb of Mims, Florida, a sleepy community northeast of Orlando. WPGS, by way of its 1,000-watt, Class D signal, covers not all of, but parts of northern Brevard County, southern Volusia County, eastern Orange County. As a local channel intended to service Titusville and its surrounding area, WPGS, in radio jargon, “rimshots” the big cities of the popular surfing spot of Melbourne to the south, Spring Break destination Daytona Beach to the north, and the home of Disney World to the east.
WPGS is truly a station that is everywhere—courtesy of streaming on the web—while at the same time, nowhere.
As result of the 840 allocation operating as a “clear-channel” frequency (a station on the frequency has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly with concerns to nighttime skywave propagation), and WHAS-AM 840 in Louisville, Kentucky, serves as the a dominate Class A (10kw to 50kw, 24-hour operation) station on the frequency, WPGS must leave the air from sunset to sunrise, so as to avoid interfering with the nighttime skywave signal of WHAS.
Unlike most Class D AM facilities with deep broad histories dating back to the 1950s, the 840 frequency went on the air in 1984 in Titusville identified as WNUY on September 18. The station went on the air as a “Fast Eddie” (radio jargon given to an engineering firm promoting free “AM Searches” and applications for under $1,000 fees) application that later became a “CP” (received a construction permit to build the station’s facilities).
At that point, WPGS, then known as WNUY, was licensed as a 250-watt daytime only station licensed (the studio, transmitter, and tower location) to Scottsmoor, Florida, a sleepy, unincorporated town in the northern end of Brevard County that serves as a farming community east of Interstate I-95.
By 1986, the station changed its call sign to WPGS on May 1. Retaining that identification until 2009, the station flipped to WGRU until 2011, and then returned to the WPGS call sign.
In 2000, WPGS was able to increase its power from 250-watts to its current 1,000-watts as result of WWKO 860 AM, located in Cocoa Beach, Florida, going dark (off the air). Courtesy of the power increase, the COL (city of license) was relocated (the transmitter and tower were moved) to Mims, Florida. The WPGS call letters were intended to promote a then Christian-based faith and political talk and music format as “Where Patriots Gain Strength.”
Of course, the economics of running a daytime-only station—be it 250 or 1,000-watts—are difficult; without a nighttime signal and not covering a major metropolitan area with its daytime signal—in this case, Orlando—WPGS is an unfunded station with little no advertising in most of its day parts (broadcasting blocks) and is frowned upon by radio snobs as a “hobby-class” station.
As result, stations of that “hobby” type—especially in the days before (more affordable) computer automation (‘70s/‘80s analog automation was big, bulky and pricey; only the larger, previously mentioned Class As could afford such systems) are unable to fully staff their stations with disc jockeys, news reporters, and producers. So 840 AM, through its various call letter carnations, relied on network affiliations with the USA Radio Network, United Press International, the Associated Press, and the Florida’s Radio and Peoples Radio Network to provide its talk and news programming.
While the station began a religious and news-talk format in 1984 as WNUY that became WPGS, by 1986, the “new” WPGS adopted a Big Band/Nostalgia format, known as—keeping with its call sign, “We Play Great Songs.” During those years, the stations owners were Lorena M. Durocher, then Randy E. Henry, respectively; the station came under the short-lived, LMA tutelage of Azruaga Broadcasting Group.
As the area’s population shifted, the stations’ programming reflected that demographic with a Regional Mexican music format in 1993; putting that local programming on the backburner, the station then opted to carry CNN Headline News fulltime and identified as “CNN Radio 840” along with the occasion, local brokered talk programs. In 2006, the station was known as the locally-produced “Talk Star Radio Network” (that wasn’t a “network”; WPGS was the only “affiliate”). By 2008, that “network” ended and brokered talk programming was augmented with ’50 and ‘60s oldies as “Reminiscing Radio.”
In 2009, the station then flipped its calls to WGRU and deployed a Smooth Jazz format known as “840 The Groove” —the call sign, cleverly, pronounces as “groove” when spoken. The “Groove,” however, was not locally produced, but a national radio network service. Their venture into jazz short-lived, the station returned to the WPGS call letters and flipped to a country format co-programmed with—as do smaller, advertiser-unattractive AM stations—a brokered, time-share ethnic Creole-language format. The country format was courtesy of the American Military Entertainment Network anchored by “Ron Bisson’s Real Country USA” morning show.
