WGVL
| City | Greenville, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Upstate South Carolina |
| Frequency | 1440 kHz |
| First air date | 1941 |
| Format | Sports talk |
| Power | 5,000 watts full-time, directional pattern at night only |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 59821 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 34°52′6.00″N 82°28′4.00″W / 34.8683333°N 82.4677778°W |
| Callsign meaning | W GreenViLle |
| Former callsigns | WQOK (1956-1982) WAKE (1953-1956) WMRC (1941-1953) |
| Affiliations | Fox Sports Radio |
| Owner |
iHeartMedia, Inc. (Capstar TX LLC) |
| Sister stations | WSSL-FM, WESC-FM, WROO, WMYI |
| Website | http://www.foxsports1440.com |
WGVL (1440 AM) is a sports radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc..
In 1958, 1440 WQOK started featuring a format called "Top 40 Radio." At the time, the station was owned by Dick Broadcasting, with stations in Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tennessee. The station was programmed by veteran Greenville radio programmer Jerry Mosteller (1922-2013).
The station quickly became number one in the market with an endless stream of "rock and roll" as well as "rhythm and blues" music broadcast from the "Four Towers Of Power" on White Horse Road. WQOK found its place in Greenville's radio market with many business in the Upstate area advertising on "1440 Greenville". WQOK, often known as "The Big Q", was one of the first stations in the area to use fast talking, big voiced disc jockeys that would introduce the records with "jive talk" and take telephone requests from the listeners. The station also did live remotes for personal connections with its listeners.
WQOK had a stable of popular DJs from 1958 through the late 1960s. Personalities such as Ken Dee (Dockins), Lake Cely, John Hudson, Sonny Epps, Bo Sanders, Carl Stubbs, Mal Harrison, Lee Sims, Paul Gold, Wayne Seal (later to become Governor Robert McNair's press secretary), Rick Fight, Dan Ellis, Charlie "Byrd" Lindsey, "Wild" Bill West, Noel Belue, Andy Rector, Mike Jones, Jack Kirby (aka Milton Bagby), Teddy Vee (aka Ted Vigodsky), Don "Happy Hearts" Bagwell, Little Davey Dee (aka Dave Dannheisser), Jim McAlister, Pete Dawley and Eston Johnson.
The station was popular with the younger demographics (12-24). In one survey in 1961, (Pulse, Spring 1961), Ken Dee (Dockins) had 62% of the total radio audience during his afternoon show. Noel Belue's morning show in 1961 captured 40% of Greenville's total radio audience. Rick Fight's "Crazy" afternoon show in 1959 had 55% (Pulse, Spring 1959) of the Greenville radio audience. Rick later moved to Greenville station WFBC, when management there made him a better offer, due to his popularity at 1440 WQOK.
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