WCPE

The station signed on the air on July 17, 1978. It was originally powered at 12,500 watts, a fraction of its current output. WCPE originally played classical music with specialty programs including jazz, R & B, hip hop and other modern musical genres, community, educational shows and news from the BBC World Service. It switched to an all-classical format in 1984. 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. Three of the works selected for exclusion were by Black or Mexican composers. ==Awards==

In November 2002, WCPE and its founder and General Manager, Deborah Proctor were recognized by Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina for her contribution in the Helms-Leahy Small Webcaster Settlement Act of 2002. 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. Proctor was given North Carolina's highest civilian honor, the North Carolina Award. Proctor was recognized for her efforts to promote and help small, independent and public broadcasters remain viable in the era of online broadcasting. ==Simulcasts and translators==

WCPE is simulcast full-time over full-power satellite stations WZPE and WURI. 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. The following low-power translators rebroadcast 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. ==References==