That Creole-language format soon became a full-time format via an LMA (a Local Marketing Agreement; a client provides 24-7 programming, sometimes with an intent-to-purchase the station) via Caribbean Broadcasting LLC. When that 2011 deal between then (and current) owner Edward Shiflett and the LMA’er soured, WPGS returned to its previous network Country format, eventually flipping to a live, in-house produced pop-classic rock format in 2012, then ‘50s and ’60 oldies—centric format in 2013, then to a full-time classic rock format in 2014—that format has successfully continued for the next seven years and still plays as such in 2021.
Another one of the station’s LMA hopefuls was Len Radio Broadcasting, LLC, which took over station management and operation in 2004 under the WGPS call sign; that version of the station ran CNN Headline News at the top and bottom of every hour. When that planned right-to-purchase failed, the station flipped to the locally produced “Talk Star Radio Network” based in White Springs, Florida.
During the years of 2008 to 2010, the station was anchored by and gained a bit of a reputation courtesy of then popular Central Florida talk host Chuck Harder. Starting his career in Chicago as a ‘60s-era disc jockey, he came to work at New York’s popular WMCA 570 AM. Moving to Florida to work at Tampa’s WFLA 970 AM as a talk jock, he settled into the Central Florida market for the talk staffs of WKIS 740, WKIQ 1240, WPGS 840, then, up until his 2012 death, at WTRR 1400. Chuck earned his recognition as a staunch, over the top critic of then President George W. Bush as part of the “Talk Star Radio Network” that aired (only) on WPGS (from Harder’s home studio , 200 miles away, White Springs, Florida).
During the Chuck Harder years (which also included his American Community Oriented Radio Network, aka ACORN, banner airing on the station) other popular hosts were a duo-hosted show by Ed “Cool Ed” Shifflet—the station's then, and still, owner, along with his wife Kim Matthews (who we lost in 2008), and Marty “Pastor Marty” Braemer who (from his Ohio-based studios) not only hosted an oldies music shift, but hosted Sunday religious and weekday political talk programs on the station. The station’s longtime Chief Engineer, the late (lost in 2012), well-liked Central Florida-contract engineer, Jay Rowan, hosted a Sunday morning, old time gospel specialty program.
Also increasing the station’s visibility was owner Ed Shiflett dismissing Florida State evacuation orders when fires ripped through Central Florida July 1988 and burned down 3,000 acres in the two counties, forcing authorities to evacuate at least 400 homes in Cocoa, Palm Bay and Daytona Beach.
Still operating at 250-watts—and keeping the station on air beyond its sunset-shutdown with FCC approval—Shiflett, along with his brother Earl and trusty Chief Engineer Jay Rowan, kept the station on the air for over 80 hours, until the fires were contained, protecting the 4,500 residents of Mims and the 2,000 residents of Scottsmoor, as well as the people of nearby Titusville.
If you’re a radio professional or hobbyist haunting radio broadcasting message boards—especially ones concerning Florida-based broadcasters—you may have come across discussions about a little ol’ station in Brevard County on Florida’s “Space Coast” in the Titusville suburb of Mims, Florida, a sleepy community northeast of Orlando. WPGS, by way of its 1,000-watt, Class D signal, covers not all of, but parts of northern Brevard County, southern Volusia County, eastern Orange County. As a local channel intended to service Titusville and its surrounding area, WPGS, in radio jargon, “rimshots” the big cities of the popular surfing spot of Melbourne to the south, Spring Break destination Daytona Beach to the north, and the home of Disney World to the east.
WPGS is truly a station that is everywhere—courtesy of streaming on the web—while at the same time, nowhere.
As result of the 840 allocation operating as a “clear-channel” frequency (a station on the frequency has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly with concerns to nighttime skywave propagation), and WHAS-AM 840 in Louisville, Kentucky, serves as the a dominate Class A (10kw to 50kw, 24-hour operation) station on the frequency, WPGS must leave the air from sunset to sunrise, so as to avoid interfering with the nighttime skywave signal of WHAS.
Unlike most Class D AM facilities with deep broad histories dating back to the 1950s, the 840 frequency went on the air in 1984 in Titusville identified as WNUY on September 18. The station went on the air as a “Fast Eddie” (radio jargon given to an engineering firm promoting free “AM Searches” and applications for under $1,000 fees) application that later became a “CP” (received a construction permit to build the station’s facilities).
At that point, WPGS, then known as WNUY, was licensed as a 250-watt daytime only station licensed (the studio, transmitter, and tower location) to Scottsmoor, Florida, a sleepy, unincorporated town in the northern end of Brevard County that serves as a farming community east of Interstate I-95.
By 1986, the station changed its call sign to WPGS on May 1. Retaining that identification until 2009, the station flipped to WGRU until 2011, and then returned to the WPGS call sign.
