WPEG (97.9 FM, "Power 98") is a mainstream urban radio station serving the Charlotte, North Carolina market. It is owned by Beasley Broadcast Group. The station's studios are located on South Boulevard in the city's South End, and a transmitter tower is located north of Dallas, North Carolina. WPEG features "Hip Hop Hits" on its HD 2 channel. History The 97.9 frequency came on the air in Concord, North Carolina in 1961 as WEGO-FM, and simulcast the programming of its sister AM station until 1967. That year, the station became a beautiful music station with the call letters WPEG. The station was owned by the Suburban Radio Group from Belmont, North Carolina. The call letters were chosen by then-station manager Jim Keel to honor his wife, Peggy Keel. During these years, the station was the feeder station for the Tobacco Radio Network (now the North Carolina News Network) for the western half of North Carolina. The station began broadcasting in stereo in 1973. In 1970, the station's format changed to country music, and gained a devoted following in Cabarrus County and Stanly County. Popular announcers during its years as a Country station included Gene Hinson, Charlie Hicks, Ken Kennedy and Jay Driggers. WPEG switched to a gold-based adult contemporary format in July 1975, utilizing Drake-Chenault's "Solid Gold" automated format. Popular announcers during its years in this format were Larry Thomas, Terry Setzer and Shane Atwell. Drake-Chenault introduced its "Super Soul" syndicated format in 1978, and WPEG was one of the first stations to switch to the format early that year. The station also experimented with club-style DJ mixes on weekends. A local nightclub DJ, Mitchell Eaves, quickly became popular as "Disco Mitch". His Saturday night broadcast featured live club-style mixing of the latest disco hits, DJ interviews from discotheques across the country, and wild impromptu contests. Eaves was granted full programming and content discretion and took complete advantage, a move that station management was soon to regret. Eaves and programming assistant Paul Allen launched a shoot-the-moon contest in which listeners were asked to drive past the station and show their assets. Throngs of listeners responded, clogging local traffic for hours. Several auto accidents were reported, law enforcement was dispatched and local businesses complained. Eaves and Allen were quickly dismissed by then station manager Charlie Hicks. The incident made headlines worldwide in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Jet magazine, the