WLES
WLES (590 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Bon Air, Virginia, serving the Greater Richmond Region. WLES is owned and operated by Stuart Epperson, through licensee Truth Broadcasting Corporation.[1] It airs a Christian radio format, as part of "The Truth Network."
 | |
| City | Bon Air, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Metro Richmond |
| Frequency | 590 kHz |
| Branding | Truth Radio 590 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Christian Talk |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Stuart Epperson (Truth Broadcasting Corporation) |
| WTRU, WDRU, WCRU, KUTR, KTIA-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | September 1959 (as 580 WLES, Lawrenceville) |
Former frequencies | 580 kHz (1959-2014) |
Call sign meaning | W LawrEnceville S |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 72504 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 1,000 Watts daytime 58 Watts nighttime |
Transmitter coordinates | 37°30′52.0″N 77°30′28.0″W |
| Translator(s) | 97.7 W249CI (Bellwood, Virginia) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | WLES Webstream |
| Website | truthnetwork.com |
This station was once licensed to Lawrenceville, near the Virginia-North Carolina border.[2] It had been a daytimer station on AM 580, with an oldies format.[3] The station moved to the suburbs of Richmond to serve that larger radio market, now at AM 590 with authorization to broadcast around the clock. Programming is also heard on FM translator station W249CI at 97.7 MHz.
Technical information
Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting filed a request in July 2007 to transfer the license of WLES to Truth Broadcasting, headed by her son Stu Epperson, Jr.,[4] but withdrew the request in August, 2007.[5]
Subsequently, a construction permit request was filed to conduct a frequency swap with nearby station WLVA, which is owned by Truth Broadcasting and operates on the adjacent AM channel of 590 kHz.[6] The swap was completed in 2011. The station was issued a license to operate on the 590 kHz frequency on March 28, 2014.
Effective May 21, 2019, Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting sold WLES to Truth Broadcasting Corporation for $75,000.
Translator
In addition to the main station, WLES is relayed by an FM translator.[7]
| Call sign | Frequency (MHz) | City of license | Facility ID | ERP (W) | Height (m (ft)) | Class | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W249CI | 97.7 | Bellwood, Virginia | 143583 | 240 | 131 m (430 ft) | D | FCC |
References
- "WLES Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- Broadcasting Yearbook 1961-62 page B-177
- Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2005 page D-537
- http://www.vartv.com/archives07d.htm
- http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=1193268
- http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101221166&formid=301&fac_num=72504
- "W249CI Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
External links
- WLES in the FCC's AM station database
- WLES on Radio-Locator
- WLES in Nielsen Audio's AM station database