WPSO AM & FM - A History
WPSO-AM 1500 & WPSO-FM 105.5 New Port Richey – One of former Rounsaville Radio exec Ralph Johnson’s first moves after investing $550,000 to acquire New Port Richey’s 250-watt daytimer WGUL-AM and 3-kilowatt WGUL-FM from Richey Airwaves, Inc. (Don Armstrong Sr., president) in 1979 was to change the FM’s calls and country format to 60’s oldies WPSO (PaScO 105 ½ FM). Most of its programming from studios on U.S. 19 was automated, but the station did have a live phone-in talk show called “Open Line” and a live request show on Saturday nights hosted by a young (Marvelous) Marvin Boone.
WPSO-FM changed its calls back to WGUL in 1983 and began simulcasting WGUL-AM’s Music of Your Life. In late 1984 Johnson sold both stations for $1.725 million to former Pittsburgh disc jockey Carl J. Marcocci, a former owner of Clearwater’s WAZE who, in October 1985, flipped the AM’s calls to WPSO and programmed network talk shows in addition to “Open Line” and a “Swap Shop” show. The following December, he sold the AM to Thad Lowery, WGUL’s station manager since the 60’s. Timothy and Diana Adkins (T.G.A. Communications) acquired WPSO-AM from Lowery in 1990, and later sold it to the Hays Group, Inc., headed by Page Peary, son of Harold Peary, an actor who played “The Great Gildersleeve” on NBC in the 1940’s.
WPSO-AM began broadcasting programs in Greek from 2 to 6 PM daily in late 1992. By the end of the year it had switched to a full-time Greek format and was sold to AKMA Broadcast Network, Inc., headed by brothers Sotirios and Angelos Angelatos. Today (2009) daytimer WPSO-AM 1500 (Greek Voice Radio) broadcasts from studios in the Oldsmar Business Park at 109 S. Bayview Boulevard. It is also a sister station to Indian Rocks Beach daytimer WXYB-AM 1520.
Other names in WPSO history include Jean Graham (sales manager-1986), Dave Harrell (PD-1986), J. Miller (chief engineer-1986), and “Open Line” hosts Matthew Johns, Arthur Crofton, John Coleman and Jeff Miller.
(Please contact us if you have additional information about WPSO AM & FM.)
Station History
1979 - 2009 Other Tampa Bay Area Stations (History)
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