WZEP

WZEP

DeFuniak Springs, Florida
Broadcast area	Ft. Walton Beach area
Frequency	1460 kHz
Programming
Format	Variety
Affiliations	Salem Radio
Ownership
Owner	Tom Fleetwood (Fleetwood Communications, Inc.)
History
First air date	1955
Former call signs	WFNM (1956–1959) WZEP (1959–1984) WPAF (1984–1985)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	70821
Class	D
Power	10,000 watts day 186 watts night
Transmitter coordinates	30°43′45.00″N 86°7′4.00″W
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Website	wzep1460.com

WZEP (1460 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Variety format. Licensed to DeFuniak Springs, Florida, United States, the station serves the Ft. Walton Beach area. The station is currently owned by Tom Fleetwood, through licensee Fleetwood Communications, Inc., and features programming from Florida Network News and CBS Radio.

History

According to a recorded interview with H. Byrd Mapoles on the WZEP website, the station was built in 1955 by Mapoles' father, Milton newspaperman and broadcaster Clayton Mapoles (who, after selling WZEP, built a station in Milton using the same basic building specs). The original call letters, WFNM, signified the initials of Clayton Mapoles' daughter, Frances Nelda Mapoles. As noted in the 1960 Broadcasting Yearbook, the change to the current WZEP coincided with the 1959 purchase of the station by Dr. Leonard S. Zepp. For a period of about 11 months, beginning in March 1984, the station's call-sign was changed to WPAF, reverting to WZEP in February, 1985, as referenced in the station's FCC call-letter file. WZEP was the first radio station licensed in DeFuniak Springs, Walton County. Prior to 1955, a radio station from Crestview held remote broadcasts near Lake DeFuniak. In 2003 WZEP increased its power from 5,000 watts to 10,000 watts daytime.

External links

• Facility details for Facility ID 70821 (WZEP) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WZEP in Nielsen Audio's AM station database