<PAGE>   1
    AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON DECEMBER 18, 1996
                                                           REGISTRATION NO. 333-
================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                               -------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                               ------------------

                          WESTERN WIRELESS CORPORATION
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

               Washington                                    91-1638901
    (State or other jurisdiction of                       (I.R.S. Employer
     incorporation or organization)                      Identification No.)

                             2001 NW Sammamish Road
                           Issaquah, Washington 98027
                                 (206) 313-5200
 (Address, including ZIP code, and telephone number, including area code,
                  of registrant's principal executive offices)

                        1996 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
                              (Full title of plan)

            Alan R. Bender, Esq.                           Copy to:
   Senior Vice President, General Counsel          G. Scott Greenburg, Esq.
        Western Wireless Corporation                 Gary J. Kocher, Esq.
           2001 NW Sammamish Road                    Preston Gates & Ellis
         Issaquah, Washington 98027                  5000 Columbia Center
               (206) 313-5200                          701 Fifth Avenue
  (Name, address, including ZIP code, and          Seattle, Washington 98104
   telephone number, including area code,               (206) 623-7580
           of agent for service)


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
====================================================================================================================
                                                                              Maximum
  Title of securities         Amount to be         Maximum offering      aggregate offering         Amount of
    to be registered         registered (1)       price per unit (2)         price (2)           registration fee
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                         <C>                      <C>                       <C>                    <C>
Class A Common Stock,
no par value per share      1,000,000 shares         $14,500,000               $14.50                 $4,394
====================================================================================================================
</TABLE>

(1)      Together with an indeterminate number of additional shares which may be
         necessary to adjust the number of shares reserved for issuance pursuant
         to such plan as the result of any future stock split, stock dividend or
         similar adjustment of the outstanding Class A Common Stock of the
         Registrant.
(2)      Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee
         and, pursuant to Rule 457(c) of the Act, based upon the average high
         and low prices of the Class A Common Stock of the Registrant on the
         Nasdaq Stock Market on December 16, 1996.
<PAGE>   2
                                     PART II
                           INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

         The following documents heretofore filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "Commission") by Western Wireless Corporation (the
"Company") are incorporated herein by reference:

         (a) The prospectus dated November 4, 1996 with respect the Company's
10-1/2% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2007, filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, that contains audited financial statements
from the Company's latest fiscal year for which such statements have been filed.

         (b) All other reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") since the end
of the fiscal year covered by the Company's document referred to in (a) above.

         (c) The description of the the Company's Class A Common Stock, no par
value per share, that is contained in the Company's Registration Statement on
Form 8-A filed pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act including any
amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.

         All documents filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c),
14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this Registration Statement
and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all
securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities
then remaining unsold are deemed to be incorporated by reference into this
Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the respective dates of
filing of such documents (such documents, and the documents enumerated above,
being hereinafter referred to as "Incorporated Documents").

         Any statement contained in an Incorporated Document shall be deemed to
be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the
extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed
Incorporated Document modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement
so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or
superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

ITEM 4.  DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

         Not applicable.

ITEM 5.  INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL

         Legal matters in connection with the securities registered hereby were
passed upon by Preston Gates & Ellis, Seattle, Washington. Partners in that firm
hold an aggregate of 14,057 shares of common stock of the Company.

ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

         Section 23B.08.510 of the Revised Code of Washington authorizes
Washington corporations to indemnify their officers and directors under certain
circumstances against expenses and liabilities incurred in legal proceedings
involving such persons because of their being or having been an officer or
director. The Company's Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws require
indemnification of the Company's officers and directors to the fullest extent
permitted by Washington law. The Company also maintains director's and officer's
liability insurance.

         The Company's Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation provide that the
Company shall, to the full extent permitted by the Business Corporation Act of
the State of Washington, as amended from time to time, indemnify


                                      II-1
<PAGE>   3
all directors and officers of the Company. In addition, the Company's Articles
of Incorporation contains a provision eliminating the personal liability of
directors to the Company or its shareholders for monetary damages arising out of
a breach of fiduciary duty. Under Washington law, this provision eliminates the
liability of a director for breach of fiduciary duty but does not eliminate the
personal liability of any director for (i) acts or omissions of a director that
involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (ii) conduct in
violation of Section 23B.08.310 of the Revised Code of Washington (which section
relates to unlawful distributions) or (iii) any transaction from which a
director personally received a benefit in money, property or services to which
the director was not legally entitled.

         The Company has entered into separate indemnification agreements with
each of its directors and executive officers and certain key employees of the
Company, which agreements supersede prior indemnification agreements entered
into by the Company with each of its directors and officers.

ITEM 7.  EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED

         Not applicable.

ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS

   EXHIBIT                               DESCRIPTION
   -------                               -----------

     4.1        --   Western Wireless Corporation, 1996 Employee Stock Purchase
                     Plan
     5.1        --   Opinion of Preston Gates & Ellis
    23.1        --   Consent of Preston Gates & Ellis (see Exhibit 5.1)
    23.2        --   Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP
    24.1        --   Powers of Attorney

ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS

         (a)      The registrant hereby undertakes:

                  (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are
being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement to include
any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously
disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such
information in the registration statement.

                  (2) That, for purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be
a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

                  (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.

         (b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an
employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

         (c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling
persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise,
the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and
Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed
in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
registrant of expenses incurred or


                                      II-2
<PAGE>   4
paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of
such issue.

                                      II-3
<PAGE>   5
                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration
statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized on this 18th day of December, 1996.

                                     WESTERN WIRELESS CORPORATION



                                     By   /s/ Alan R. Bender
                                          ------------------------------------
                                          Alan R. Bender, Senior Vice President,
                                          General Counsel

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities indicated on this 18th day of December, 1996.

         SIGNATURE                                    TITLE
         ---------                                    -----

                                  Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director
  /s/ John W. Stanton             (Principal Executive Officer)
-----------------------------
      John W. Stanton

                                  Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial
 /s/ Theresa E. Gillespie         Officer)
-----------------------------
     Theresa E. Gillespie


 /s/ Nastashia S. Press            Principal Accounting Officer
-----------------------------
     Nastashia S. Press


            *                      Director
-----------------------------
       David A. Bayer


            *                      Director
-----------------------------
     John L. Bunce, Jr.


            *                      Director
-----------------------------
     Mitchell R. Cohen


            *                      Director
-----------------------------
     Jonathan M. Nelson


            *                      Director
-----------------------------
     Terence M. O'Toole


*By      /s/ Alan R. Bender
     -----------------------------
             Alan R. Bender
            Attorney-in-Fact

                                      II-4
<PAGE>   6
             INDEX TO EXHIBITS TO REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-8


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
   EXHIBIT                                           DESCRIPTION                                    PAGE
   -------                                           -----------                                    ----

<S>             <C>                                                                                 <C>
     4.1        --   Western Wireless Corporation, 1996 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
     5.1        --   Opinion of Preston Gates & Ellis............................................
    23.1        --   Consent of Preston Gates & Ellis (see Exhibit 5.1)..........................
    23.2        --   Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP..............................................
    24.1        --   Powers of Attorney..........................................................
</TABLE>