| WCPE | |
| City: | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Country: | US |
| Area: | Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina |
| Branding: | The Classical Station |
| Frequency: | 89.7 MHz |
| Translator: | See |
| Repeater: | See |
| Airdate: | 1978 |
| Format: | Classical |
| Erp: | 100,000 watts |
| Haat: | 359m (1,178feet) |
| Class: | C |
| Licensing Authority: | FCC |
| Facility Id: | 18831 |
| Owner: | Educational Information Corporation |
WCPE (89.7 FM) in Raleigh, North Carolina, is a listener supported non-commercial, non-profit radio station, and the program contributor for The Classical Station, a classical music network. The station went on the air July 17, 1978, and switched to a 24-hour classical music format in 1984. Both are owned by the Educational Information Corporation, a nonprofit community organization.
WCPE's studios are located just outside Wake Forest, North Carolina. Its main signal extends from the South Carolina state line to the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia, and some parts of Charlotte, North Carolina, as well.
WCPE operates three full-power satellite stations in the Outer Banks of eastern North Carolina, as well as a network of low-powered translators across the state. It can also be heard on cable television systems, on free-to-air (open format) "small dish" home satellite systems via the AMC-1 satellites, and around the world via six streaming audio formats on the Internet, including mp3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, QuickTime, RealAudio, iTunes, and WMA. The station also streams via IPv6. The station's call letters were randomly assigned.
In September 2023, WCPE sent a survey to listeners describing concerns over modern works in the Metropolitan Opera's upcoming season, writing that they were "written in a nonclassical music style, have adult themes and language, and are in English". The survey suggested that WCPE would not air the productions.[1] Three of the works selected for exclusion were by Black or Mexican composers. After much national criticism and accusations of censorship, the station announced that it would broadcast the operas.[2]
In November 2002, WCPE and its founder and General Manager, Deborah Proctor was recognized by Senator Jesse Helms for her contribution in the Helms-Leahy Small Webcaster Settlement Act of 2002.[3] This act helped settle a dispute regarding the amount of royalties webcasters must pay in order to perform sound recordings over the Internet bringing stability to the then-emerging webcasting industry.
On Saturday, November 6, 2019, founder and General Manager, Deborah Proctor was recognized by Governor Roy Cooper with North Carolina's highest civilian honor, the North Carolina Award.[4] [5] Proctor was recognized for her efforts to promote and help small, independent and public broadcasters remain viable in the era of online broadcasting.
| Call sign | data-sort-type="number" | Frequency | City of license | State | data-sort-type="number" | Facility ID | Class | data-sort-type="number" | ERP (W) | data-sort-type="number" | Height (m (ft)) | Transmitter coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WZPE | 90.1 FM | A | 4,500 | 39m (128feet) | ||||||||
| WURI | 90.9 FM | A | 5,200 | 57m (187feet) |
WZPE is owned by the Educational Information Corporation, while WURI is owned by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and leased to WCPE.
In 2016, WCPE's programming in Buxton moved from high-power WBUX (90.5 FM) to W216BE (now W219DW). Both facilities are owned by WUNC, which WBUX now retransmits.