WLES

WLES (590 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Bon Air, Virginia, United States, serving the Greater Richmond Region. WLES is owned and operated by Stuart Epperson, through licensee Truth Broadcasting Corporation.[2] It airs a Christian radio format as part of "The Truth Network", originating in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.Programming is also heard on FM translator station W249CI at 97.7 MHz.

WLES
Broadcast areaMetro Richmond
Frequency590 kHz
BrandingTruth Radio 590
Programming
FormatChristian Talk
Ownership
Owner
  • Stuart Epperson
  • (Truth Broadcasting Corporation)
WTRU, WDRU, WCRU, KUTR
History
First air date
September 28, 1959 (1959-09-28), in Lawrenceville
Former frequencies
580 kHz (1959–2014)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID72504
ClassD
Power1,000 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
Public license information
WebcastWLES Webstream
Websitetruthnetwork.com

WLES began as a daytime-only radio station in Lawrenceville in September 1959. It primarily broadcast a country music format. The station was moved into the Richmond area in the 2010s.

History

WLES began broadcasting on 580 kHz from Lawrenceville, near the Virginia-North Carolina border, on September 28, 1959.[3] It was a 500-watt, daytime-only outlet.[4] The station was founded by Harry A. Epperson Sr. and was sold to Elton N. Doyle and William C. Link in 1966.[5] Doyle became mayor of Lawrenceville in 1970; he sold his interest in the station in 1980, with Link becoming the sole owner,[4] and remained mayor another decade.[6]

Link sold WLES and WHFD (105.5 FM) to Willis Broadcasting Corporation in 1999. At that time, both stations broadcast country music.[7] Within a year, Willis opted to retain the FM outlet and sold the AM station to Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting Corporation, owned by Nancy Epperson.[8] By 2005, the station was airing an oldies format.[9]

Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting filed a request in July 2007 to transfer the license of WLES to Truth Broadcasting, headed by Nancy's son Stu Epperson, Jr.,[10] but withdrew the request in August 2007.[11] Subsequently, a construction permit request was filed to conduct a frequency swap with nearby station WLVA, which is owned by Truth Broadcasting and operated on the adjacent frequency of 590 kHz; the frequency change would also see WLVA move from Lawrenceville to Bon Air, a suburb of Richmond.[12] The swap was completed in 2011. The station was issued a license to operate on 590 kHz on March 28, 2014.

Effective May 21, 2019, Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting sold WLES to Truth Broadcasting Corporation for $75,000; Truth was already providing its programming.[13]

Translator

In addition to the main station, WLES is relayed by an FM translator.[14] The translator was acquired from another Epperson company, Delmarva Educational Association, for $100,000 in 2022 but was broadcasting WLES beforehand.[15]

Call signFrequencyCity of licenseFIDERP (W)HAATClassFCC info
W249CI 97.7 FMBellwood, Virginia143583240131 m (430 ft)DLMS

References
  1. "Facility Technical Data for WLES". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. "WLES Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. "Lawrenceville Radio Station Begins Broadcasts". The Progress-Index. September 29, 1959. p. 11. Retrieved September 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "History Cards for WLES". Federal Communications Commission.
  5. "Privity issue faces Epperson family". November 15, 1965. p. 91. ProQuest 1014498365.
  6. Stallsmith, Pamela (July 25, 1993). "Era in Lawrenceville will end Aug. 31: Town manager (and former mayor) to retire". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. C3. Retrieved September 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Changing Hands". Broadcasting & Cable. March 22, 1999. p. 46. ProQuest 1014775079.
  8. "Changing Hands". Broadcasting & Cable. January 10, 2000. p. 64. ProQuest 1014784968.
  9. "WLES(AM)". Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook. 2005. p. D-537.
  10. "VARTV.com | News Archives - July & August 2007". www.vartv.com. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  11. "Archived". Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  12. "CDBS Print".
  13. Venta, Lance (March 22, 2019). "Station Sales Week Of 3/22". RadioInsight.
  14. "W249CI Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  15. Venta, Lance (July 29, 2022). "Station Sales Week Of 7/29: Civic Media Continues Rapid Wisconsin Growth". RadioInsight.
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