WPEG
Encyclopedia
WPEG is a Mainstream Urban
-formatted radio station in the Charlotte, North Carolina
area. It broadcasts at 97.9 FM, and is owned by CBS Radio
.
in 1961 as WEGO-FM, and simulcast the programming of its sister AM
station until 1967. That year, the station became a beautiful music
station with the call letters WPEG. The station was owned by the Suburban Radio Group from Belmont, 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 the Tobacco Radio Network
(now the North Carolina News Network
) for the western half of North Carolina
. The station began broadcasting in Stereo
in 1973.
In 1970, the station's format changed to country music
, and gained a devoted following in Cabarrus County, North Carolina
and Stanly County, North Carolina
. Popular announcers during its years as a Country station included Gene Hinson, Charlie Hicks
, Ken Kennedy and Jay Driggers.
WPEG switched to a gold-based adult contemporary format in July 1975, with the Drake-Chenault
Solid Gold automation format. Popular announcers during its years in this format were Larry Thomas, Terry Setzer and Shane Atwell.
Drake-Chenault Company introduced its Super Soul syndicated format in 1978, and WPEG was one of the first stations to switch to the format early in 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 from discos across the country and wild impromptu contest. 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 nationwide even gaining a chuckle from Walter Cronkite on the CBS Evening News.
The Disco programming was a short-lived experiment, and by late 1979 the format had evolved into an Urban Contemporary
format. WPEG is now considered as Charlotte, North Carolina
's heritage urban radio station since 1982, when the Suburban Radio Group purchased 1600AM WGIV
and gradually moved their format to the FM station. Popular announcers of its days in this format have included Fred Wellington Graham, Skip Murphy, Michael Saunders, Les Norman, BJ Murphy, George "Apollo" Fetherbay, Helen Little, Barbara Taylor, Todd Haygood, Nate Quick, Darryl McClinton, Sheila Stewart, Janine Davis, Anthony Tone-X Belser, Eddie Owens, Consuella Williams and Bob Harris.
The station was branded WPEG 98 FM for years until 1988 when it adopted its current name Power 98. When WPEG's owners bought out Rhythmic-formatted WCKZ, they ended that format by moving WBAV's Urban AC programming from the AM dial to the 101.9 FM position
, thus tilting WPEG's Urban format over to Mainstream at the same time. The station continues to thrive in the market with its sister station WBAV V-101.9 as the main competitor, but it also competes with upstart Urban AC station WQNC
Q-92.7.
The station studios are located at 1520 South Boulevard.
Mainstream Urban
Mainstream Urban is a term used to describe a radio format similar to an Urban Contemporary format. The format differentiates itself due to two factors: playlist composition and target demographic...
-formatted radio station in the Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
area. It broadcasts at 97.9 FM, and is owned by CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
.
History
The 97.9 frequency came on the air in Concord, North CarolinaConcord, North Carolina
Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area...
in 1961 as WEGO-FM, and simulcast the programming of its sister AM
WTIX (AM)
WEGO is a radio station licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, which serves the Piedmont Triad area. The station is currently owned by Ghb Radio and airs a Spanish contemporary Christian format.-History:...
station until 1967. That year, the station became a beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
station with the call letters WPEG. The station was owned by the Suburban Radio Group from Belmont, North Carolina
Belmont, North Carolina
Belmont is a small suburban city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, located about west of uptown Charlotte, North Carolina and east of Gastonia. The population was 8,705 at the 2000 census. Once known as Garibaldi, the city named in honor of August Belmont, a prominent New York banker...
. 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 the Tobacco Radio Network
Tobacco Radio Network
Tobacco Radio Network was a radio network owned and operated by Capitol Broadcasting Company of Raleigh, North Carolina. Begun in 1942, the network was dedicated to educating and keeping farmers informed of the latest agricultural news, stories, and market standings...
(now the North Carolina News Network
North Carolina News Network
The North Carolina News Network is a news and information service established in 1942. It provides programming to approximately 75 radio stations, primarily in the state of North Carolina, and can also be heard by Internet streaming via its website.-History:The roots of this network go back to...
) for the western half of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The station began broadcasting in Stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
in 1973.
In 1970, the station's format changed to country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, and gained a devoted following in Cabarrus County, North Carolina
Cabarrus County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 131,063 people, 49,519 households, and 36,545 families residing in the county. The population density was 360 people per square mile . There were 52,848 housing units at an average density of 145 per square mile...
and Stanly County, North Carolina
Stanly County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 60,585 people. In 2000 there were 22,223 households, and 16,156 families residing in the county. The population density was 147 people per square mile . There were 24,582 housing units at an average density of 62 per square mile...
. Popular announcers during its years as a Country station included Gene Hinson, Charlie Hicks
Charlie Hicks
Charlie Hicks , also known as "Charlie B," is a former American broadcaster familiar to listeners in radio markets throughout the southeastern United States. He worked in the field for 55 years.Hicks got his start in 1954 as a late night disc jockey at WHBT in Harriman, Tennessee, when he was 16...
