WPEG
 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Charlotte/Metrolina |
| Frequency | 97.9MHz(HD Radio) |
| Branding | Power 98 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Mainstream urban |
| Subchannels | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WBAV-FM,WKQC,WNKS,WSOC-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1961(as WEGO-FM) |
Former call signs | WEGO-FM (1961–1967) |
Call signmeaning | Peggy (Name of the wife of former manager Jim Keel) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 6586 |
| Class | C |
| ERP |
|
| HAAT | 491 meters (1,611 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | |
WPEG(97.9FM,"Power 98" ) is amainstream urbanradio stationserving theCharlotte, North Carolina,market. It is owned byBeasley Broadcast Group.The station's studios are located on South Boulevard in the city'sSouth End,[2]and a transmitter tower is located north ofDallas, North Carolina.
WPEG featuressportsfromFox Sports Radioon its HD2 channel and all-podcastson its HD3 channel.[3]
History
[edit]The 97.9 frequency came on the air inConcord, North Carolina,in 1961 as WEGO-FM, and simulcast the programming ofWEGO (1410 AM)until 1967. That year, the station became abeautiful musicstation with the call letters WPEG. The station was owned by the Suburban Radio Group fromBelmont, North Carolina.The call letters were chosen by then-station manager Jim Keel to honor his wife, Peggy Keel. During these years, the station was the feeder station for theTobacco Radio Network(now theNorth Carolina News Network) for the western half ofNorth Carolina.The station began broadcasting instereoin 1973.
In 1970, the station's format changed tocountry music,and gained a devoted following inCabarrus CountyandStanly County.Popular announcers during its years as a Country station included Gene Hinson, Charlie Hicks, Ken Kennedy and Jay Driggers.
WPEG switched to a gold-basedadult contemporaryformat in July 1975, utilizingDrake-Chenault's "Solid Gold" automated format. Popular announcers during its years in this format were Larry Thomas, Terry Setzer andShane Atwell.
Drake-Chenault introduced its "Super Soul" syndicated format in 1978, and WPEG was one of the first stations to switch to the format early that year. The station also experimented with club-style DJ mixes on weekends.
A local nightclub DJ, Mitchell Eaves, quickly became popular as "Disco Mitch". His Saturday night broadcast featured live club-style mixing of the latest disco hits, DJ interviews fromdiscothequesacross the country, and wild impromptu contests. Eaves was granted full programming and content discretion and took complete advantage, a move that station management was soon to regret. Eaves and programming assistant Paul Allen launched a shoot-the-moon contest in which listeners were asked to drive past the station and show their assets. Throngs of listeners responded, clogging local traffic for hours. Several auto accidents were reported, law enforcement was dispatched and local businesses complained. Eaves and Allen were quickly dismissed by then station manager Charlie Hicks. The incident made headlines worldwide in TheNew York Times,Rolling Stone,Jet magazine, the Asian press, and closed an evening broadcast of theCBS Evening Newswith a chuckle from Walter Cronkite.
The Disco programming was a short-lived experiment, and by late 1979, the format had evolved into aCHR/Urbanhybrid format (also known as "CHUrban", which is the forerunner of therhythmic contemporaryformat). WPEG has been consideredCharlotte's heritage urban radio station since 1982, when the Suburban Radio Group purchased 1600 AM (WGIV), and gradually moved their format to the FM station. Popular announcers of its days in this format have included Fred Wellington Graham, Thomas "Skip" Murphy, Michael Saunders, Les Norman, B.J. Murphy,George "Apollo" Fetherbay,Helen Little, Barbara Taylor, Todd Haygood, Nate Quick, Michael "Captain Mike" Rossi, Darryl McClinton, Shirley Girl, Sheila Stewart, Janine Davis, Anthony "Tone X." Belser, Eddie Owens, with Consuella Williams, and Bobby Harris.
The station was branded "WPEG fm98" until 1988 when they rebranded as "Power 98". Sky Broadcasting would buy WPEG and WGIV in November 1986 after Suburban Radio Group's owners died. Sky would be bought out by Broadcast Partners, Inc. (BPI) in 1992. When BPI bought outRhythmic-formattedWCKZfromBeasley Broadcasting,they ended that format by movingWGIV's then-Urban ACprogramming from the AM dial to the101.9 FM positionand merging WCKZ's programming with WPEG, thus tilting WPEG's Urban format towards a Mainstream direction (with an emphasis on hip-hop) at the same time. The station continues to thrive in the market.
BPI would merge with Evergreen Media in May 1995. In December 1996, WPEG (as well as Evergreen's 4 other Charlotte stations) was traded toEZ Communications(owners ofWSOC-FMandWSSS;WRFXwould then go toSFX Broadcasting), with Evergreen receiving EZ Communications' Philadelphia stationsWIOQandWUSLin return (EZ would then be bought byAmerican Radio Systemsin July 1997).[4]ARS would be bought out byInfinity Broadcastingon September 19, 1997, with Infinity changing its name toCBS Radioin December 2005 as part of the spin-off of CBS' motion picture and cable television assets under a relaunchedViacom.
On October 2, 2014, CBS Radio announced that it would trade all of theirTampaand Charlotte stations (including WPEG), as well asWIPinPhiladelphiato theBeasley Broadcast Groupin exchange for 5 stations located inMiamiand Philadelphia.[5]The swap was completed on December 1, 2014.[6]
References
[edit]- ^"Facility Technical Data for WPEG".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^"Contact Us – R&B News, Music, Gossip – V 101.9 Charlotte's Best Variety of Hits & Oldies".V1019.radio.com. April 21, 2009.RetrievedJanuary 19,2012.
- ^"HD Radio Guide for Charlotte, Gastonia, Rock Hill, NC & SC".Archived fromthe originalon October 21, 2014.
- ^"SFX/EZ Swap Tabled; Statements Filed"(PDF).December 6, 1996. p. 4.RetrievedSeptember 20,2023.
- ^CBS And Beasley Swap Philadelphia/Miami For Charlotte/Tampafrom Radio Insight (October 2, 2014)
- ^Venta, Lance (December 1, 2014)."CBS Beasley Deal Closes".RadioInsight.RetrievedDecember 1,2014.
External links
[edit]- WPEG website
- Facility details for Facility ID 6586 (WPEG)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- WPEGinNielsen Audio's FM station database