Located in Elkhorn City KY

WECL, FM 103.1, signed on the air for the first time on the morning of September 28, 1974.  With studios on Main Street in Elkhorn City, Kentucky, the station operated under Mountain Interstate Broadcasting Co., owned by Allen Epling, a science teacher at Elkhorn City High School, and his father Phillip K. Epling, a local entrepreneur.  Gayle Compton, who had worked as a top-forty DJ at WREM in Jenkins and News Director at WLSI in Pikeville, was Operations Manager and the station’s first voice.

Billing itself as “The Entertainer,” WECL offered listeners the best in Music, News and Sports.  With a format that mixed rock, easy listening and MOR, “Super ECL” not only lured listeners away from the competition, but it also attracted some of the region’s best talent.  In addition to management duties, Gayle Compton was morning man and weekly talk-show host. Bonnie Woodson had the mid-day shift, playing easy listening and soft rock. Jeff Webb kept the phones lit up during afternoon drive-time, taking requests and running contests. He also worked in sales and, with Carl Ray, covered regional high school sports.  “Dr. Don” Bevins, with his good pipes and vast knowledge of music, introduced nighttime listeners to heavy metal bands such as AC/DC and Aerosmith.  Charlene Adams wrote commercial copy, handled traffic logs and managed the office chaos. 

On Sundays WECL became a venue for local church broadcasts and gospel music with “Steve Lewis,” the alter ego of Scrappy Barnes.  In its first year, WECL became the most listened-to station in southeastern Kentucky, earning awards in both news and public service.

In 1979, WBPA- AM 1460, a 1000 watt daytimer, went on the air in Elkhorn City.  WECL was sold to Gary Justice and the call letters changed to WRAU.   

In 1992, Walter May formed the East Kentucky Radio Network and took over management of WRAU and WBPA.  A year later, he purchased both stations and the 103.1 frequency became WPKE-FM.

Today, fans can still enjoy WECL in its new and exciting incarnation known as the WECL Music Archives, a website created in 2019 by James Allen Wallace of Ashcamp.  With a membership of 3.1 thousand and growing, it is a friendly and “far out” place to hang out, post pictures, listen to good music and share memories of a special time and an unforgettable radio station.   The site is dedicated to the memory of two radio legends: “Dr. Don” Bevins and Phillip K. Epling.