WPUL-AM 1590
South Daytona
Original Call Letters: WDAT
Originally Licensed: June
1957
Original City of License:
South
Daytona
Original Frequency:
1590
Original Power: 1,000
watts day time/32 watts night time
Original Format:
Black
Gospel
Original Location: South
Daytona
Network Affiliation(s):
Owner(s): 1957-
1981-Creative
Broadcasting Inc.
1982-PSI
Communications
-Sid
Frasier and Shelly Katz
1988-Tama
Communications
($85,000)
History
Of Call Letters and Formats: WDAT-1957-
WELE-
-Country
WZIP-1981-Oldies
WZIP-1986-Country
WPUL-1988-Black
Gospel/R&B Oldies "Victory
Radio"
WPUL-2001-Gospel
WPUL-2005-Progressive
Talk
WPUL
History
WPUL
is co-located with the family-owned African-American newspapers, The
Daytona Times and The Florida Courier.
Charles Cherry founded the Daytona Times newspaper that has grown into a
media company that covers Florida, Georgia and South Carolina with two
newspapers and 11 radio stations, including WPUL.
Cherry moved to Daytona in 1952 and embarked on a multi-faceted career in
business and public service. He taught business administration for 25 years at Bethune-Cookman
College, while working in other jobs which included real estate and the
restaurant business. Charles Cherry was a civil rights leader, businessman, city
commissioner and family man. In the 1960s, Cherry participated in sit-ins and
other actions to bring about integration. He became president of the Volusia
County-Daytona Beach Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People, as well as president of the state branch and a member of the
national board of directors.
Charles two sons often accompanied their father to St. Petersburg on business trips. They enjoyed the trips because they got to listen to WTMP, that played black music. The sons often talked about the lack of a black radio station in Central Florida. The Cherry brothers bought WPUL in 1988.
They purchased WPUL for $85,000. At the time the station was playing country. The Cherry's changed the format, to black oriented music. Their initial inventory was comprised of their personal albums. The station took off and others soon realized there was a market in Daytona for black music.
Then the FM stations came in, with competition from WJHM-FM 102 JAMZ, owned by Infinity Broadcasting, and STAR 94.5, owned by Cox Radio Inc. The two FMs are located in the Orlando, but are licensed to Daytona Beach.
The small AM wasn't strong enough to compete and soon the station fell in the ratings. They also lost the Tom Joyner Morning Show, STAR 94.5. The competition from the FMs forced a change in format to black gospel.
Son,
Glenn W. Cherry, gave up a successful practice as a veterinarian to
become president and chief executive officer of Tama Broadcasting Inc.
His brother, Charles W. "Chuck" Cherry II, quit his law
practice in Fort Lauderdale so he could manage WPUL.
Chuck Cherry majored in mass communications at Morehouse College in
Atlanta and went on to law school at the University of Florida.
Names In WPUL
History
Charles Cherry-President
of Tama Communications
Phinesse
Demos-Program Director/Host of "Express Yourself"
Charles
Cherry II-Host of "Free Your
Mind"
Dwayne Taylor--Host
of "On The Agenda"
Bobbie Thomas-
George "Harold" Utter-Engineer
In
Memory
Terry
Abdo-co-host of the
"Terry and Jerry Show"
Jerry Kenney-co-host
of the "Terry and Jerry Show"
Rick
Brady Biography
Phyllis
Hartmann
"Captain" Chris Hill-1989-1991
Biography
Other Programs In WPUL
History
Al Sharpton Program-
Stephanie
Miller Show-
Miami
Hurricanes Football
Bill Press
What's
New Biographies
In Memory Sounds
Misc. Links
Chronology What's News?