WPCI
Encyclopedia
WPCI is a radio station
located at 78 Mayberry Street in Greenville, South Carolina
, U.S.
that features a format consisting of a variety of music from different genres. The station is licensed by the FCC to broadcast on 1490 AM with a effective radiated power
of 1 kW, full-time.
WPCI is owned and operated by local businessman Randy Mathena, and the programming consists entirely of selections from his extensive record collection stored on hard drive. Selections are played automatically and there are no disc jockeys, no song or artist identifications, and no commercials. The station broadcasts the minimum number of station identifications permitted by law. Musical content includes, but is not limited to, classic rhythm-and-blues, reggae
, blues
, country, folk
, and spoken-word recordings. The station is sometimes affectionately referred to as "Radio Randy."
When the ban on phonograph records
ended, popular local personalities began to emerge like, Bob Poole with “Poole’s Party Line,” and Frank Cope with “The Ole Lazy Man Show.” Local university football games, Saturday afternoon’s “The Metropolitan Opera,” and the weekday special “The Breakfast Club” with Don McNeal were huge hits.
In the mid 1940’s, WMRC moved its frequency to 1440 AM to enlarge the station’s wattage to 5000 watts and an Atlanta group began controlling 1490 AM creating WAKE. “Wake Up with Wake” drew 40 to 50 million listeners via “The Major League Game of the Day” with the voice of Bob Fulton, the announcer for the Carolina Gamecocks. In 1953, WMRC 1440, and WRBC 1330, merged and president Frank Cope, morning personality Bob Poole, and program director Bill Arrington, who had all been employed at WMRC, bought WAKE 1490. The newly purchased station, with the financial backing of the Simpson partner of Belk-Simpson Dept. Stores, was renamed WMRB with the call letters from “We Make Radio Better”. They along with Bill Krieger began by broadcasting as a CBS Radio affiliate featuring Furman sports, easy listening music, big band music, and in the later years more popular tunes.
In the mid 1950’s WMRB became the host to South Carolina Gamecocks football, and Frank Cope purchased the rights to broadcast “The Masters Golf Tournament” originating in Augusta, Georgia. WMRB also became host to Chicago White Sox
baseball broadcasts. This unique event began when Frank Cope and a local business associate from Household Finance brokered the arrangement with the Chicago White Sox. The corporate headquarters for Household Finance was located in Chicago and they were key sponsors on the White Sox Radio Network. Some local listeners falsely conjectured the Chicago White Sox broadcasts were the result of Shoeless Joe Jackson’s
affiliation with the White Sox and his playing time with Brandon Mill of the Textile Baseball League. WMRB continued to carry Chicago White Sox broadcasts from their Calhoun Towers studio until the late 60’s. WMRB replaced the White Sox with the Atlanta Braves in the early 1970’s.
Frank Cope sold the station in 1980 to an associate, Alton Finley. Finley changed the call letters to WQOK, replaced the format with rock and roll, and rhythm and blues, cancelled the CBS lineup, and rejoined with the Mutual Broadcasting System
. WMRB in the end lost listeners and the station went dark in the early to mid 1980’s. Randy Methana purchased the station in 1987 and renamed it WPCI for Paper Cutters Inc., as his first station call letter choices, WMRB and WBCH were already taken.
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...
located at 78 Mayberry Street in Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that features a format consisting of a variety of music from different genres. The station is licensed by the FCC to broadcast on 1490 AM with a effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
of 1 kW, full-time.
WPCI is owned and operated by local businessman Randy Mathena, and the programming consists entirely of selections from his extensive record collection stored on hard drive. Selections are played automatically and there are no disc jockeys, no song or artist identifications, and no commercials. The station broadcasts the minimum number of station identifications permitted by law. Musical content includes, but is not limited to, classic rhythm-and-blues, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, country, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, and spoken-word recordings. The station is sometimes affectionately referred to as "Radio Randy."
History
In 1940 a Royal Crown Cola bottler by the name of James E. Jolly began WMRC 1490 AM radio with the call letters from “We Make Royal Crown”. WMRC targeted local textile communities through southern gospel, world transcription library programs, and live country through Mutual Broadcasting System and NBC’s Blue network. WMRC’s popularity began to increase via Morning man Sid Tear, news reporter Martin Agronski, and Meeting House in Dixie, one of its first religious programs.When the ban on phonograph records
1942-44 musicians' strike
On August 1, 1942, the American Federation of Musicians, at the instigation of union president James Petrillo, started a strike against the major American recording companies because of disagreements over royalty payments...
ended, popular local personalities began to emerge like, Bob Poole with “Poole’s Party Line,” and Frank Cope with “The Ole Lazy Man Show.” Local university football games, Saturday afternoon’s “The Metropolitan Opera,” and the weekday special “The Breakfast Club” with Don McNeal were huge hits.
In the mid 1940’s, WMRC moved its frequency to 1440 AM to enlarge the station’s wattage to 5000 watts and an Atlanta group began controlling 1490 AM creating WAKE. “Wake Up with Wake” drew 40 to 50 million listeners via “The Major League Game of the Day” with the voice of Bob Fulton, the announcer for the Carolina Gamecocks. In 1953, WMRC 1440, and WRBC 1330, merged and president Frank Cope, morning personality Bob Poole, and program director Bill Arrington, who had all been employed at WMRC, bought WAKE 1490. The newly purchased station, with the financial backing of the Simpson partner of Belk-Simpson Dept. Stores, was renamed WMRB with the call letters from “We Make Radio Better”. They along with Bill Krieger began by broadcasting as a CBS Radio affiliate featuring Furman sports, easy listening music, big band music, and in the later years more popular tunes.
In the mid 1950’s WMRB became the host to South Carolina Gamecocks football, and Frank Cope purchased the rights to broadcast “The Masters Golf Tournament” originating in Augusta, Georgia. WMRB also became host to Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
baseball broadcasts. This unique event began when Frank Cope and a local business associate from Household Finance brokered the arrangement with the Chicago White Sox. The corporate headquarters for Household Finance was located in Chicago and they were key sponsors on the White Sox Radio Network. Some local listeners falsely conjectured the Chicago White Sox broadcasts were the result of Shoeless Joe Jackson’s
Shoeless Joe Jackson
Joseph Jefferson Jackson , nicknamed "Shoeless Joe", was an American baseball player who played Major League Baseball in the early part of the 20th century...
affiliation with the White Sox and his playing time with Brandon Mill of the Textile Baseball League. WMRB continued to carry Chicago White Sox broadcasts from their Calhoun Towers studio until the late 60’s. WMRB replaced the White Sox with the Atlanta Braves in the early 1970’s.
Frank Cope sold the station in 1980 to an associate, Alton Finley. Finley changed the call letters to WQOK, replaced the format with rock and roll, and rhythm and blues, cancelled the CBS lineup, and rejoined with the Mutual Broadcasting System
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
. WMRB in the end lost listeners and the station went dark in the early to mid 1980’s. Randy Methana purchased the station in 1987 and renamed it WPCI for Paper Cutters Inc., as his first station call letter choices, WMRB and WBCH were already taken.