WTPL

History

The original construction permit for the station was granted on August 4, 1987, under the call sign of WRCI; a license to cover was granted on September 7, 1990. However, the station's original owners, Empire Radio Partners, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1992, and the station was sold to Radioworks in 1993. By 1994, WRCI was serving as a simulcast of its then-sister station WJYY (105.5), an adult contemporary station. The station had changed simulcast partners to WNHI (93.3; now WNHW), a classic rock station, by 1996.

Radioworks sold its stations to Vox Media in 1999, and on December 27 the station was converted to the current news/talk format by way of a simulcast with another Vox station, WKXL, as part of a format shuffle that resulted in WKXL's original FM station, on 102.3, becoming the country music station WOTX-FM (now WXRG). The WKXL-FM call sign moved to 107.7 the following February.

Vox sold WKXL to Embro Communications in 2002. The sale did not include WKXL-FM or its programming; as a result, WKXL launched a separate news/talk format, with its prior programming remaining on 107.7 under the new call letters of WTPL. Embro took over WTPL as well under a local marketing agreement the next year, and reintroduced some shared programming, including a talk show hosted by Arnie Arnesen. Vox then sold WTPL to its current owner, Great Eastern Radio (whose principal, Jeff Shapiro, had co-owned Vox with Bruce Danzinger), in 2004, and soon afterward the station again became independent of WKXL, relocating to studios in Bow, New Hampshire, and a transmitter atop Pats Peak, both originally constructed for WNNH (99.1). (Clark Smidt, who founded WNNH, has had involvement with WTPL.)

Programming

WTPL-FM presently broadcasts 39½ hours of locally produced programming each week (with 7½ hours on weekdays and 1 hour each on Saturdays and Sundays).

Weekday programming includes the locally produced morning news and talk program NH Wake Up Show, hosted by Peter St. James and Jim Fronk, from 6:00 to 9:00 am, followed by the nationally syndicated talk program The Laura Ingraham Show from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon, various talk programming on the 12:30 to 2:00 pm timeslot, including Fronk Nation Live from Monday to Wednesday, Food for Thought with Carol and Trayce every Thursday and Karl Zahn every Friday, Cail & Company hosted by Ken Cail from 2:00 to 5:00 pm, and simulcasts of WMUR-TV's weekday newscasts, including the first hour of News 9 Daybreak at 5:00 am, the full half-hour midday newscast at 12:00 noon, and the 5:00 and 6:00 pm newscasts.

Weekend shows include Northeast Delta Dental Radio (Saturday 9:00 to 9:30 am and Sunday 7:00 to 7:30 am), Half Hour to Health (Saturday 9:30 to 10:00 am and Sunday 7:30 to 8:00 am), and nationally syndicated programs Real Estate Today (Saturday 10:00 am to 12:00 noon), InfoTrak (Sunday 8:00 to 8:30 am) and The Clark Howard Show (Sunday 9:00 am to 12:00 noon).

Sports programming includes Westwood One Sports programs NFL Insider (Saturday 8:00 to 9:00 am) and NFL Preview (Sunday 8:30 to 9:00 am), which is aired during the NFL's regular season until the Super Bowl, as well as live coverage of Boston Red Sox baseball, Boston Bruins hockey, New England Patriots football, and selected college football games.

The station is also affiliated with CBS Sports Radio, broadcasting the network's programming Mondays to Thursdays from 6:30 pm to 5:00 am the following day, Fridays from 6:30 pm to 8:00 am the following day, Saturdays from 12:00 noon to 7:00 am the following day, and Sundays from 12:00 noon to 5:00 am the following day.