WGOP
WGOP (540 AM) is a radio station licensed to Pocomoke City, Maryland. The station formerly aired a sports format. Currently, the station features a classic oldies/MOR format, without regular on-air personalities.
| City | Pocomoke City, Maryland |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 540 kHz |
| Branding | Timeless Favorites 540 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic oldies/MOR |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Birach Broadcasting |
| WBEY-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1955 |
Former call signs | WDMV (1955-2004) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 5347 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 500 watts (day) 243 watts (night) |
| Translator(s) | W238BY (95.5 MHz, Crisfield) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | WGOP Online |
The station is owned by Birach Broadcasting, and has long been under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Mike Powell. It is one of the few stations owned by Birach, a sole proprietorship whose specialty is brokered ethnic radio, to have a general entertainment format.
WGOP has a construction permit with the FCC for an FM translator broadcasting on 106.5 MHz.[1] The call letters are W293DN.
History
The 540 AM frequency signed on in 1955 with the WDVM call sign which in later years was changed to WDMV ("Wonderful Delmarva") and an older MOR music format imaged as "Delmarvarama...America's Best Loved Music And Song." In the late 1950s local radio legend "Choppy" Layton began his association with WDMV at the age of fifteen. He left the station for several years, ultimately becoming one of the principals in a new FM Station in Ocean City, Maryland, WKHI.
After divesting himself of his interest in that station, "Choppy" returned to WDMV/WGOP several years ago and lends his voice to commercials and other programming, including a live interview show, broadcast from various businesses in Pocomoke on Friday mornings. WDMV was silent for several years in the mid-1990s. WDMV has had a longstanding application to move to Damascus, Maryland. The station used the WDMV call letters up until July 1, 2004.
In April 2015, WGOP switched formats from Oldies to Sports Talk Radio, branded as SportsRadio 540. Later the format changed to classic country music, and is now classic oldies/classic MOR and includes some sports such as Baltimore Orioles baseball.
Former programming
Over the years, the station has been home to several formats. They once programmed a gospel music format, as well as oldies, country music and they even simulcast LMA partner WBEY-FM (97.9 FM). Party Line on WBEY-FM was once simulcasted on WGOP, until the station went to a sports talk format. Circa late 1950s "Mama's Country Youngin" Eddie Matherly was a popular WDMV personality. In the early 1960s the station's music format "Delmarvarama" featured "America's Best Loved Music And Song." During that era the station promoted itself as "Big Signal Radio" in reference to its 540 AM frequency which in those days covered much of the lower and mid Eastern Shore with a strong signal. Its low frequency and abundance of water in the Eastern Shore area still allows the signal to blanket up to DC's southern suburbs, down to all of the Tidewater/Virginia Beach metro and into North Carolina.
Radio shows that formerly aired on both WBEY and WGOP include The Oldies but Goodies Show on Saturday nights, The Old Country and Bluegrass Show on Sunday nights and Light and Easy Cafe on Monday nights.
External links
- Oldies 106.5 FM and 540 AM - Listen live
- WGOP in the FCC's AM station database
- WGOP on Radio-Locator
- WGOP in Nielsen Audio's AM station database