WCPE

WCPE
City Raleigh, North Carolina
Broadcast area Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
Branding The Classical Station
Frequency 89.7 MHz
Translator(s) See § Simulcasts and translators
Repeater(s) See § Simulcasts and translators
First air date 1978
Format Classical
ERP 100,000 watts
HAAT 359 meters (1,178 ft)
Class C
Facility ID 18831
Transmitter coordinates 35°56′25″N 78°28′45″W / 35.94028°N 78.47917°W / 35.94028; -78.47917 (WCPE)
Callsign meaning Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (unofficial); call letters assigned by FCC
Owner Educational Information Corp.
Webcast Listen Live
Website theclassicalstation.org

WCPE is a private classical music radio station that serves the Research Triangle region of North Carolina, United States. Licensed to Raleigh on 89.7 FM at 100,000 watts, the station went on the air July 17, 1978 and switched to a 24-hour classical music format in 1984. The "sister station", WZPE in Bath, NC, had obtained a construction permit from the FCC for a power increase to 4,500 watts.[1][2] It is owned by the Educational Information Corporation, a nonprofit community organization.

WCPE's studios are located just outside Wake Forest, North Carolina. Its main signal extends from the South Carolina state line to the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia, and some parts of Charlotte, North Carolina as well.

Overview

Despite its seeming connection to composer Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, WCPE's call letters don't stand for anything in particular; the station simply did not have the money to petition the FCC for a specific set of call letters, but was happy with the result.

WCPE operates three full-power satellite stations in the Outer Banks of eastern North Carolina, as well as a network of low-powered translators across the state. It can be also be heard on cable television systems, on free-to-air (open format) "small dish" home satellite systems via the AMC-1 satellites, and around the world via six streaming audio formats on the Internet, including mp3, Ogg Vorbis, QuickTime, RealAudio, iTunes, and WMA. The station also streams via IPv6. Listening options and instructions are at http://theclassicalstation.org/listen.shtml.

It also distributes its classical music format to affiliate stations in ten states as a service entitled Great Classical Music. It is made available to these stations via the communications methods listed above. Distribution rights and rebroadcast consent to cable systems, broadcast stations, private systems - any legal communications entity (even cruise ships at sea) - is free without cost or obligation. The consent letter is available on the WCPE website.

As of December, 2007 WCPE has lost access to its C-Band (Big dish) transponder.

WCPE was the first public radio station in the nation to broadcast its programming on the Internet and one of the few radio stations in the United States to broadcast a dedicated, non-commercial classical music format. WCPE is 100% run by voluntary donations; the greatest amount by far is from individuals making personal gifts, and in recent years an increasing number of small business owners are helping through their companies. The station does not receive any government financial subsidies and/or entitlements at all (donor preference overwhelmingly prefers this independence). Several government-owned groups do help the station when it benefits both. For instance, WCPE gives details of a city-owned orchestra's upcoming concert; the orchestra can then help WCPE with funds from increased ticket sales.

The WCPE studios are located in a heavily wooded rural area between Wake Forest and Rolesville. The 80-acre (320,000 m2) grounds once housed a dilapidated farmhouse. WCPE gave orders to clear the property for the building of the station's facilities and tower. The full amount of land is needed to accommodate the guy wires for the 1,200-foot (370 m) transmitting tower.

Simulcasts and translators

Call sign Frequency City of license Facility ID ERP
W		 Height
m (ft)		 Class Transmitter coordinates
WBUX90.5 FMBuxton, North Carolina918005,90047 m (154 ft)A35°16′1.0″N 75°32′38.0″W / 35.266944°N 75.543889°W / 35.266944; -75.543889 (WBUX)
WURI90.9 FMManteo, North Carolina918035,20057 m (187 ft)A35°54′28.0″N 75°40′26.0″W / 35.907778°N 75.673889°W / 35.907778; -75.673889 (WURI)
WZPE90.1 FMBath, North Carolina937444,50039 m (128 ft)A35°28′32.0″N 76°48′44.0″W / 35.475556°N 76.812222°W / 35.475556; -76.812222 (WZPE)

WZPE is owned by the Educational Information Corporation, while WBUX and WURI are owed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and leased to WCPE.

Broadcast translators of WCPE
Call signFrequency
(MHz)		City of licenseFacility
ID		ERP
W		Height
m (ft)		ClassFCC info
W202BQ88.3Aberdeen, North Carolina9356010157 m (515 ft)DFCC
W205CA88.9Foxfire, North Carolina935592744 m (144 ft)DFCC
W210BS89.9New Bern, North Carolina10658512037 m (121 ft)DFCC
W237CM95.3Fayetteville, North Carolina14520210190 m (620 ft)DFCC
W247BG97.3Frog Level (Pitt County), North Carolina14583910146 m (479 ft)DFCC
W250AZ97.9Raleigh, North Carolina1469268490 m (300 ft)DFCC
W275AW102.9Danville, Virginia1458823852 m (171 ft)DFCC
W292DF106.3Bassett Forks, Virginia14595110221 m (725 ft)DFCC

Affiliates

Portions of WCPE's programming can also be heard on these stations:

Kansas

Illinois

Michigan

M-F, 2:30 p.m. - 7:30 a.m, (only when school is in session, and when teacher lets students broadcast) all day Saturday and Sunday

M-F - 9 p.m.-6:30 a.m, all day Saturday and Sunday, and during student vacations

Nevada

Ohio

M-F 12 p.m. - 3 p.m, and midnight - 3 a.m.

Oklahoma

11 p.m. - 6 a.m, daily.

11 p.m. - 6 a.m. daily

Texas

Mon-Sat, 11 p.m. - 6 a.m.

Mon-Sat, 11 p.m. - 6 a.m.

West Virginia

10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Tue-Sat, 10 p.m. -6 a.m.

Virginia

Tue-Sat 10 p.m. - 6 a.m.

Tue-Sat 10 p.m. - 6 a.m.

References

  1. ↑ "WZPE Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. ↑ "WZPE Station Information Profile". Arbitron.

Other station data

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