WPET

Infobox Radio station
name = WPET


city = Greensboro, NC
area =
branding =
slogan = Inspiration Station
airdate =
frequency = 950 kHz
format = religious
power = 540 watts day, 41 watts night
erp =
class = D
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns =
owner = Entercom Communications
licensee = Entercom Greensboro License, LLC
sister_stations =
webcast =
website = [http://www.wpetam950.com wpetam950.com]
affiliations =

WPET (950 AM) is a radio station broadcasting areligious format. Licensed to Greensboro, NC, USA, it serves the Winston-Salem, NC area. The station is currently owned by Entercom Communications.

History

In the late 1950s, WPET was Greensboro's first rock and roll station [Jeri Rowe, "'King' of Local Radio Dies at Age 78 - Radio Pioneer Bill Mitchell Helped Introduce Rock 'N' Roll to the City," "Greensboro News & Record", December 6, 2000.] .

For 25 years starting in 1954, "Merrill the Pearl" Watson hosted a gospel music show on WPET, but many of his listeners didn't realize that he was also host of "Sugarfoot's Rhythm and Blues Express [Tanya N. Ballard, "Radio Legend Still Riding High on the Local Airwaves," "Greensboro News & Record", October 11, 1997.] ."

In 1967, WPET began airing Southern gospel music full-time ["WPET Marks 30 Years of Broadcasting," "Greensboro News & Record", September 18, 1997.] .

After WKEW became a Radio Disney affiliate in 1998, WPET hired WKEW's Andy Durham as its sports director. Durham started a local sports talk show, and WPET began airing high school football and basketball. Starting with the 1999 season, WPET began airing the games of Greensboro's minor league baseball team, then known as the Bats [Jeri Rowe, "Bats Games Can Be Heard on Local Radio - A Southern Gospel Station Becomes Voice for Gate City Sports," "Greensboro News & Record", April 8, 1999.] . Later, UNCG basketball and minor league hockey were added [Bill Hass, "Local Radio Station Beefing Up Sports Coverage," "Greensboro News & Record" - August 21, 1999.] .

Bahakel Communications sold WPET and WKSI to Entercom in 2001 [Jamie Kritzer, "New Owners, Economy Spur Cuts at Radio Stations," "Greensboro News & Record", December 6, 2001.] .

References

External links

* [http://www.wpetam950.com/ official site]
*
*