WPLJ 95.5 Sold To Christian Radio Station, Will End Run On May 31st

<a href="https://fdthird.wordpress.com/2019/03/11/95-5-wplj/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frank D'Elia</a> shared this image of WPLJ DJ Jimmy Fink’s License Plate

WPLJ 95.5, the FM radio station that brought rock and pop hits to the New York area for nearly 50 years, will disappear after May. The station was sold to a Christian broadcasting company, Educational Media Foundation, which will debut New York's first Christian rock station, K-LOVE, at 95.5 FM on June 1st.

The station was one of six across the country sold by Cumulus to EMF for $103 million. The news was confirmed by WPLJ DJ Todd Pettengill on Tuesday.

WPLJ's revenues had been slipping in recent years, and some believe it coincided with Scott Shannon's departure from the station in 2014. K-LOVE says its mission is "To create compelling media that inspires and encourages you to have a meaningful relationship with Christ."

Fun fact: the NY Post reports, "WPLJ signed on to the air in 1971 blasting rock music from artists including Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and The Doobie Brothers. Their call letters were derived from 'White Port and Lemon Juice,' a 1950’s rhythm and blues song covered by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention."

WQXR's Paul Calvaconte dove further into WPLJ's history for WNYC this week, noting that back in the 1970s, "It projected a loose underground vibe... chatty hosts played anything and welcomed guests like John Lennon and Yoko Ono, New Yorkers tuned in to what was hip." Listen here:

about his memories at WPLJ:

In September of 1971, one of the first AOR [album-oriented rock] formats was instituted on WPLJ. The slogan of the station was “Rock ‘N Stereo”. Artists would include Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, Elton John, Deep Purple, Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, David Bowie and The Allman Brothers, but they would also play pop songs from artists such as James Taylor, Stevie Wonder and Carly Simon. The station was different from WABC in that they played more album tracks, and the audience reacted by making WPLJ one of New York’s most listened-to FM rock stations for most of the 1970s.

When I was growing up in New Jersey in the 1980s, I listened to two radio stations: Z100 or WPLJ. There were competing morning shows—Scott Shannon on Z100, and Jim Kerr on WPLJ (I didn't start listening to Howard Stern on K-ROCK until I was in high school)—and they were my way of knowing what was happening in the Big City.

Shannon actually joined WPLJ in the 1990s, as both DJ and program director, and shifted the programming to adult contemporary music. Like this:

Shannon hosted a morning show with Todd Pettengill. They did a lot of phone scams: