 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Asheville metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 880kHz |
| Branding | ESPN Asheville |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | ESPN Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | July 4, 1997; 28 years ago (1997-07-04) |
Former call signs | WTZY (1997–2004) |
Call sign meaning | Peak (previous format) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 41565 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 5,000 watts (Daytime) |
| Translator | 92.9 W225CJ (Asheville) |
| Repeater | 1400 WMXF (Waynesville) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | espnavl |
WPEK (880kHz) is acommercialAMdaytimer radio station, known as "ESPN Asheville". It islicensed toFairview, North Carolina, and serves theAsheville metropolitan area. The station airs anall-sportsradio format and is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. Most programming comes fromESPN Radio. WPEK is largelysimulcast onWMXF (1400 AM) inWaynesville, North Carolina.
WPEK broadcasts with 5,000 watts by day using anon-directional antenna. Because880 AM is a United Statesclear channel frequency reserved for 50,000 wattClass A stationWHSQ in New York City, WPEK mustsign-off at night to avoid interference. Thetransmitter is on Sales Farm Drive inAsheville.[2] WPEK can be heard around the clock on 180-wattFM translator station W225CJ at 92.9MHz in Asheville.[3]
In 1988, theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) granted aconstruction permit for a new radio station in Fairview, North Carolina, on 880 AM, but it took nine years to build it. On July 4, 1997, the stationsigned on as WTZY.[4] It was owned by EEI Communications and aired atalk radio format. It was the second Asheville area station to airThe Rush Limbaugh Show (afterWSKY). WTZY was anaffiliate ofCBS Radio News.
When the station's talk programming was moved toWWNC, WTZY became WPEK "The Peak", aclassic country station. Later, the format wasadult standards.
In 2004,[5] the format was switched toprogressive talk. For several years, much of the programming came fromAir America Media. Later, WPEK had its own schedule ofsyndicated progressive talk hosts, includingBill Press,Stephanie Miller,Ed Schultz,[6]Thom Hartmann andNorman Goldman.
In 2010, WPEK dropped Thom Hartmann, who moved toWPVM-LP, added to a schedule that included weekday hosts Lesley Groetsch and Blake Butler, whose "Local Edge Radio" included "politics, arts and entertainment, live music and local listener call-ins".[7] Weekend programming includedMountain Music Time, a program of traditionalbluegrass and mountain music broadcast on Saturday mornings, followed by an hour of the Errington Thompson Show.
On June 11, 2018, WPEK flipped to sports, branded as "ESPN Asheville", with programming fromESPN Radio. The progressive talk programming, still branded "The Revolution", was moved to W266CP (101.1 FM) and WKSF-HD3.[8] The progressive talk format ultimately ended in late 2018, when W266CP and WKSF-HD3 switched toalternative rock.
35°32′48″N82°28′15″W / 35.54667°N 82.47083°W /35.54667; -82.47083