WPAQ
Encyclopedia
WPAQ is an Americana
, and Bluegrass
formatted broadcast
radio station
licensed to Mount Airy, North Carolina
, serving the Piedmont of North Carolina and the Southside and Southwestern sections of Virginia. WPAQ is owned and operated by WPAQ Radio, Inc
One listener said the letters should stand for "We Piddle Around Quietly."
was falling off, and one area radio station needed to take on the job of preserving it. As a child he enjoyed listening to distant AM radio
stations, and in college he changed his major to radio technology. He worked for the United States Naval Research Laboratory
before going into broadcasting, and he never dreamed he would own a radio station. But Epperson and his father and cousin literally built the new radio station, including the 305-foot tower still used 50 years later. So much cursing
took place that, according to Epperson, one minister said it would take a six-month revival meeting
to make up for it. Fiddle
player Benton Flippen
helped dedicate the new studio February 1, 1948, the night before actual broadcasts began.
Epperson's "Merry Go-Round," which began airing on WPAQ in 1948, was the third-longest live-music show on radio in 1998 (The Grand Ole Opry was the longest-running). In the mid-1990s, the show moved to the Downtown Cinema. At one time, Epperson made recordings of the live performances to air later, and he continued to play these recordings in the 1990s on another show he hosted.
Epperson did pretty much everything, working as a DJ during the day, selling air time, repairing equipment, sometimes sleeping on a cot at the station before he got married.
Among the big names who played on WPAQ: Bill Monroe's
brother Charlie Monroe
, Grandpa Jones
, Little Jimmy Dickens
, Del Reeves
, Ralph Stanley
, Lester Flatt
and Earl Scruggs
, and Mac Wiseman
. Among those local performers making appearances was Tommy Jarrell, a fiddle player from Surry County.
In the 1950s, WPAQ increased its power to 10,000 watts.
WPAQ has consistently aired Christian music
and preaching
with entirely a bluegrass and old-time music format, and big band music in the evenings from 6 pm until sundown. In addition to music, WPAQ offered local news, community announcements and obituaries. Live broadcasts aired on weekends, with performers waiting as long as six months to go on the air.
Paul Brown, who later became program director of WFDD, worked at WPAQ in the 1980s. He described his experience as "like walking into another era."
The Winston-Salem Journal
article on the station's 50th anniversary described the studios this way:
Unlike other stations that changed in order to make money, WPAQ remained committed to its traditions.
In 1996, WPAQ took over WSYD
, the other area AM station. Epperson and his wife Earlene owned WBRF
in Galax, Virginia
.
In 2005, the Surry Arts Council, using a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, began working to preserve Epperson's extensive collection of recordings, including lacquer
ed discs
and reel-to-reel tapes
. The recordings had been stored in boxes, but they were moved to a climate-controlled environment. Then, after an inventory, about 1000 hours of recordings went to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for cleaning and digital recording
, which would allow transfer to compact discs and the Internet
. The original recordings were moved to the Southern Folklife Collection.
In 2006, Epperson was inducted into the North Carolina Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Epperson's death May 31, 2006 led to rumors the station would make changes, but his son Kelly Epperson, who had taken over the station, did not plan to change--at least not what the station did. He did change how it was done. On April 5, 2007, which would have been Epperson's 86th birthday, WPAQ began streaming
over the Internet--with Flippen playing his fiddle once again for the occasion--allowing the station to be heard all over the world. And responses came from all over the world. Streaming continued even after a significant increase in costs for royalties
.
The station must power down to an all-but-unlistenable 7 watts at night to protect a large cluster of clear-channel stations, including CFZM in Toronto
.
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
, and Bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
formatted broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
licensed to Mount Airy, North Carolina
Mount Airy, North Carolina
Mount Airy is a city in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,388.-History:Mount Airy was settled in the 1750s as a stagecoach stop on the road between Winston-Salem and Galax, Virginia. It was named for a nearby plantation...
, serving the Piedmont of North Carolina and the Southside and Southwestern sections of Virginia. WPAQ is owned and operated by WPAQ Radio, Inc
One listener said the letters should stand for "We Piddle Around Quietly."
History
Ralph Epperson observed in 1948 that the popularity of old-time musicOld-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
was falling off, and one area radio station needed to take on the job of preserving it. As a child he enjoyed listening to distant AM radio
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
stations, and in college he changed his major to radio technology. He worked for the United States Naval Research Laboratory
United States Naval Research Laboratory
The United States Naval Research Laboratory is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps and conducts a program of scientific research and development. NRL opened in 1923 at the instigation of Thomas Edison...
before going into broadcasting, and he never dreamed he would own a radio station. But Epperson and his father and cousin literally built the new radio station, including the 305-foot tower still used 50 years later. So much cursing
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
took place that, according to Epperson, one minister said it would take a six-month revival meeting
Revival meeting
A revival meeting is a series of Christian religious services held in order to inspire active members of a church body, to raise funds and to gain new converts...
to make up for it. Fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
player Benton Flippen
Benton Flippen
James Benton Flippen was an old-time fiddler from Mount Airy, North Carolina. He was one of the last surviving members of a generation of performers born in the early 20th century playing in the Round Peak style centering on Surry County, North Carolina...
helped dedicate the new studio February 1, 1948, the night before actual broadcasts began.
Epperson's "Merry Go-Round," which began airing on WPAQ in 1948, was the third-longest live-music show on radio in 1998 (The Grand Ole Opry was the longest-running). In the mid-1990s, the show moved to the Downtown Cinema. At one time, Epperson made recordings of the live performances to air later, and he continued to play these recordings in the 1990s on another show he hosted.
