WPLY (AM)

WPLI (610 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Roanoke, Virginia, United States, and serving Southwest Virginia and the New River Valley. Prior to going silent on September 30, 2025, WPLI simulcast a sports format with WPLY (1390 AM) in Lynchburg. Both stations are owned by Mel Wheeler, Inc.^[2]

WPLI's transmitter is at the end of Newman Drive in Salem. Programming is also relayed on low-power FM translator W266CY at 101.1 MHz in Roanoke.

Just before noon on October 1, 1940, the station signed on^[3] as WSLS.^[4] WSLS was an affiliate of the NBC Blue Network, which later became ABC. A partner FM station, WSLS-FM (99.1), launched in 1947, largely simulcasting the AM station. WSLS-TV followed five years later on Channel 10.

As network programming moved from radio to television, WSLS switched to a full service, Country music format. In 1969, Park Communications purchased WSLS-AM-FM-TV. Due to FCC ownership restrictions, Park kept the television station and sold the radio stations to Bass Brothers Telecasters. As the stations could no longer share a call sign after the purchase, the AM became WSLC at midnight on August 1, 1972, keeping its country sound. The FM switched to album-oriented rock and briefly became WSLC-FM before settling on current call sign WSLQ. Only the TV station still carries the original call letters.^[5] Mel Wheeler purchased the two stations in 1976.^[6]

At noon on May 25, 2000, WSLC began simulcasting with its new sister station 94.9 WSLC-FM, formerly easy listening turned classic rock station WPVR, after that station was purchased by Mel Wheeler Inc. This continued until March 13, 2002, when the country format moved full-time to WSLC-FM. 610 WSLC was flipped to new call letters as WVBE, simulcasting co-owned 100.1 WVBE-FM Lynchburg, and brought urban adult contemporary and R&B music full-time to Roanoke.^[7]

On January 20, 2016, the station dropped its Urban AC format for sports talk with the new call sign WPLY. The station became an affiliate of Fox Sports Radio.^[8][9][10]

On September 30, 2025, WPLY ceased operations. Its sports format continues on WXLK's HD3 subchannel and translator W266CY 101.1 FM Roanoke (which now simulcasts WXLK-HD3). WPLY and WPLI concurrently swapped call letters, while Mel Wheeler Inc. explored the possibility of selling off or donating the 1390 AM facility.^[11]

• WPLY Online
• Facility details for Facility ID 41111 (WPLY) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WPLY in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• Facility details for Facility ID 148906 (W266CY) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
•  W266CY at FCCdata.org