WFCR
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WFCR | |
| City of license | Amherst, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Primarily: Pioneer Valley (Springfield, Massachusetts) |
| Branding | 88.5 WFCR |
| Slogan | Public Radio for Western New England |
| First air date | May 6, 1961 |
| Frequency | 88.5 MHz |
| Format | Public Radio |
| ERP | WFCR - 13 kW WPNI - 5 kW |
| Class | B: WFCR D: WPNI |
| Callsign meaning | Five College Radio |
| Owner | University of Massachusetts |
| Website | www.wfcr.org |
WFCR is a U.S. radio station operating at 88.5 MHz in the FM band.
It is located at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts and its broadcasting range extends to western and central Massachusetts, northern Connecticut and southern Vermont and New Hampshire. WFCR also has separate programming on WPNI, 1430 kHz on the AM band, reaching listeners in the Pioneer Valley, on translator W266AW, 101.1 MHz in North Adams, Massachusetts, and on translator W242AT, 96.3 MHz in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is an NPR member. Its studios are located at Hampshire House on the UMass campus.
The station signed on May 6, 1961 as a repeater of WGBH in Boston, but soon added its own programming. The call letters represent Five College Radio. The station is licensed to UMass, but operated by funding from the Five Colleges (Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College, Hampshire College, and UMass itself). WFCR bills itself as Public Radio for Western New England.
WFCR claims the distinction of being the first radio station in western Massachusetts to transmit a signal using iBiquity's HD Radio system. They transmit two digital streams, the first being their standard programming (including locally originated material), the second being primarily NPR programming and classical music.
[edit] WPNI feed moves to WNNZ
Scheduled for April 2nd 2007, WFCR will move the separate NPR news/talk programming feed it currently offers on WPNI to Clear Channel Communications-owned WNNZ, 640 KHz, licensed to Westfield, Massachusetts. WFCR will provide the station's programming, and Clear Channel will sell underwriting advertisements. [1]
