WQOK

WQOK is an Urban Contemporary formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Carrboro, North Carolina, serving the Raleigh/Durham area. WQOK is owned and operated by Radio One. Its studios are located in Raleigh and its transmitter tower is in Oak Grove, just east of Durham.

WQOK broadcasts in the HD radio format.

History

97.5 FM signed on the air in 1960 as a small market 3,000 watt FM station serving South Boston, Virginia. In 1987, Radio entrepreneur Tom Joyner purchased the station and moved the transmitter tower closer to Raleigh and upgraded its licensed power from 3000 watts to 100,000 watts, though keeping the city of license in South Boston. The new tower and coverage area would maintain a "city grade" signal over South Boston as required by the FCC, but also put a strong signal to the Triangle as well. Closing down the original South Boston facilities, the station later signed on from brand new studios in Raleigh under its current calls, and by Winter 1991, claimed the number one spot in the ratings.

WGVL

WGVL (1440 AM) is a sports radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc..

History

History as WQOK

In 1958, 1440 WQOK started featuring a format called "Top 40 Radio." At the time, the station was owned by Dick Broadcasting, with stations in Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tennessee. The station was programmed by veteran Greenville radio programmer Jerry Mosteller (1922-2013).

The station quickly became number one in the market with an endless stream of "rock and roll" as well as "rhythm and blues" music broadcast from the "Four Towers Of Power" on White Horse Road. WQOK found its place in Greenville's radio market with many business in the Upstate area advertising on "1440 Greenville". WQOK, often known as "The Big Q", was one of the first stations in the area to use fast talking, big voiced disc jockeys that would introduce the records with "jive talk" and take telephone requests from the listeners. The station also did live remotes for personal connections with its listeners.