Station announces upgrades

    PRESQUE ISLE – WEGP radio has increased its wattage and, in doing so, has expanded its listener base to include the better part of Aroostook County.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
WEGP STAFF — The WEGP staff has nearly 100 years of experience, to better serve both advertisers and listeners from throughout Aroostook County and parts of New Brunswick. Pictured, from left: David Guy, account executive for southern Aroostook and Canada; Bonnie Pack, sales manager for central Aroostook; Patrick Patterson, operations and production manager; and Jeff Madore, account executive for central and northern Aroostook.
    Begun around 1960 broadcasting at around 5,000 watts, officials with the AM station decided to upgrade service the fall of 2006.
    “In September 2006 the decision was made to go to 25,000 watts to cover the entire county. We now reach 90 percent of the county, from Medway to Madawaska,” said Patrick Patterson, operations and production manager.
    An additional upgrade of 1,000 watts will allow transmission to the area from Frenchville to Madawaska.
    “With that, we’ll have 100 percent coverage of Aroostook County and part of western New Brunswick,” said Patterson, who has over 15 years in on-air production.
    In July 2000, Paul Decelles, of Newport, Vt., purchased the station.
    “The station was off the air or ‘dark,’ at the time. McDonnell Smith, of Presque Isle, served as general manager from 2000 to 2006 and was instrumental in getting WEGP back on the air. He also relocated the offices and studios from Main St. to our current location at 28 Houlton Rd., across from McCluskey’s RV Center,” said Decelles, the station’s president.
    Since taking a more active role in station operations in early 2007, Decelles has taken interest in programming.
    “The talk radio format is a good one for us,” stated Decelles in a recent interview.
    Decelles noted figures from the American Radio Listening Trends from the Arbitron Web site indicating the most popular radio format in the last reporting period – fall 2007 – showed listeners tuning in to talk radio at an average of nearly 18 percent.
    “News/talk led all categories with 17.9 percent, followed by adult/contemporary music and urban music with 15.2 percent and 10.9 percent respectively,” said Decelles. “It would probably surprise most people to learn that news/talk radio is the most popular format on the radio.”
    Recent Web site surveys by WEGP and phone calls fro their listeners indicate audience loyalty, according to Decelles.
    “As we put our new broadcast schedule in place, we got a lot of feedback from our listeners in the form of calls and e-mails. They let us know that they are listening and paying attention to what we are offering,” he said.
    Located at 1390 on the AM dial, WEGP has a lot to offer listeners. Currently the station is running a promotion, giving listeners an opportunity to answer questions for a chance to win a variety of prizes.
    “We have what we call ‘Fabulous Friday,’ with a listener survey available. It’s about 24 questions long and takes about 10 minutes. We still have several weeks remaining, and each week we have a different prize, provided by various sponsors, to give away,” said Bonnie Pack, sales manager for the central Aroostook area.
    In addition to the chance to win prizes, the station has a number of programs suitable for just about any interest.
    “During the week, we have Dave Ramsey, Dr. Laura, Rush Limbaugh, Howie Carr, Bill O’Reilly and more,” said Pack.
    Weekends are less political, according to Patterson.
    “We have a garden show, home improvement, car and antique shows. And if you didn’t get enough of Rush during the week, we have the best of his shows on the weekend. And we can’t forget ‘The Money Pit’ for those interested in financial matters,” said Patterson.
    “We also have a computer show, a pet show – a little bit of everything,” added Pack.
    For the sports-minded listener, baseball and football programs are also broadcast.
    “We carry Red Sox baseball and Patriots football games,” said Patterson.
    Decelles said he’s invested heavily in new infrastructure and technology.
    “WEGP has built out to 25,000 watts of broadcast power, as allowed by their construction permit issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). WEGP was previously a 5,000-watt station and was overdue for modernization. We had lower power and technology built in 1960,” said Decelles, adding that when WEGP first went on the air, the signal only covered about a 10-mile radius of the city.
    That same broadcast coverage circle, with Presque Isle as its center, now reaches more than 40 miles, said Decelles.
    “We have had listeners tell us that they could hear the WEGP signal in the car, going south on I-95, to just a few miles north of Bangor,” said Decelles.
    Earlier efforts had been made to reach more areas of the county, with some success.
    “Earlier in this decade, WEGP simulcast its signal on 780 AM – WREM in Monticello – to reach the southern Aroostook market,” said Decelles.
    Decelles said while the reach to Bangor is impressive, he’s much more concerned about getting a better signal for listeners in the St. John Valley.
    “Our signal reaches the Valley, but man-made interference and other factors cause the signal to deteriorate, especially on Rt. 1 between Fort Kent and Madawaska. We’re in good shape in Van Buren. But our staff has visited Madawaska and Fort Kent and we know that the market is underserved in those communities for talk radio. Folks have told us they would love to get our Red Sox baseball and Patriots football broadcasts up there,” Decelles said.
    Staff working out of the Presque Isle office, in addition to Pack and Patterson, include: Jeff Madore, account executive for the central and northern Aroostook area; and David Guy, account executive for the southern Aroostook and Canadian region. The group has a combined knowledge of nearly 100 years in production and sales and are ready to put that experience to use better serving the listening public. Decelles manages business from his home in Vermont and credits his staff with keeping everything running smoothly.
    “There are certainly challenges in running a business from 450 miles away. I often commute to meet with staff. But when I can’t, we meet by conference call and I use my computer to provide PowerPoint presentations as well. Technology is a real advantage in helping us communicate professionally,” said Decelles. “I’m grateful for my loyal and hard-working staff.”
    Decelles said owning a radio station is an interesting and challenging business experience.
    “I’m encouraged about the prospects of my Aroostook County enterprise. WEGP is just starting to hit its stride now,” said Decelles. “I remind my staff constantly that we need to pay attention to the advertiser and the listener. We never forget that it’s the advertiser that pays our bills around here. And the advertiser knows that it’s the listener – our customer – that pays his bills,” said Decelles. “As long as we stay focused on providing a good product for both the advertiser and the listener, then I think that WEGP will be successful.”
    To check out what the station has to offer, complete a survey or leave a comment, visit www.wegp.net or call 762-6700.