Broadcast area Durham, North Carolina Slogan All the Hits! First air date 1989 (as WHLQ) | Branding Pulse 102 Frequency 102.5 MHz | |
City Hillsborough, North Carolina | ||
WPLW (102.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to Hillsborough, North Carolina, USA. It serves the Raleigh, North Carolina area with a contemporary hit radio format. Its studios are located in Raleigh, and the transmitter tower is in northwest Durham, North Carolina.
The station is owned by New Century Media Group. According to FCC ownership filings, New Century Media Group is 100% owned by Donald W Curtis, Chairman and CEO of Curtis Media Group.
History
The station signed on from Louisburg in 1989 as WHLQ, an adult contemporary station branded as Q-102.5. The station later began simulcasting a country music format with its sister AM station, WYRN.
Curtis Media Group purchased WHLQ and WYRN from Franklin Broadcasting in 2003. The following year, the call letters were changed to WKXU. The station, called Country 102.5, moved in a more contemporary direction, playing only songs from the previous 20 years.
In September 2010, WKXU signed off from its Louisburg site and signed on again October 23 from a new site in northwestern Durham County, licensed to Hillsborough. At that time, the station began stunting, along with new simulcast partner WWMY. On October 27, WKXU changed its call letters to WPLW, while WWMY became WWPL. On October 31, after several days of Halloween music, the stunting ended and both stations debuted their new rhythmic contemporary format as "Pulse 102". The format is described as "sort of the hip-hop and R&B that has crossed over into Top 40." Its primary target audience was women aged 25 to 34, and was expected to compete with Radio One station K 97.5 and Clear Channel's G105, and 93.9 Kiss FM, who ironically transitioned from Rhythmic AC to Rhythmic Top 40 after Pulse 102 signed on. The stations are playing 10,000 songs in a row and promise fewer commercials than other stations. Artists include Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias and Ke$ha. By October 2011, WPLW was added to the Mediabase contemporary hit radio panel.
As of 2014, WPLW also can be heard on a translator at W226BV (93.1 FM).
A simulcast with WWPL at 102.3 began later in the year. In September 2014, the simulcast partner changed from 102.3 FM to 96.9 FM.