WCHB

WEXL

File:WEXL-AM.jpg
Royal Oak, Michigan
Broadcast area	Detroit area
Frequency	1340 kHz (HD Radio)
Programming
Format	Gospel
Ownership
Owner	Crawford Broadcasting (WMUZ Radio, Inc.)
Sister stations	WMUZ, WRDT
Technical information
Facility ID	61679
Class	C
Power	1,000 watts day 1,000 watts night
Transmitter coordinates	42°28′10.00″N 83°6′54.00″W
Links
Website	wexl1340.com

WEXL is an Urban Gospel station at 1340 AM licensed to Royal Oak, Michigan and broadcasting in the Detroit area. It's known as "The Gospel Station" and owned by Crawford Broadcasting with WMUZ 103.5 FM and WRDT 560 AM.

History

What is now WEXL took to the air August 19, 1926 with the calls WAGM. The WEXL ("We Excel") calls were adopted in 1931. The station carved out a niche with local, block-programmed variety programming, including country music aimed at men who migrated from the southern United States to work in Detroit's automobile assembly plants. After a brief period as a Top 40 station with limited success, WEXL expanded its country music programming to a 24-hour format in 1963, the first station in metro Detroit to do so. The station was successful for a number of years; a 1966 Billboard magazine poll showed WEXL as the most influential country station in the southeastern Michigan area by far([1]). However, the station got competition in 1970 when WJBK-AM 1500 flipped from Top 40 to hit-based country as WDEE (now WLQV), and in 1974 WEXL dropped country music in favor of religious programming. Current owner Crawford Broadcasting acquired WEXL in 1997 and changed the station's format from a combination of Christian and motivational talk to Urban Gospel. WEXL is now branded with the moniker "The Gospel Station", an alteration from the former "The WMUZ Gospel Station", in an attempt to distinguish it from its sister station, WMUZ, and maintain its unique identity in Crawford's company of stations.

Sources

• Michiguide.com - WEXL History

See also

• Contemporary Christian Airplay panel
• Christian CHR Airplay panel
• Christian Inspirational Airplay panel
• List of Sky Angel channels

External links

• Template:AMQ