In 2000, WPGS was able to increase its power from 250-watts to its current 1,000-watts as result of WWKO 860 AM, located in Cocoa Beach, Florida, going dark (off the air). Courtesy of the power increase, the COL (city of license) was relocated (the transmitter and tower were moved) to Mims, Florida. The WPGS call letters were intended to promote a then Christian-based faith and political talk and music format as “Where Patriots Gain Strength.”
Of course, the economics of running a daytime-only station—be it 250 or 1,000-watts—are difficult; without a nighttime signal and not covering a major metropolitan area with its daytime signal—in this case, Orlando—WPGS is an unfunded station with little no advertising in most of its day parts (broadcasting blocks) and is frowned upon by radio snobs as a “hobby-class” station.
As result, stations of that “hobby” type—especially in the days before (more affordable) computer automation (‘70s/‘80s analog automation was big, bulky and pricey; only the larger, previously mentioned Class As could afford such systems) are unable to fully staff their stations with disc jockeys, news reporters, and producers. So 840 AM, through its various call letter carnations, relied on network affiliations with the USA Radio Network, United Press International, the Associated Press, and the Florida’s Radio and Peoples Radio Network to provide its talk and news programming.
While the station began a religious and news-talk format in 1984 as WNUY that became WPGS, by 1986, the “new” WPGS adopted a Big Band/Nostalgia format, known as—keeping with its call sign, “We Play Great Songs.” During those years, the stations owners were Lorena M. Durocher, then Randy E. Henry, respectively; the station came under the short-lived, LMA tutelage of Azruaga Broadcasting Group.
As the area’s population shifted, the stations’ programming reflected that demographic with a Regional Mexican music format in 1993; putting that local programming on the backburner, the station then opted to carry CNN Headline News fulltime and identified as “CNN Radio 840” along with the occasion, local brokered talk programs. In 2006, the station was known as the locally-produced “Talk Star Radio Network” (that wasn’t a “network”; WPGS was the only “affiliate”). By 2008, that “network” ended and brokered talk programming was augmented with ’50 and ‘60s oldies as “Reminiscing Radio.”
In 2009, the station then flipped its calls to WGRU and deployed a Smooth Jazz format known as “840 The Groove” —the call sign, cleverly, pronounces as “groove” when spoken. The “Groove,” however, was not locally produced, but a national radio network service. Their venture into jazz short-lived, the station returned to the WPGS call letters and flipped to a country format co-programmed with—as do smaller, advertiser-unattractive AM stations—a brokered, time-share ethnic Creole-language format. The country format was courtesy of the American Military Entertainment Network anchored by “Ron Bisson’s Real Country USA” morning show.
That Creole-language format soon became a full-time format via an LMA (a Local Marketing Agreement; a client provides 24-7 programming, sometimes with an intent-to-purchase the station) via Caribbean Broadcasting LLC. When that 2011 deal between then (and current) owner Edward Shiflett and the LMA’er soured, WPGS returned to its previous network Country format, eventually flipping to a live, in-house produced pop-classic rock format in 2012, then ‘50s and ’60 oldies—centric format in 2013, then to a full-time classic rock format in 2014—that format has successfully continued for the next seven years and still plays as such in 2021.
Another one of the station’s LMA hopefuls was Len Radio Broadcasting, LLC, which took over station management and operation in 2004 under the WGPS call sign; that version of the station ran CNN Headline News at the top and bottom of every hour. When that planned right-to-purchase failed, the station flipped to the locally produced “Talk Star Radio Network” based in White Springs, Florida.
During the years of 2008 to 2010, the station was anchored by and gained a bit of a reputation courtesy of then popular Central Florida talk host Chuck Harder. Starting his career in Chicago as a ‘60s-era disc jockey, he came to work at New York’s popular WMCA 570 AM. Moving to Florida to work at Tampa’s WFLA 970 AM as a talk jock, he settled into the Central Florida market for the talk staffs of WKIS 740, WKIQ 1240, WPGS 840, then, up until his 2012 death, at WTRR 1400. Chuck earned his recognition as a staunch, over the top critic of then President George W. Bush as part of the “Talk Star Radio Network” that aired (only) on WPGS (from Harder’s home studio , 200 miles away, White Springs, Florida).
During the Chuck Harder years (which also included his American Community Oriented Radio Network, aka ACORN, banner airing on the station) other popular hosts were a duo-hosted show by Ed “Cool Ed” Shifflet—the station's then, and still, owner, along with his wife Kim Matthews (who we lost in 2008), and Marty “Pastor Marty” Braemer who (from his Ohio-based studios) not only hosted an oldies music shift, but hosted Sunday religious and weekday political talk programs on the station. The station’s longtime Chief Engineer, the late (lost in 2012), well-liked Central Florida-contract engineer, Jay Rowan, hosted a Sunday morning, old time gospel specialty program.
