WEEP (defunct)

Infobox Radio station
name = WEEP


city = Virginia, Minnesota
area =
branding =
slogan =
airdate = 1936
frequency = 1400 kHz
format = Silent
power = 1,000 watts (unlimited)
class = C
facility_id = 70307
coordinates = coord|47|30|33|N|92|32|31|W
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns = WHLB
owner = Full Armor Ministries, Inc.
licensee =
sister_stations =
webcast =
website =
affiliations =

WEEP (1400 AM) is a radio station formerly licensed to serve Virginia, Minnesota. The FCC license, most recently held by Full Armor Ministries, Inc., expired on August 1, 2005. The station last aired a Religious radio format. The station began broadcasting in 1936, with a power of 250 watts.cite news |work=Mesabi Daily News |title=Voice of Virginia: WHLB, Hushed for years, soon it will be silenced forever |url=http://www.virginiamn.com/articles/2008/04/14/news/doc48018828925b9303374478.txt |date=2008-04-12 |first=Angie |last=Riebe] It was the ninth oldest station in Minnesota.

The station was purchased in 1951 by Frank P. Befera, a pioneer in Minnesota broadcasting.cite news |work=Frank P. Befera |title=Obituary: Frank P. Befera |date=2004-11-21 |page=Frank P. Befera |quote=As a pioneer in Minnesota Broadcasting, [...] until 1949 when he entered commercial broadcasting as an engineer at WMFG Radio in Hibbing. He bought the radio station two years later along with WHLB in Virginia and built three more FM stations, including KUSZ Radio in Duluth.] cite news |work=Minneapolis Star Tribune |title=Frank Befera, 82; was Duluth TV station pioneer |date=2004-11-23 |url= |quote=A childhood interest in crystal and ham radios helped lead Befera to first work for, and then purchase, WMFG radio in Hibbing. He also bought WHLB radio in Virginia.] The station remained in the Befera family (dba Virginia Broadcasting Company) until it was sold to Full Armor Ministries of Eveleth, Minnesota, for a reported sale price of $52,000. [cite news |work=Broadcasting & Cable |title=Changing Hands: AMs |date=2001-01-15 |url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA58494.html] The deal closed on October 1, 2000, gained FCC approval on February 13, 2001, and transfer was consummated on April 1, 2001.cite web |work=FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database |url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=545196 |title=Application Search Details #545196 |accessdate=2008-05-12 |date=2008-01-03]

The station was assigned the WEEP call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on March 7, 2001.cite web |title=Call Sign History |url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=70307&Callsign=DWEEP |work=FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database] The call letters were deleted from the FCC database on June 27, 2006, although the station is officially listed as "licensed and silent."cite web |work=FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database |url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/sta_det.pl?Facility_id=70307 |title=Station Search Details |accessdate=2008-05-10]

The station has been silent since a transmitter failure in December 2002.cite news |title=The Silent Station List |url=http://www.nrcdxas.org/SilentStations/index.html |work=National Radio Club |date=2008-03-02] The tower, lacking basic maintenance, was described as "rusting away" during an August 2005 visit by radio journalist Scott Fybush.cite web |work=Fybush.com - Tower Site of the Week |title=Towers from the North Country: The Big Trip, 2005 Part III: Up to International Falls via Eveleth, then down to St. Paul via Hibbing |first=Scott |last=Fybush |url=http://www.fybush.com/sites/2006/site-060224.html |date=2006-02-24]

Efforts to sell the station to the city of Virginia were complicated and ultimately thwarted by licensee Full Armor Ministries' failure to file a timely license renewal. In January 2008, the FCC denied a petition for reconsideration from the (now former) licensee and the city.cite news |date=2008-01-04 |url=http://www.rwonline.com/pages/s.0102/t.10499.html |work=Radio World |title=You Must Not WEEP, Virginia] cite web |work=FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database |title=Application Search Details #1142887 |date=2008-01-03 |url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=1142887 |accessdate=2008-05-12]

In 2008, the City of Virginia gave permission to a local firm to dismantle the former studio building and radio tower. The building was moved and the tower taken down. Today, only a small grove of trees marks the area where the radio station was located. The city is hoping that the site will eventually be used for future economic endeavors.

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