WEPM

{{Infobox radio station

| name = WEPM

| logo = WEPM-AM 2016.PNG

| logo_upright = .9

| city = Martinsburg, West Virginia

| country = US

| area = {{ubl|Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia|Western Maryland|South Central Pennsylvania}}

| branding = The Panhandle News Network

| airdate = {{start date and age|1946|10|13|p=y|br=yes}}

| frequency = {{frequency|1340|kHz}}

| language = English

| format = News/talk–sports radio

| power = {{ubl|{{val|1000|u=watts|fmt=commas}} (unlimited)}}

| class = C

| licensing_authority = FCC

| facility_id = 53484

| coordinates = {{coord|39|27|48.0|N|77|59|11.0|W|type:landmark}}

| callsign_meaning = Eastern Panhandle Mountaineer

| former_callsigns =

| owner = WVRC Media

| licensee = West Virginia Radio Corporation of the Alleghenies

| sister_stations = {{hlist|WICL|WLTF|WXDC|WCST}}

| webcast = {{listenlive|https://v7player.wostreaming.net/2850}}

| website = {{URL|www.panhandlenewsnetwork.com}}

| affiliations = {{ubl|Fox News Radio|ESPN Radio|West Virginia MetroNews}}

}}

WEPM (1340 kHz The Panhandle News Network) is a news/talk and sports radio formatted broadcast AM radio station licensed to Martinsburg, West Virginia, serving the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.{{cite web|url=http://www1.arbitron.com/sip/displaySip.do?surveyID=WI14&band=am&callLetter=WEPM|title=Arbitron Station Information Profiles|access-date=November 1, 2014|work=Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings}} WEPM is owned and operated by John and David Raese, through licensee West Virginia Radio Corporation of the Alleghenies.{{cite web|url=http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?call=WEPM|title=WEPM Facility Record|access-date=November 1, 2014|work=Federal Communications Commission, audio division}}

History

Owner C. Leslie Golliday, a prominent Martinsburg businessman, envisioned a group of stations in the state, and his early announcers used the tag line, "This is the Mountaineer station for the Eastern Panhandle", thus the call sign there of WEPM.{{cite news|newspaper=The Journal|location=Martinsburg, West Virginia|publisher=Ogden Newspapers|title=Station going strong after 65 years|url=http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/569716/Station-going-strong-after-65-years.html?nav=5006|date=October 26, 2011|access-date=November 17, 2013|last=McVey|first=John|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414101142/http://journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/569716/Station-going-strong-after-65-years.html?nav=5006|archive-date=April 14, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} Another suggested meaning for EPM is "Eastern Panhandle, Martinsburg".

Golliday also owned WCLG in Morgantown, WV which carried a similar tag line, "This is the Mountaineer station for northern West Virginia".

Golliday died in late June 2007, at the age of 92.

Sale

On October 31, 2014, Prettyman Broadcasting announced the sale of WEPM to West Virginia Radio Corporation (WVRC) for an unknown sum.{{cite web|url=http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/90741/west-virginia-radio-corporation-expands-into-martinsburghagerstown/|title=West Virginia Radio Corporation Expands Into Martinsburg/Hagerstown/|date=October 30, 2014|access-date=October 30, 2014|last=Venta|first=Lance|publisher=Radio Insight}} Included in the same are sister stations WICL and WLTF. WVRC assumed control of the stations, through a Local marketing agreement, on November 1. The purchase was consummated on February 13, 2015, at a price of $3 million.

Translator

In addition to the main station, WEPM is relayed by an FM translator to widen its broadcast area.{{cite web|url=http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?call=W229CM|title=W229CM Facility Record|access-date=July 26, 2016|work=Federal Communications Commission, audio division}}

{{RadioTranslators

| call1 = W229CM

| freq1 = 93.7

| fid1 = 154324

| watts1 = 250 watts

| haat1 = 44

| class1 = D

| city1 = Martinsburg, West Virginia

| notes1 =

}}