Cottage Media 11 salutes WPAQ for keeping heritage alive in the modern age,.
History and Heritage is who we are and we should remember to never cut our roots. Happy 75th. RED
History and Heritage is who we are and we should remember to never cut our roots. Happy 75th. RED
Home
WPAQ turns 75
lEARN hOW gROUPS FEEL ABOUT IT
- WPAQ Radio: A Commitment to Community Service for Seventy-Five Years
Ralph Epperson’s dream to build Surry County, North Carolina’s first radio station existed years before WPAQ officially went on the air in February of 1948. Growing up in thefoothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains during the 1920s and 30s gave him an appreciation of the traditional string music long associated with the area. At an early age, Epperson sent off for a catalogue banjo but soon thereafter returned it for a radio kit. God, family, and community were central to his life even at an early age, and his desire to build a radio station stemmed from his desire to take the music of the Blue Ridge to a wider audience.
Epperson’s love for transmitting messages and information over the air grew as he listened more and more to early radio in his family’s home. His desire and determination to pursue an education in broadcasting took Epperson to John Brown University where he graduated and went on to serve his country at the Naval Research Laboratory during World War II. Upon returning to his native Ararat, Virginia, Epperson began to perfect his skills out of his parents’
home with weekend broadcasts of music and preaching. This only fueled his passion to bring a community radio station to nearby Mount Airy, North Carolina.
With the support of family and friends, Epperson’s dream became a reality as construction began on WPAQ in early 1947. Months of arduous work were rewarded when the station’s first official broadcast occurred February 2, 1948. The Green Valley Boys performed during the maiden broadcast. From day one Epperson’s commitment to serve his community with news and entertainment was paramount as he saw that the station’s programming reflected the cultural and musical values of the region. Live performances of local, regional, and national musicians, of which many were recorded by Epperson, fulfilled his pledge to bring listeners the best in bluegrass, old time, and gospel music, as well as tobacco market and agricultural pricing and news which were especially important during the station’s early years.
