 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Portland, Maine |
| Frequency | 95.9MHz |
| Branding | 95.5 and 95.9 WPEI |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Atlantic Coast Radio, LLC |
| WJJB-FM,WLOB,WRED,WPPI | |
| History | |
First air date | July 18, 1982; 42 years ago (1982-07-18) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "PortlandWEEI" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 69640 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 4,700watts |
| HAAT | 113 meters (371 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 43°32′38.1″N70°24′14.3″W / 43.543917°N 70.403972°W /43.543917; -70.403972 |
| Repeater(s) | 95.5 WPPI (Topsham) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | weei.com |
WPEI (95.9FM) is aWEEI Sports Radio Network station serving thePortland, Maine, area. The station is owned byAtlantic Coast Radio.
On July 18, 1982,[2] WPEI signed on as WPIG with acountry format and the slogan "Southern Maine's Country: FM-96 WPIG". In 1984, it becamehot adult contemporary WHYR with slogans "Your Stereo", and then "R-96". In July 1990, WHYR flipped tocontemporary hit radio as "96-HYR". In 1995, WHYR changed calls to WRED, but kept the same format and was known on air as "Red Hot 95" with the slogan "Portland's Hot Hits". Some time later, WRED wentrhythmic top 40 as "Red Hot 95.9" with the slogan "Maine's #1 for Blazin' Hot Hits".
On August 31, 2008, at 6 p.m., WRED dropped itsrhythmic top 40 format after a farewell from station DJs (airstaff and listeners had been notified a week in advance). WRED and WJJB-FM (which was simulcastingThe Big JAB) then flipped to programming provided byBoston'sWEEI, with the simulcast of The Big JAB moving to 96.3 FM.[3][4]
Up until April 1, 2009, WEEI's programming was also heard on sister station WGEI (95.5 FM), and the stations were known asWEEI on the 95's. (WGEI, the former WJJB-FM, had initially planned to use the WTEI call sign,[4] and for a week in September 2008 used the WUEI call letters.)[5] As of April 2009, WGEI was simulcasting AM sister stationWLOB, as WLOB-FM; that station eventually returned to simulcasting with WPEI in August 2011, and is nowWPPI.
WPEI does not carryBoston College football. It does carryBoston Celtics basketball, as well asBoston Red Sox baseball in tandem with The Big JAB. WPEI carriesESPN Radio when not airing WEEI; it had previously carriedFox Sports Radio (now on The Big JAB) andSporting News Radio (simulcast from The Big JAB, beforeWZAN dropped the FSR affiliation). WPEI has been the flagship station of thePortland Sea Dogs since 2012, taking over forWBAE/WVAE that year.[6]