WAKE FOREST — Classical radio station WCPE in Wake Forest is looking to expand its reach through a fundraising project that would allow it to upgrade a translator near Danville, Va., into a fully licensed station.

WCPE general manager Deborah S. Proctor says upgrading the translator would allow the station to increase its power and send its signal to a larger audience. The cost amounts to about $1 per WCPE listener, said Proctor, who started things off with a personal donation of $1,000.

Fully licensing the translator will also protect it from encroachment from adjacent stations.

Proctor is one of the co-founders of the independent, listener-supported station, which is located at 89.7 FM. The station also streams online at theclassicalstation.org.

The new station will be licensed to Milton, N.C., near the Virginia border.

WCPE is asking for donations of $1 or more, which can be sent to WCPE Upgrade, PO Box 897, Wake Forest, N.C., 27588, or by calling 1-800-556-5178. You can also make a pledge at the website.

Staff writer Brooke Cain