, Ken Kennedy and Jay Driggers.
WPEG switched to a gold-based adult contemporary format in July 1975, with the Drake-Chenault
Drake-Chenault
Drake-Chenault Enterprises was a radio syndication company that specialized in automation on FM radio stations. The company was founded in the late-1960s by radio programmer and deejay Bill Drake , and his business partner, Lester Eugene Chenault...
Solid Gold automation format. Popular announcers during its years in this format were Larry Thomas, Terry Setzer and Shane Atwell.
Drake-Chenault Company introduced its Super Soul syndicated format in 1978, and WPEG was one of the first stations to switch to the format early in 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 from discos across the country and wild impromptu contest. Eaves
Eaves
The eaves of a roof are its lower edges. They usually project beyond the walls of the building to carry rain water away.-Etymology:"Eaves" is derived from Old English and is both the singular and plural form of the word.- Function :...
was granted full programming and content discretion and took complete advantage, a move that station management was soon to regret. Eaves
Eaves
The eaves of a roof are its lower edges. They usually project beyond the walls of the building to carry rain water away.-Etymology:"Eaves" is derived from Old English and is both the singular and plural form of the word.- Function :...
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
Eaves
The eaves of a roof are its lower edges. They usually project beyond the walls of the building to carry rain water away.-Etymology:"Eaves" is derived from Old English and is both the singular and plural form of the word.- Function :...
and Allen were quickly dismissed by then station manager Charlie Hicks
Charlie Hicks
Charlie Hicks , also known as "Charlie B," is a former American broadcaster familiar to listeners in radio markets throughout the southeastern United States. He worked in the field for 55 years.Hicks got his start in 1954 as a late night disc jockey at WHBT in Harriman, Tennessee, when he was 16...
. The incident made headlines nationwide even gaining a chuckle from Walter Cronkite on the CBS Evening News.
The Disco programming was a short-lived experiment, and by late 1979 the format had evolved into an Urban Contemporary
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
format. WPEG is now considered as Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
's heritage urban radio station since 1982, when the Suburban Radio Group purchased 1600AM WGIV
WGIV
WGIV is an African american formatted radio station currently found at 1370 on the AM radio dial. Its city of license is Pineville, North Carolina...
and gradually moved their format to the FM station. Popular announcers of its days in this format have included Fred Wellington Graham, Skip Murphy, Michael Saunders, Les Norman, BJ Murphy, George "Apollo" Fetherbay, Helen Little, Barbara Taylor, Todd Haygood, Nate Quick, Darryl McClinton, Sheila Stewart, Janine Davis, Anthony Tone-X Belser, Eddie Owens, Consuella Williams and Bob Harris.
The station was branded WPEG 98 FM for years until 1988 when it adopted its current name Power 98. When WPEG's owners bought out Rhythmic-formatted WCKZ, they ended that format by moving WBAV's Urban AC programming from the AM dial to the 101.9 FM position
WBAV
WBAV-FM is an Urban Adult Contemporary radio station licensed to Gastonia, North Carolina and serving the Charlotte market on 101.9FM. Syndicated programs include Steve Harvey in mornings, and Michael Baisden in afternoons...
, thus tilting WPEG's Urban format over to Mainstream at the same time. The station continues to thrive in the market with its sister station WBAV V-101.9 as the main competitor, but it also competes with upstart Urban AC station WQNC
WQNC
WQNC "My 92.7" is an urban adult contemporary radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina that is owned and operated by Radio One Inc. with the tagline "R&B from the 80s, 90s and Now"...
Q-92.7.
The station studios are located at 1520 South Boulevard.
Line-Up
| SHOW | TIME |
|---|---|
| No Limit Larry & The Morning Maddhouse | Monday - Friday 5:50 AM – 10:00 AM |
| Artie "The One Woman Party" | Monday - Friday 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM |
| Mr. Incognito | Monday - Friday 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM |
| Danny Diaz | Monday - Friday 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM |
| Tab D'Bia$$i | Tuesday - Friday 12:00 AM - 5:50 AM |
| Sunday Morning Inspirations w/ Tonya Rivens | Sunday 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
| Caribbean Shakedown | Sunday 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM |
| Tab D'Bia$$i | Monday 2:00 AM - 5:50 AM |
Special Shows/Mixes
| Name | Mix/Show |
|---|---|
| Mr. Incognito | "Shake 'Em Off Breakfast" Mix & "Uptown Saturday Night" Mixes |
| DJ Tab D'Bia$$i | "Midday Office Party" Mix |
| DJ Storm | "5 O'Clock Traffic" Mix |
| DJ Buttafingaz | "State of Emergency" Mix |
| DJ Strech-O-Matic | "Interactive" Mix |