Also increasing the station’s visibility was owner Ed Shiflett dismissing Florida State evacuation orders when fires ripped through Central Florida July 1988 and burned down 3,000 acres in the two counties, forcing authorities to evacuate at least 400 homes in Cocoa, Palm Bay and Daytona Beach.
Still operating at 250-watts—and keeping the station on air beyond its sunset-shutdown with FCC approval—Shiflett, along with his brother Earl and trusty Chief Engineer Jay Rowan, kept the station on the air for over 80 hours, until the fires were contained, protecting the 4,500 residents of Mims and the 2,000 residents of Scottsmoor, as well as the people of nearby Titusville.
***THE WIXC 1060 AM Simulcast Years of WPGS 840***
By 2019, WGPS grew again, as they began simulcasting their eclectic brand of ‘50s oldies, ‘60s and ‘70s classic rock, and decades-spanning Top 40 (rock-oriented) pop hits over the Class B, 50,000-watt signal of WIXC 1060 AM located in Titusville. Courtesy of a signal that not only covered all of Brevard County, the signal also covered all of Orlando.
Once known as WMEL and broadcasting a then Regional Mexican format, then news talk as WIXC; those WMEL calls moved to another Cocoa Beach station at 1300 AM; that station still on 1300 AM is now known as WKQK and broadcasts a full-time local music and arts format (well, it did: it is now just a glorified TIS station broadcasting travel and tourist information automation and AI voices).
Anyway, the increased listenership via the WPGS-to-WIXC simulcast afforded the station booking high-end, non-brokering clients for actual commercial spots promoting local business and services. Sadly, whatever the contractual, legal agreements between WPGS and the owners of WIXC, the simulcast ended in the late winter of 2020, as WIXC—part of the Tampa, Florida-based Genesis Communications (founded in 1987)—became part of their in-house sports radio network originating from their Tampa metro outlet WWBA AM 820, aka “The Big 8,” and also heard on their outlet WHBO AM 1040. On the industry site radiotvdeals.com, as of mid-2020, WHBO 1040 is up for sale for $1.3 million; WHBO and WWBA are aligned as “News Talk Florida” and carried over WIXC. The mix of network talk and sports programs (from Fox, NBC, and CBS Sports Radio is currently anchored by the controversial Bubba the Love Sponge morning show -- at least it was the last time I looked; haven't in a while, so that might have changed.
***
And that takes us back to the top to the previous post, first post . . . and to where WPGS is today: "Classic Rock 840 WPGS" as web-only station and "840 WPGS La Promesa" as a terrestrial station.
By 2019, WGPS grew again, as they began simulcasting their eclectic brand of ‘50s oldies, ‘60s and ‘70s classic rock, and decades-spanning Top 40 (rock-oriented) pop hits over the Class B, 50,000-watt signal of WIXC 1060 AM located in Titusville. Courtesy of a signal that not only covered all of Brevard County, the signal also covered all of Orlando.
Once known as WMEL and broadcasting a then Regional Mexican format, then news talk as WIXC; those WMEL calls moved to another Cocoa Beach station at 1300 AM; that station still on 1300 AM is now known as WKQK and broadcasts a full-time local music and arts format (well, it did: it is now just a glorified TIS station broadcasting travel and tourist information automation and AI voices).
Anyway, the increased listenership via the WPGS-to-WIXC simulcast afforded the station booking high-end, non-brokering clients for actual commercial spots promoting local business and services. Sadly, whatever the contractual, legal agreements between WPGS and the owners of WIXC, the simulcast ended in the late winter of 2020, as WIXC—part of the Tampa, Florida-based Genesis Communications (founded in 1987)—became part of their in-house sports radio network originating from their Tampa metro outlet WWBA AM 820, aka “The Big 8,” and also heard on their outlet WHBO AM 1040. On the industry site radiotvdeals.com, as of mid-2020, WHBO 1040 is up for sale for $1.3 million; WHBO and WWBA are aligned as “News Talk Florida” and carried over WIXC. The mix of network talk and sports programs (from Fox, NBC, and CBS Sports Radio is currently anchored by the controversial Bubba the Love Sponge morning show -- at least it was the last time I looked; haven't in a while, so that might have changed.
***
And that takes us back to the top to the previous post, first post . . . and to where WPGS is today: "Classic Rock 840 WPGS" as web-only station and "840 WPGS La Promesa" as a terrestrial station.
Promesa Network - Home is the web site which includes a Listen Live link for "Promesa 840".
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