Wisconsin Public Radio has signed on a new station in the northwestern part of the state, filling in a longtime coverage gap.
WEPP-FM/90.7 (Rice Lake) began broadcasting Thursday, June 13, carrying WPR Music. WEPP transmits with 1kW/112m (class A).
The sign-on marks the first time that WPR’s Classical programming has had a strong signal to Barron County since the days of the “state FM network. The area is also served by WHWC/88.3 (Menomonie), which carries WPR News and previously aired the Ideas Network.
The WEPP callsign is a tribute to Eugene “Gene” Patrick Purcell, a Wisconsin Public Media executive who was killed in a 2021 crash.
“When it came time to name this station, honoring Gene felt like the best tribute we could make for his years of service to Wisconsin,” Educational Communications Board Executive Director Marta Bechtol said in a news release. “He had a fascination with call letters and knew the meaning behind many of them in Wisconsin and around the nation. We were thrilled when we learned that the call letters WEPP were available for use.”