Epperson did pretty much everything, working as a DJ during the day, selling air time, repairing equipment, sometimes sleeping on a cot at the station before he got married.
Among the big names who played on WPAQ: Bill Monroe's
Bill Monroe
William Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...
brother Charlie Monroe
Charlie Monroe
Charlie Monroe was an American country and bluegrass music guitarist.-Biography:Monroe was born on his family's farm in Rosine, Kentucky; he was the older brother of the mandolin player Bill Monroe. His sister Bertha also played guitar, and brother Birch, fiddle...
, Grandpa Jones
Grandpa Jones
Louis Marshall Jones , known professionally as Grandpa Jones, was an American banjo player and "old time" country and gospel music singer...
, Little Jimmy Dickens
Little Jimmy Dickens
James Cecil Dickens , better known as Little Jimmy Dickens, is an American country music singer famous for his humorous novelty songs, his small size, 4'11" , and his rhinestone-studded outfits...
, Del Reeves
Del Reeves
Franklin Delano Reeves , better known as Del Reeves, was an American country music singer, best known for his "girl-watching" novelty songs of the 1960s including "Girl on the Billboard" and "The Belles of Southern Bell"...
, Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.-Biography:...
, Lester Flatt
Lester Flatt
Lester Raymond Flatt was a bluegrass musician and guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his membership in the Bluegrass duo The Foggy Mountain Boys, also known as "Flatt and Scruggs," with banjo picker Earl Scruggs. Flatt's career spanned multiple decades; besides his work with Scruggs, he...
and Earl Scruggs
Earl Scruggs
Earl Eugene Scruggs is an American musician noted for perfecting and popularizing a 3-finger banjo-picking style that is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music...
, and Mac Wiseman
Mac Wiseman
Malcolm B. Wiseman , better known as Mac Wiseman, is an American bluegrass singer, nicknamed The Voice with a Heart. The bearded singer is one of the cult figures of bluegrass....
. Among those local performers making appearances was Tommy Jarrell, a fiddle player from Surry County.
In the 1950s, WPAQ increased its power to 10,000 watts.
WPAQ has consistently aired Christian music
Christian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
and preaching
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
with entirely a bluegrass and old-time music format, and big band music in the evenings from 6 pm until sundown. In addition to music, WPAQ offered local news, community announcements and obituaries. Live broadcasts aired on weekends, with performers waiting as long as six months to go on the air.
Paul Brown, who later became program director of WFDD, worked at WPAQ in the 1980s. He described his experience as "like walking into another era."
The Winston-Salem Journal
Winston-Salem Journal
The Winston-Salem Journal is a daily newspaper primarily serving the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina and its county, Forsyth County, North Carolina. It also features coverage of Northwestern North Carolina and circulates as far west as Tennessee and north to Virginia.The paper is owned by...
article on the station's 50th anniversary described the studios this way:
Little has changed since Flippin [sic] and his players jammed in Epperson's studio that first night. The golden, 6-inch-thick pine doors built by Epperson's cousin to cloak the sound in the station's studios remain in place. Epperson still uses some of the same equipment he installed at the beginning -- black, hulking boxes of electronics with sturdy knobs and rounded, glass gauges.
Unlike other stations that changed in order to make money, WPAQ remained committed to its traditions.
In 1996, WPAQ took over WSYD
WSYD
WSYD is a radio station broadcasting an Oldies format during the day and Southern gospel at night. Licensed to Mount Airy, North Carolina, USA, the station serves the Piedmont Triad area. The station is currently owned by Granite City Broadcasting and features programing from Salem...
, the other area AM station. Epperson and his wife Earlene owned WBRF
WBRF
WBRF is a Classic Country/Bluegrass/Americana formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Galax, Virginia.WBRF's powerful signal covers the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina, along with the New River Valley area of Virginia, and the Bluefield-Beckley area of West Virginia...
in Galax, Virginia
Galax, Virginia
Galax is an independent city in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is bounded to the northeast by Carroll County and to the southwest by Grayson County. The population was 7,042 as of 2010...
.
In 2005, the Surry Arts Council, using a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, began working to preserve Epperson's extensive collection of recordings, including lacquer
Lacquer
In a general sense, lacquer is a somewhat imprecise term for a clear or coloured varnish that dries by solvent evaporation and often a curing process as well that produces a hard, durable finish, in any sheen level from ultra matte to high gloss and that can be further polished as required...
ed discs
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
and reel-to-reel tapes
Reel-to-reel audio tape recording
Reel-to-reel, open reel tape recording is the form of magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording medium is held on a reel, rather than being securely contained within a cassette....
. The recordings had been stored in boxes, but they were moved to a climate-controlled environment. Then, after an inventory, about 1000 hours of recordings went to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for cleaning and digital recording
Digital recording
In digital recording, digital audio and digital video is directly recorded to a storage device as a stream of discrete numbers, representing the changes in air pressure for audio and chroma and luminance values for video through time, thus making an abstract template for the original sound or...
, which would allow transfer to compact discs and the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. The original recordings were moved to the Southern Folklife Collection.
In 2006, Epperson was inducted into the North Carolina Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Epperson's death May 31, 2006 led to rumors the station would make changes, but his son Kelly Epperson, who had taken over the station, did not plan to change--at least not what the station did. He did change how it was done. On April 5, 2007, which would have been Epperson's 86th birthday, WPAQ began streaming
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
over the Internet--with Flippen playing his fiddle once again for the occasion--allowing the station to be heard all over the world. And responses came from all over the world. Streaming continued even after a significant increase in costs for royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
.
The station must power down to an all-but-unlistenable 7 watts at night to protect a large cluster of clear-channel stations, including CFZM in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.