WPKE-FM

Radio station in Coal Run, Kentucky

Coal Run, Kentucky

Broadcast areaPikeville, KentuckyFrequency103.1 MHzBrandingRock 103.1ProgrammingFormatClassic rockAffiliations

Compass Media Networks
Kentucky Sports Radio
Premiere Networks

OwnershipOwner

Lynn Parrish
(Mountain Top Media LLC)

Sister stations

WPKE, WDHR, WZLK, WXCC, WLSI, WEKB, WPRT, WBTHHistory

First air date

September 1, 1974 (1974-09-01) (as WECL)

Former call signs

WECL (1974–1990)
WRAU (1990–1993)

Call sign meaning

Pikeville^[1]Technical informationFacility ID32973ClassAERP1,200 wattsHAAT226 meters (741 ft)LinksWebcastListen LiveWebsitewpke.com

WPKE-FM (103.1 MHz) is a classic rock–formatted radio station licensed to Coal Run, Kentucky, United States, and serving Pikeville. The station is currently owned by Mountain Top Media as part of a conglomerate with seven other stations; Cindy May Johnson is Managing Member. The Mountain Top group's studios are located along Peach Orchard Drive above Pikeville, with its transmitter located across the Levisa Fork. The station features programming from Compass Media Networks, Premiere Radio Networks, and Kentucky Sports Radio.^[2]

History

The station went on the air in 1974 as WECL, owned by Allen Epling. The station would later be sold to Gary Justice and become WRAU on June 1, 1990. In 1993, local radio owner Walter May acquired WRAU. He changed the call letters to WPKE-FM on December 27, adopting an adult contemporary music format.^[3]^[4]

In 2008, the station aired basketball games from the Continental Basketball Association's East Kentucky Miners.^[5] The station operated as Mix 103.1 in 2009.^[6] In 2019, WPKE-FM and its sister stations were sold to Lynn Parrish's Mountain Top Media for $2.85 million.^[7]

Programming

WPKE-FM airs a variety of syndicated programming. On weekday mornings, it broadcasts The John Boy & Billy Big Show from Premiere Networks, followed by Kentucky Sports Radio from WLAP (630 AM) in Lexington, Kentucky.^[8]^[9]

References

^ "Call Letter Origins". Radio History on the Web.
^ "WPKE-FM Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
^ "WPKE Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
^ Nash, Francis M. (1995). Towers over Kentucky: A History of Radio and TV in the Bluegrass State (PDF). Lexington, KY: Host Communciations. pp. 223–4. ISBN 1-879688-93-X.
^ "Minor League Miners Ink Radio Deal With WPKE-F". All-Access.com. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
^ "WPKE-FM - The Mix 103.1 Pikeville, KY". radiotime.com. Retrieved 2009-11-24.
^ Venta, Lance (29 March 2019). "Station Sales Week of 3/29". Radio Insight. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
^ "The Big Show with John Boy & Billy". Mountain Top Media. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
^ "Kentucky Sports Radio". Mountain Top Media. Retrieved 12 May 2023.

External links

WPKE in the FCC FM station database
WPKE in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

Classic rock radio stations in the state of Kentucky

By frequency

By callsign

By city

See also: adult contemporary; classic hits; college; country; news/talk; NPR; oldies; religious; rock; sports; top 40; urban; other radio stations in Kentucky