On December 17, 1960, the station first signed on as WLRJ.[6] It was owned by Lee Hartman & Sons, a company headquartered in Roanoke that still provides audio and video services, although it no longer owns a radio station.[7] WLRJ ran at only 2,800 watts, a fraction of its current power.
The station specialized in what it called "fine music" including middle of the road artists. WLRJ was an affiliate of the ABC-FM Network.[8] It was a rare "stand alone" FM station, with no AM counterpart.
In 1972, the station was bought by CEBE Investments.[9] CEBE switched the format to beautiful music. With the new call letters WLRG, the station called itself "Large Radio - Always Beautiful."
Contemporary hit radio "K92" debuted January 1, 1980. Future WVTF general manager Glenn Gleixner, then a DJ at the station, came up with the branding and callsign – picking K because he believed it was the most memorable letter, and including an X in homage to WIXL in Newton, New Jersey, where he previously worked.[10]
In 1997, the station was acquired by its current owner, Mel Wheeler, Inc. The price tag was $7.5 million for both WXLK and 100.1 WLYK in Lynchburg, which at the time simulcast WXLK.[11] (WLYK is now WVBE-FM, which airs an urban adult contemporary format.)
Over the years, K92 launched many of its high profile on-air personalities into major market radio, including Eddie Haskell, David Lee Michaels, Cat Thomas, Sonny Joe Stevens, Marc Anthony, Ellis B Feaster, Blair Carter & Jeffrey T. Mason.
HD Radio
HD Radio subchannel WXLK-HD2 debuted as Mainstream rock formatted "97.3 & 98.5 The Rock Channel" on December 31, 2017. The subchannel is paired with two FM translators to provide reception on analog radios:[12]
