WCNR

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WCNR
City of license	Charlottesville, VA
Broadcast area	Charlottesville, VA Harrisonburg, Virginia Staunton, Virginia
Branding	"106-1 The Corner"
Slogan	"Different Is Good"
Frequency	106.1 MHz
First air date	September 15, 2006
Format	Adult Album Alternative
ERP	600 watts
HAAT	312 meters
Class	A
Callsign meaning	The CorNeR
Owner	Saga Communications
Sister stations	WINA, WQMZ, WVAX, WWWV
Website	WCNR Online

WCNR is an FM radio station serving the Charlottesville, Virginia area. The market's newest radio signal, it was created when the owners of oldies station 106.3 WBOP in Harrisonburg, Virginia received permission from the FCC to shift the frequency to 106.1 and move it east of the Blue Ridge. At the end of August 2006, 106.3 left the air (the oldies format is now on 95.5); in mid-September, WCNR debuted, licensed to nearby Keswick, Virginia and broadcasting from a tower atop Carters Mountain south of Charlottesville, whence its signal blankets the area. "The Corner" format on WCNR launched on September 15, 2006, at 1:06pm, with the song "Everybody Wake Up (Our Finest Hour Arrives)" by Dave Matthews Band, followed by "Revolution" by The Beatles.

Drawing its call letters and slogan from "The Corner", the popular district of shops, restaurants and nightlife adjacent to the University of Virginia, the station plays an adult album alternative music mix targeted at Charlottesville's 25-to-44-year-old listener group. While everything from The Beatles to Gnarls Barkley is played, the focus is especially strong on 1980s and 1990s alternative rock such as R.E.M. and Sublime.

[edit] Regular programming

On Sunday nights, a three-hour chillout music show, "Chillville", is aired. The station also airs the syndicated E-Town and Acoustic Cafe programs on Sunday evenings. Monday nights feature Little Steven's Underground Garage (syndicated), and Tuesday nights at 10pm a locally-produced indie music/new releases program called "Brighten The Corners" is aired, hosted by Music Director Jeff Sweatman. Saturday nights at Midnight, the station airs "Passport Approved", an import/worldwide indie music show hosted by music industry executive Sat Bisla of A&R Worldwide/Musexpo. The show originates on Los Angeles' "Indie 103-1" (KDLD). "Passport Approved" features international music from all around the world and was the first in the USA to play Lily Allen, Arctic Monkeys, Wolfmother, Kasabian and many others. Bisla is credited with early A&R and exposure for Faithless, Keane, Missy Higgins, Dido, and more.

The station features several popular daily specials including "My Corner Playlist" at 3pm, five songs selected by listeners and posted on the station's website. Another fun feature is "The Last Letter Game" at 6pm, an instant request show where each song must begin with the last letter of the previous song title. At 8pm, 106-1 The Corner presents "Live and Local", a look at music in the clubs and a song by one of the performing bands, including local artists. Weeknights at 9pm, the station airs "Daily D.M.B.", a salute to hometown group Dave Matthews Band. This is a daily feature devoted to an extended live jam or deeper album track by the band.

[edit] The Corner Lounge

WCNR also programs "The Corner Lounge", devoted to in-studio interviews and live acoustic performances from touring bands. This special feature generally occurs on the day of a concert in Charlottesville and is made possible by Charlottesville's locally-based Crutchfield. Artists that have visited "The Corner Lounge" in the station's first year include: Peter Bradley Adams (the very first guest), Brian Vander Ark, Gomez, Ziggy Marley, Mason Jennings, Lucero, David Wilcox, Carbon Leaf, Erin McKeown, G. Love, Shiny Toy Guns, Cracker, Marshall Crenshaw, Tim Reynolds, Vienna Teng, Pato Banton, Army Of Me, Willy Porter, Webb Wilder, and many Charlottesville local acts.

Recently, the Corner Lounge played host to Fiction Plane.^[1]

[edit] Ownership

WCNR is owned by Saga Communications as Force 5 Communications sold the signal in late 2006. Saga Communications, operated locally as Charlottesville Radio Group, also owns Charlottesville stations WWWV, WQMZ, WINA and WVAX.

[edit] Playlist

106-1 The Corner's playlist has been crafted based on listener feedback and responses from an online survey. The station shares some music with WNRN, although that station is "block-programmed" and features folk music in mornings, adult alternative middays (the timeframe where music is shared), hard alternative rock afternoons, and hip hop at night. WNRN also features special shows nearly every night, and several electronica shows. Conversely, 106-1 The Corner programs popular, more-familiar music throughout most of its day and night hours in line with its basic format.

[edit] Talent

WCNR's staff is comprised of several veterans of the "Triple A" format, including Tad Abbey (mornings, formerly of WVOD/Outer Banks, NC); Brad Savage (middays, formerly of KTCZ/Minneapolis, MN and WQKL/Ann Arbor, MI); Jeff Sweatman (afternoons, formerly of KBXR/Columbia, MO), Jaclyn (nights, formerly of WUIN/Wilmington, NC), and Melissa Howard (weekends, formerly of WMMM/Madison, WI). 106-1 The Corner markets itself as "uniquely Charlottesville", and while none of the employees are Charlottesville natives, the sound of the station has been custom-designed based on feedback from listeners in the area, giving it a unique Charlottesville "flavor" in its programming. In summer 2007, after less than one year on the air, 106-1 The Corner was nominated for "Triple A Station of the Year" (Markets 101+) by Radio and Records Magazine, a leading radio industry trade publication.

[edit] References

1. ^ Barnes, Lindsay. "Look ma, no amps! Fiction Plane goes acoustic for The Corner", The Hook (newspaper), 2007-11-15. Retrieved on 2008-02-25. 

[edit] External links

• The Corner Online
• "Savage's beast: How 'The Corner' took a bite of local radio"
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WCNR
• Radio Locator information on WCNR