WPEP
| City | Taunton, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Providence, Rhode Island |
| Frequency | 1570 kHz |
| First air date | December 22, 1949 |
| Last air date | October 18, 2007 |
| Format | Full service News/Talk/sports |
| Power | 1,000 watts (day) 227.4 watts (night) |
| HAAT | 60 meters |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 61601 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 41°48′18″N 71°03′50″W / 41.80500°N 71.06389°W |
| Former callsigns | WTRN (never used on air) |
| Affiliations | ABC Radio Networks, Talk Radio Network, USA Radio Network, Westwood One, Boston Red Sox Radio Network (2004-2005), Pawsox Radio Network (????-2003) |
| Owner | Anastos Media Group |
WPEP (1570 AM) was an AM radio station operating on a frequency of 1570 kHz from Taunton, Massachusetts. WPEP's format had been full-service, offering local news and talk programming, as well as music and nationally syndicated talk. The station was last owned by the Anastos Media Group.
In late 1948, Silver City Broadcasting Corp., owned by businessman John McGregor, applied for and was granted a construction permit for an AM broadcast station in Taunton. The station's callsign was originally to be WTRN, however the callsign was changed to WPEP before the station officially signed on the air December 22, 1949. When WPEP signed on, its studio was located atop the Roseland Ballroom, north of downtown Taunton. The original format is believed to have been all local programming. WPEP was a 1-kilowatt daytime-only station from 1949 to 1970. This meant that WPEP was required to cease transmitting from sunset to sunrise. WPEP's transmitter site was 760 County Street in Taunton, Massachusetts.
On November 27, 1970, WPEP received pre-sunrise authority, allowing it to sign on at 06:00 local time with a power of 350 watts, which could be upped to the full kilowatt at sunrise (during months when sunrise occurs later than 06:00). News Director: John P. Shaw
Daytime-only status lasted until September 1, 1986 when WPEP was granted nighttime authorization, which allowed WPEP to transmit 227.4 watts of power.
WPEP was sold in 1997 by Silver City Broadcasting to J. Keating Willcox's Willow Farm Broadcasting.
This would be the final calendar decade of WPEP's existence. WPEP was sold to Anastos Media Group in 2001. Paul Giammarco was named general manager in 2002 until he left for WSAR in 2003. After Giammarco left, staffer A.J. Nicholson was promoted to general manager.
In 2004, WPEP added the Boston Red Sox Radio Network & carried the team's first World Series victory heard on radio. It was an affiliate in 2005 as well but station management had changed that March & didn't air games. A May 5, 2005 article in the Taunton Daily Gazette said that the station was in jeopardy because WNSH in Beverly, Massachusetts got approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to increase their daytime power. WNSH was owned by former WPEP owner J. Keating Wilcox. When Wilcox sold WPEP to Anastos Media, there was an informal agreement that Anastos Media would turn in the station's license to allow WNSH (on the same frequency) to up their power, contingent on the power increase being granted by the FCC. The city's mayor and U.S. Representative filed objections; however, the station's general manager at the time publicly dismissed the possibility the station may go dark. On December 2, 2005, Anastos Media filed a renewal of the WPEP license. The renewal was granted by the FCC on March 28, 2006. WPEP's license was turned in to the FCC on October 18, 2007.
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