WNRN

WNRN is a Public Radio, Modern rock, Adult album alternative, and Hip Hop formatted radio station licensed to Charlottesville, Virginia, serving Central and Western Virginia. WNRN is owned and operated by Stu-Comm, Inc.

History

Principally WNRN broadcasts Modern rock and Adult album alternative (triple-A) formats with an acoustic music morning show, and hip hop and special shows at night and on the weekends such as Bluegrass Sunday Mornings, and The Grateful Dead and Phriends. WNRN is a triple-A reporter, submitting charts to Billboard, Mediabase, and FMQB. It reports its rock and RPM charts to CMJ. WNRN also offers film reviews, local news, weather reports, and a weekly call-in talk show.

WNRN's primary coverage area on 91.9 FM has an unusually long range for a class A station, covering over 60 miles from the transmitter to the south and east. However, as general manager Mike Friend says, "what the terrain giveth, the terrain taketh away." He notes that the station only reaches about 20 miles to the west. Staunton and Waynesboro, Virginia are serviced on translator 101.1 FM (W266BQ Crozet). Serving Lynchburg, Virginia, WNRN shares a frequency with Sweet Briar College on 89.9 FM (WNRS-FM Sweetbriar), and broadcasts all but a few hours of the day when locally-originated programming airs on WNRS-FM. WNRN also broadcasts on translator 103.1 in Midlothian, Virginia, which places a signal into Richmond, Virginia. On April 13, 2006, WNRN added a translator on 95.9 FM serving Lexington, Virginia. On August 17, 2006, religious broadcaster Positive Alternative Radio, Inc. was granted a license to rebroadcast WNRN on a translator in Harrisonburg, Virginia on 95.1 FM. On August 20, 2007, the sale of W236BG from PAR to Stu-Comm was comsumated. WNRN also broadcasts through translator W234BA at 94.7 FM near Lovingston, Virginia to serve Nelson County, Virginia and the nearby mountainous region between Lynchburg and Charlottesville. WNRN segments are available for download as podcasts through the Charlottesville Podcasting Network and iTunes: 91 Seconds on Film movie reviews, The Localmotive, The Sunday Morning Wake-Up Call with Rick Moore and WNRN's in-studio interviews and performances. In-studio guests have included John Mayer, Frank Black, Wyclef Jean, Dar Williams, The GZA, Dave Matthews, They Might Be Giants, Rhett Miller, Neko Case, Cracker, Emmylou Harris and Courtney Love.

In 2005, WNRN filed a petition to deny with the Federal Communications Commission stating that WGTS, a Christian station about 100 miles away on 91.9 built a stronger signal on an expired construction permit. WNRN claimed that the interference on 91.9 was very strong to the north and east. WGTS countered with a Petition for Relief and Sanction, stating that the construction permit was within the limits given by the FCC in interference between stations. The case was resolved in favor of WGTS in January 2006; the FCC found that WNRN violated FCC rules in its pursuit of support for their complaint.^[1][2][3]

In August 2010 WNRN joined forces with WVTU radio (WVTF-Roanoke) and started broadcasting WNRN in HD-radio on WVTU's signal. WNRN can be heard on WVTU HD-3 at 89.3 in western Albemarle and eastern Augusta counties.

WNRN's General Manager is Anne Williams, the Music Director is Melissa Goode.

Translators

Newspaper/Magazine Articles

• Article: Anne Williams feature
• Article: Station Break 2 released
• Article: WNRN's Mike Friend gets a makeover
• Article: Mike Friend feature
• Article: WNRN battles the word of God
• Article: Richmond's burning: for WNRN music
• Article: Tunes for the Road from the Washington Post
• Article: Gaining Frequency from The Daily Progress

References

External links

• 91-9 WNRN Online
• WNRN on Facebook
• WNRN on Twitter
• WNRN on Youtube
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WNRN
• Radio-Locator information on WNRN
• Query Arbitron's FM station database for WNRN