WWPE-FM (92.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

; "Sasquatch 92.1") is a

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

licensed to Hermantown, Minnesota in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and serves the

Twin Ports The Duluth MN–WI Metropolitan Area, commonly called the Twin Ports, is a small metropolitan area centered around the cities of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. The Twin Ports are located at the western part of Lake Superior (the we ...

. Established in 1996, the station is owned by

Townsquare Media Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

, through licensee Townsquare License, LLC. It airs a

mainstream rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...

format branded as "

Sasquatch Bigfoot (), also commonly referred to as Sasquatch (), is a large, hairy Mythic humanoids, mythical creature said to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.Example definitions include: *"A large, hairy, manlike ...

92.1" (Sasquatch or Bigfoot is a mythical ape-like creature said to inhabit the northern woods of the U.S. and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

). The studios and offices are located in Downtown Duluth at 207 W. Superior St., Suite 130, Duluth, MN 55802, and the transmitter is located off South Blackman Avenue, in the Duluth antenna farm.

History

The station signed on in 1996 as WWAX, carrying a

modern adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

satellite feed. The call sign was similar to the WAKX call sign formerly used by

WDUL WDUL (970 Hertz, kHz) is a commercial broadcasting, commercial AM broadcasting, AM radio station city of license, licensed to Superior, Wisconsin. It airs a contemporary hit radio radio format, format and is owned and operated by Midwest Communi ...

and

KTCO KTCO (98.9 FM broadcasting, FM, "Kat Country 98.9") is a radio station in Duluth, Minnesota, airing a country music format. KTCO is owned by Midwest Communications, which also owns KDKE, WDSM, WDUL, KDAL (AM), KDAL, and KDAL-FM in Duluth. All th ...

. A change to local programming was made in 1997. WWAX branded itself as "92.1 Kiss FM" until being warned by Clear Channel (now

iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...

) which holds the trademark for the "Kiss" moniker. The station changed its moniker to "92.1 The Beat" by 2004. It had fluctuated between the formats of modern AC,

hot AC Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, ...

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

(CHR) and adult CHR from 1997 to early 2007, and competed with KBMX "Mix 108". 92.1 The Beat tweaked its format to rhythmic leaning CHR in February 2007, and went

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

as "92.1 Lite FM" on February 29, 2008. In October 2008, announcements were already made on the station's webpage that "A 'Lite' Christmas was coming soon". By November 1 of that year, 92.1 Lite was playing all

Christmas music Christmas music comprises a variety of Music genre, genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas and holiday season, Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of Christmas ...

around the clock. For 2009, the station started around the clock Christmas music during the middle of November instead of at the beginning. On September 2, 2010, WWAX changed its format to hot adult contemporary, branded as "NU 92" (pronounced as "New 92"). This came just after 102.5 flipped from

classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

to top 40 (CHR) as KDWZ on August 30, with NU 92 and KDWZ both competing with KBMX on both sides of the pop music spectrum. On March 2, 2015, WWAX changed its format to sports, branded as "92.1 The Fan". Much of its programming originated from the "Fan Radio Network", based at

KFXN-FM KFXN-FM (100.3 Hertz, MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, broadcasting a sports talk radio format, format. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, and serves the Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Twin Cities market. KF ...

in Minneapolis–St. Paul. On April 19, 2017, Red Rock Radio announced that it would sell WWAX and KQDS to Twin Ports Radio for $200,000; through a time brokerage agreement, Twin Ports assumed control of the stations on May 1. Twin Ports' owner, Dan Hatfield, also ran

Christian radio Christian radio refers to Christian media radio formats that focus on Christian religious broadcasting or various forms of Christian music. Many such formats and programs include contemporary Christian music, gospel music, sermons, radio dramas, ...

station

WJRF WJRF (89.5 FM) is a radio station in Duluth, Minnesota. The station currently simulcasts Christian adult contemporary station KDNW. Historically, it was its own station and the centerpiece of a regional Christian network prior to its donation ...

; following the sale, WWAX and KQDS moved their studios to WJRF's facilities, but retained their sports formats. The sale was consummated on June 30, 2017. On January 30, 2020,

announced that it would acquire WWAX; it assumed control of the station via

local marketing agreement In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one corporation, company agrees to operate a radio station, radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it ...

on February 1, at which point the classic rock format of

WEBC WEBC (560 Hertz, kHz) is a commercial radio, commercial AM broadcasting, AM radio station in Duluth, Minnesota, and serving the Duluth-Superior media market, radio market. It is owned by Townsquare Media and it airs a sports radio, sports rad ...

began simulcasting on WWAX as "Sasquatch 92.1", with the sports talk format moving to WEBC as "Fan 106.5" on February 17. The $370,000 sale to Townsquare was completed on October 9; on October 20, the call sign was changed to WWPE-FM. On April 7, 2025, WWPE-FM shifted their format from classic rock to mainstream rock.Townsquare Messes with Sasquatch in Duluth
Radioinsight - April 7, 2025

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References

External links

* {{Townsquare Media Radio stations in Duluth, Minnesota Active rock radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 2001 2001 establishments in Minnesota Townsquare Media radio stations