Wisconsin Public Radio is bringing WPR Music to northwest Wisconsin with a new station in Barron County. WPR will begin broadcasting on 90.7 FM, WEPP in Rice Lake starting June 13. WEPP was named to honor former Wisconsin Public Media Executive Director Gene Purcell, whose given name was Eugene Patrick Purcell.
Purcell died after being struck by a negligent driver in 2021. “Gene was a wonderful leader, colleague and friend – he is still dearly missed,” Executive Director of the Educational Communications Board Marta Bechtol said. ECB is the partner with UW-Madison in operating WPR and PBS Wisconsin.
“When it came time to name this station, honoring Gene felt like the best tribute we could make for his years of service to Wisconsin,” Bechtol said. “He had a fascination with call letters and knew the meaning behind many of them in Wisconsin and around the nation. We were thrilled when we learned that the call letters WEPP were available for use.”
“Gene was passionate about ensuring that everyone in Wisconsin could access the news, information, and entertainment on WPR and PBS Wisconsin,” Wisconsin Public Media Executive Director Heather Reese said. “As a devoted fan of both music and the north woods, I know he would truly appreciate being remembered with the launch of 90.7 FM in Rice Lake.”
Purcell’s radio career started as a student on WLSU-FM at UW-La Crosse. After graduation and a brief stint in commercial radio, he returned to WLSU as a reporter, eventually rising to become news director and then station manager. Purcell joined WPR as the regional manager for southwest Wisconsin and later moved to Madison to become deputy director — and later executive director — of the ECB. In 2018 he became the executive director of Wisconsin Public Media at UW-Madison.
WPR Music features Wisconsin-hosted classical music throughout the week with jazz, world, and folk music on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. State and national news updates from WPR and NPR will air on the hour.
WPR is committed to offering its programs on the radio and online. “Even as we expand our digital service, we remain committed to radio,” WPR Director Sarah Ashworth said. “No other medium is as affordable, reliable and accessible for listeners as radio. 90.7 FM in Rice Lake will be our 39th station and help fill a gap in service that we’ve had between Eau Claire and Superior for some time.”
WEPP 90.7 FM’s tower and transmitter outside of Rice Lake will be dedicated in a small private ceremony with Purcell’s family, friends, and colleagues on June 13. The station is scheduled to begin broadcasting between 11 a.m. and noon that day.
