Misplaced Pages

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "WLLQ" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

WLLQ

Chapel Hill, North Carolina United States
Frequency	1530 kHz
Branding	La Grande
Programming
Format	Regional Mexican
Ownership
Owner	Estuardo Valdemar Rodriguez and Leonor Rodriguez
Sister stations	WRTG, WREV, WSRP, WLLN
History
First air date	1973 (as WRBX)
Former call signs	WRBX (1973–1986) WRTP (1986–2005)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	9068
Class	D
Power	10,000 watts daytime only
Transmitter coordinates	35°58′7.52″N 79°0′9.04″W / 35.9687556°N 79.0025111°W / 35.9687556; -79.0025111
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live
Website	lagrandenc.com

WLLQ is a daytime-only AM radio station licensed to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on 1530 kHz. The station is part of the regional Mexican music network called La Grande.

History

WLLQ debuted in 1973 as WRBX, a jazz-formatted station under the ownership of Stuart Epperson, later 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 changed to a southern gospel format, 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 WRBX to Hugh Johnston, who changed the station to a country format. The country format continued until 1985, when WRBX was sold to L. L. "Buddy" Leathers' Carolina Christian Communications, and the inspirational Christian format was reinstated. The station's studios were moved into Leathers' repair shop, and the call letters changed to WRTP.

The inspirational format soon became contemporary Christian. 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 full Triangle region was covered, but only during daylight hours, as all three were licensed only for daytime operation.

In October 2004, WRTP, WRTG and WGSB were all purchased by Estuardo Valdemar Rodriguez and Leonor Rodriguez, owners of WLLN in Lillington, for $1.1 million. On February 3, 2005, WRTP and its two sister AM stations ceased broadcasting the "His Radio WRTP" Christian format on AM, and after a day off-air, the three stations resumed broadcasting, now with a regional Mexican format formerly heard on WFTK. AM 1530 also changed its call letters from WRTP to WLLQ.

The La Grande network later added stations, while 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.

Notes

1. The original Christian format now airs over WRTP-FM, WCCE-FM, and a number of FM translators 24 hours a day throughout central and eastern North Carolina.

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for WLLQ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. "License Cancelled". Federal Communications Commission Licensing and Management System. March 12, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2024.

External links

• La Grande
• Que Pasa radio network
• History of WLLQ
• Facility details for Facility ID 9068 (WLLQ) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WLLQ in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• FCC History Cards for WLLQ

• Spanish-language radio stations in North Carolina
• Radio stations in the Research Triangle
• Mass media in Chapel Hill-Carrboro, North Carolina
• Radio stations established in 1973
• 1973 establishments in North Carolina
• Daytime-only radio stations in North Carolina