WPLY (AM)
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| City | Roanoke, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area |
Southwest Virginia New River Valley |
| Branding | "Sports Radio" |
| Frequency | 610 kHz |
| Repeater(s) | 97.3 W247AD, Roanoke 92.3-2 WXLK-HD2, Roanoke 100.1-2 WVBE-HD2, Lynchburg 98.5 W253BT Madison Heights |
| First air date | October 1, 1940 |
| Format | Sports Radio |
| Power | 5,000 Watts daytime 1,000 Watts nighttime |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 41111 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 37°18′11.0″N 80°2′33.0″W / 37.303056°N 80.042500°W |
| Former callsigns | WSLS (1940-1972) WSLC (1972-2002) WVBE (2002-2016) |
| Affiliations | Fox Sports Radio |
| Owner | Mel Wheeler, Inc. |
| Sister stations | WFIR, WLNI, WSLC-FM, WSLQ, WVBB, WVBE-FM, WXLK |
| Webcast | WPLY Livestream |
| Website | WPLY Online |
WPLY is a Sports Radio formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Roanoke, Virginia, serving Southwest Virginia the New River Valley. WPLY is owned and operated by Mel Wheeler, Inc.
WPLY launched with the callsign WSLS just before noon on October 1, 1940. For over 50 years, the station would carry a Country format. At one time, the now defunct Roy H. Park Broadcasting had owned WSLS-AM-FM-TV, but sold the radio stations because Park also owned a newspaper in Roanoke. After the purchase, the AM became WSLC at midnight on August 1, 1972, but stayed Country, and the FM became Rock WSLQ). Only the TV station still carries the original WSLS letters. At noon on May 25, 2000, the station began simulcasting it new sister station, the former easy listening turned classic rock station WPVR, which was flipped to Country as WSLC-FM, after being purchased by Mel Wheeler Inc. This continued until March 13, 2002, when WSLC was flipped to new calls as WVBE, simulcasting co-owned WVBE-FM Lynchburg, and brought R&B music full-time to Roanoke.
On January 20, 2016, the station dropped its Urban Adult Contemporary format for sports radio with the new callsign WPLY. The station carries programming from Fox Sports Radio.
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