WCPE

Coordinates: 35°56′25″N 78°28′45″W / 35.94028°N 78.47917°W / 35.94028; -78.47917 (WCPE)
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WCPE
Broadcast areaRaleigh-Durham, North Carolina
Frequency89.7 MHz
BrandingThe Classical Station
Programming
FormatClassical
Ownership
OwnerEducational Information Corp.
History
First air date
1978
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID18831
ClassC
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT359 meters (1,178 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
35°56′25″N 78°28′45″W / 35.94028°N 78.47917°W / 35.94028; -78.47917 (WCPE)
Translator(s)See § Simulcasts and translators
Repeater(s)See § Simulcasts and translators
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitetheclassicalstation.org

WCPE (89.7 FM) in Raleigh, North Carolina, is a listener supported non-commercial, non-profit radio station, and the program contributor for The Classical Station, a classical music network. The station went on the air July 17, 1978, and switched to a 24-hour classical music format in 1984. Both are 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[edit]

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 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, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, QuickTime, RealAudio, iTunes, and WMA. The station also streams via IPv6.[citation needed] The station's call letters were randomly assigned.

It also distributes its classical music format to affiliate stations in 10 states as a service entitled Great Classical Music.[citation needed]

The station is known for being unusually conservative in its musical selections and content, refusing to air selections of modern classical music, and a former music director quietly discontinuing carriage of the weekly program Wavelengths that focused on contemporary classical music.[citation needed]

In September 2023, WCPE sent a survey to listeners describing concerns over modern works in the Metropolitan Opera's upcoming season, writing that they were "written in a nonclassical music style, have adult themes and language, and are in English". The survey suggested that WCPE would not air the productions.[2] Three of the works selected for exclusion were by Black or Mexican composers.[3] After much national criticism and accusations of censorship, the station announced that it would broadcast the operas.[3]

Helms-Leahy Small Webcaster Settlement Act of 2002[edit]

In November 2002, WCPE and its founder and General Manager, Deborah Proctor was recognized by Senator Jesse Helms for her contribution in the Helms-Leahy Small Webcaster Settlement Act of 2002.[4] This act helped settle a dispute regarding the amount of royalties webcasters must pay in order to perform sound recordings over the Internet bringing stability to the then-emerging webcasting industry.

The North Carolina Award[edit]

On Saturday, November 6, 2019, founder and General Manager, Deborah Proctor was recognized by Governor Roy Cooper with North Carolina's highest civilian honor, the North Carolina Award.[5][6] Proctor was recognized for her efforts to promote and help small, independent and public broadcasters remain viable in the era of online broadcasting.

Simulcasts and translators[edit]

Call sign Frequency City of license State Facility ID Class ERP
(W)
Height
(m (ft))
Transmitter coordinates
WZPE 90.1 FM Bath North Carolina 93744 A 4,500 39 m (128 ft) 35°28′32.0″N 76°48′44.0″W / 35.475556°N 76.812222°W / 35.475556; -76.812222 (WZPE)
WURI 90.9 FM Manteo North Carolina 91803 A 5,200 57 m (187 ft) 35°54′28.0″N 75°40′26.0″W / 35.907778°N 75.673889°W / 35.907778; -75.673889 (WURI)

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

Broadcast translators of WCPE
Call sign Frequency
(MHz)
City of license State Facility ID Class ERP
(W)
Height
(m (ft))
W202BQ 88.3 Aberdeen North Carolina 93560 D 10 157 m (515 ft)
W219DW 91.7 Buxton North Carolina 89947 D 120 9.8 m (32 ft)
W237CM 95.3 Fayetteville North Carolina 145202 D 10 190 m (620 ft)
W205CA 88.9 Foxfire North Carolina 93559 D 27 44 m (144 ft)
W247BG 97.3 Frog Level North Carolina 145839 D 10 146 m (479 ft)
W210BS 89.9 New Bern North Carolina 106585 D 120 37 m (121 ft)
W292DF 106.3 Bassett Forks Virginia 145951 D 10 221 m (725 ft)
W275AW 102.9 Danville Virginia 145882 D 38 52 m (171 ft)

In 2016, WCPE's programming in Buxton moved from high-power WBUX (90.5 FM) to W216BE (now W219DW). Both facilities are owned by WUNC, which WBUX now retransmits.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WCPE". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ Tsioulcas, Anastasia (October 5, 2023). "N.C. radio station reverses decision to withhold broadcast of contemporary Met operas". NPR. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Abrams, Jonathan; Hernández, Javier C. (October 5, 2023). "North Carolina Radio Station Won't Ban Met Opera Broadcasts After All". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  4. ^ "Congressional Record Senate Articles | Congress.gov | Library of Congress".
  5. ^ "Six to Receive 2019 North Carolina Award, State's Highest Honor | NC DNCR".
  6. ^ "Six, including Wake Forest woman, receive state's highest honor | Wake Weekly". Archived from the original on August 5, 2020.

External links[edit]

https://operawire.com/the-classical-station-wcpe-censors-met-operas-six-new-works-due-to-offensive-content/