| Simulcast ofWPKC-FM,Sanford, Maine | |
|---|---|
| |
| Broadcast area | Seacoast Region; SouthernMaine |
| Frequency | 1540kHz |
| Branding | K-Love |
| Programming | |
| Format | Contemporary Christian |
| Network | K-Love |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Educational Media Foundation |
| WNHI,WPKC-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | June 4, 1966; 58 years ago (1966-06-04) |
Former call signs |
|
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 53386 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 5,000 watts day |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°59′23.64″N70°56′10.4″W / 42.9899000°N 70.936222°W /42.9899000; -70.936222 |
| Translator(s) |
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| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WPKC (1540kHz) is anAM radio stationlicensed toExeter, New Hampshire, and covering theNew Hampshire Seacoast region and SouthernMaine. The station'sformat iscontemporary Christian music, supplied from theK-Love network. The station's license is held by theEducational Media Foundation.[2][3] The stationsimulcasts itssister station, 92.1WPKC-FM inSanford, Maine. In addition, WPKC operates twoFMtranslators:W246BP (97.1MHz) in Exeter, andW298CU (101.5) inChester.
AM 1540 is aclear-channel frequency reserved forClass A stationsKXEL inWaterloo, Iowa, andZNS-1 inNassau, Bahamas. WPKC broadcasts at 5,000 watts during thedaytime hours only.
The AM 1540 frequency in Exeter went on the air on June 4, 1966, as WKXR.[4] It was owned by Frank Estes, who also ownedWKXL inConcord, New Hampshire.[5] Estes sold the station in 1978,[5] and on March 10, 1982, the station was renamed WMYF.[6] Thecall sign stood for "Music of Your Life", asyndicatedadult standards format.[7]
In 1998, Capstar acquired WMYF fromCBS Radio.[8] (CBS had obtained the station after its purchase ofAmerican Radio Systems.)[9] The station began to simulcast thenews/talk format ofWGIR, a sister station inManchester, New Hampshire;[10] a call sign change to WGIP followed on October 2.[6] The WMYF call sign would later be moved down the AM dial to1380 AM, which would retain it until that station's closure in 2015.
Capstar and Chancellor Media announced in August 1998 that they would merge (Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst was a major shareholder in both companies);[11] upon the merger's completion in July 1999, the combined company was named AMFM Inc.[12] AMFM was in turn acquired by Clear Channel Communications in a deal announced on October 4, 1999,[13] and completed in August 2000.[14]
After WGIP was placed into theAloha Station Trust in 2008 as a result of the privatization of Clear Channel (nowiHeartMedia, Inc.),[15] the station was sold to Aruba Capital Holdings, LLC in 2009.[16] After Aruba closed on the sale on March 9, 2009, the call sign was changed to WXEX[6] and the WGIR simulcast was discontinued. WXEX relaunched with an oldies format[17] on March 16, 2009.[18] On August 11, 2011, the station began simulcasting with 92.1 WXEX-FM in Sanford, Maine, which Aruba had acquired earlier in the year.[19]
On April 14, 2015, WXEX owner Aruba Capital Holdings LLC entered into alocal marketing agreement (LMA) withWNBP/WWSF owner Port Broadcasting LLC whereby the latter assumed operational control of WXEX and WXEX-FM. On August 20, 2015, WXEX and its FM sister station shifted their format fromclassic hits toclassic rock, branded as "Classic Rock 92.1"; the move was made to distinguish WXEX from WWSF's oldies format.[20] Effective January 31, 2017, Aruba Capital sold WXEX, WXEX-FM, and W246BP to LMA partner Port Broadcasting. In return, Aruba Capital received a 26.9 percent stake in Port Broadcasting, giving Aruba Capital principal Andrew Hartmann a controlling interest in the new licensee.
DuringLabor Day Weekend in 2018, WXEX and WXEX-FMstunted with a broadcast of theDrake-Chenault documentaryThe History of Rock and Roll. On September 3, 2018, the stations changed to an oldies format, branded asSeacoast Oldies, in effect reversing the 2015 format change.[21]
Port Broadcasting agreed to sell WXEX, WXEX-FM, and translators W246BP and W298CU to theEducational Media Foundation (EMF) for $690,000 in April 2023. EMF already operatedAir1 stationWNHI inFarmington, with itsK-Love network only available via stations in surrounding markets.[22] Following the sale's completion on July 24, 2023,[23] the "Seacoast Oldies" programming moved to WWSF on July 24, 2023,[24] and WXEX joined K-Love;[23] the station's call sign was changed to WPKC on August 1, 2023.[25]
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W246BP | 97.1 FM | Exeter, New Hampshire | 150134 | 250 | D | 43°1′38.3″N70°52′49.1″W / 43.027306°N 70.880306°W /43.027306; -70.880306 (W246BP) | LMS |
| W268DO | 101.5 FM | Chester, New Hampshire | 201489 | 250 | D | 42°57′47.8″N71°17′21.3″W / 42.963278°N 71.289250°W /42.963278; -71.289250 (W268DO) | LMS |