| City of license | WCQS: Asheville, North Carolina WFQS: Franklin, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Western North Carolina |
| Branding | The Mountain Air Network |
| Slogan | "NPR news, classical music & more" |
| Frequency | 88.1 MHz(also on HD Radio) |
| First air date | Early 1980s |
| Format | Classical music/news/talk BBC World Service on HD2 (via WYQS) |
| Power | 1600 Watts |
| Class | C3 |
| Affiliations | NPR |
| Owner | Western North Carolina Public Radio |
| Sister stations | WYQS |
| Webcast | Listen |
| Website | www.wcqs.org |
WCQS (88.1 FM) is the flagship National Public Radio member station for Asheville, North Carolina. The station is currently owned by Western North Carolina Public Radio.[1][2]
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WCQS began in the early 1980s as a 110-watt station operated by the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Western North Carolina Public Radio bought the station later in the decade. While most of the station's coverage area was served by South Carolina Educational Radio's Upstate outlet, WEPR in Greenville, WNCPR wanted to build a station that would be tailored to the area's interests.
The station joined NPR in 1984. Eventually, the station increased its power to 1,600 watts, still a fairly modest level for a full NPR member. This may due to the need to protect WRVL in Lynchburg, Virginia, located at adjacent 88.3. As a result, even though its transmitter is located 3,609 feet (1,100 m) above sea level, its coverage area is effectively limited to Asheville and its close-in suburbs..
In 2005, WNCPRI bought WVMH, a radio station operated by Mars Hill College, and changed its calls to WYQS. Originally a straight simulcast of WCQS, it broke off in 2008 and now airs the BBC World Service full-time. WYQS operates at only 100 watts, but is available on WCQS' HD subcarrier.
In the summer of 2010, Jody Evans joined WCQS as executive director, replacing Ed Subkis, who held the job for 18 years. She wanted WCQS to become a source for news and information, and she planned on more area news coverage and working with other news media. Other than that, no major changes were planned. One joint project was live broadcasts from Brevard Music Center, which would use the resources of WDAV in the Charlotte area.[3]
Evans said in February 2011 that WCQS would have more emphasis on local news, and that David Hurand's evening shows "Byline", "Conversations", and "Evening Rounds" would be dropped. Hurand was adding local news reports during the more popular shows Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Competition from television was one reason for the change. Duncan McFadyen was joining the station as well. New national shows being added included Marketplace and The Splendid Table.[4]
WCQS operates a full-powered satellite, WFQS in Franklin, at 91.3 FM, as well as nine low-powered translators to serve its vast and mountainous coverage area. Together, the stations are known as "The Mountain Air Network."
| Call sign | MHz | City of license | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| W298AY | 107.5 | Black Mountain, North Carolina | FCC |
| W220EA | 91.9 | Brevard, North Carolina | FCC |
| W209AD | 89.7 | Clyde, North Carolina | FCC |
| W209AE | 89.7 | Cullowhee, North Carolina | FCC |
| W237AR | 95.3 | Hazelwood, North Carolina | FCC |
| W218AB | 91.5 | Sylva, North Carolina | FCC |
| W250AN | 97.9 | Tryon, North Carolina | FCC |
| W269AY | 101.7 | Highlands, North Carolina | FCC |
| W234AS | 94.7 | Bryson City, North Carolina | FCC |
The Bryson City and Highlands translators are nominally repeaters of WFQS. However, WCQS is a straight simulcast of WCQS.
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