Branding Classic Country 540 First air date 1955 | Frequency 540 kHz Format Classic country | |
City Pocomoke City, Maryland Power 500 watts (day)
243 watts (night) | ||
WGOP (540 AM is a radio station licensed to Pocomoke City, Maryland. The station formerly aired an adult standards format. Currently, the station features a classic country format, without regular on-air personalities.
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The station is owned by Birach Broadcasting, and has long been under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Mike Powell.
History
The 540 AM frequency signed on in 1955 with the WDMV call sign. In the early 1960s, 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, and still calls itself WDMV at all times, except for legal identification.
WGOP is simulcast on sister station WBEY-FM HD Radio subchannel 97.9 HD-3.
In April 2015 WGOP switched formats from Oldies to Sports Talk Radio, branded as SportsRadio 540. More recently the format has changed to classic country music.
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.
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.