The original construction permit for the station was granted on August 4, 1987,[2] under the call sign of WRCI;[3] a license to cover was granted on September 7, 1990.[4] However, the station's original owners, Empire Radio Partners, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1992,[5] and the station was sold to Radioworks in 1993.[6] By 1994, WRCI was serving as a simulcast of its then-sister station WJYY (105.5), an adult contemporary station.[7] The station had changed simulcast partners to WNHI (93.3; now WNHW),[8] a classic rock station,[9] by 1996.[8]
Radioworks sold its stations to Vox Media in 1999,[10] 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 WAKC).[11] The WKXL-FM call sign moved to 107.7 the following February.[12]
Vox sold WKXL to Embro Communications in 2002.[13] 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.[14] 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.[15] Vox then sold WTPL to Great Eastern Radio (whose principal, Jeff Shapiro, had co-owned Vox with Bruce Danzinger[7]), in 2004,[16] and soon afterward the station again became independent of WKXL,[17] relocating to studios in Bow, New Hampshire, and a transmitter atop Pats Peak, both originally constructed for WNNH (99.1).[7] (Clark Smidt, who founded WNNH, has had involvement with WTPL.)[17]
Effective August 1, 2017, Great Eastern Radio sold WTPL, WLKZ, and WZEI to Dirk Nadon's Lakes Media, LLC for $2.6 million. Lakes Media immediately agreed to sell WTPL to Binnie Media for $1.3 million and turned over the station's operations to Binnie under a local marketing agreement;[18] the sale was completed on November 16, 2017.[19]
Programming
Weekday programming includes a local morning news and talk program, Morning Information Center, hosted by Mike Pomp and Pat Kelly; followed by Good Morning New Hampshire, hosted by Jack Heath and Jay Dawg. The station also produces The Noon News Hour with Dave Andreesen. Syndicated programming includes The Grace Curley Show; Boston-based Howie Carr; Joe Pags; The Jim Bohannon Show; and Red Eye Radio. Most hours begin with ABC News Radio.
Weekend shows include Northeast Delta Dental Radio, Half Hour to Health, and nationally syndicated programs Real Estate Today and InfoTrak.
