City of license | Harrisonburg, Virginia |
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Broadcast area | Harrisonburg, Virginia |
Branding | "WEMC 91.7" |
Slogan | "Classical Music/BBC News" |
Frequency | 91.7 MHz |
First air date | 1955 |
Format | Public Radio |
Power | 1,850 Watts |
HAAT | 58 Meters |
Class | A |
Callsign meaning | W Eastern Mennonite College former name of EMU |
Affiliations | National Public Radio Pacifica Radio American Public Media Public Radio International |
Owner | Board of Trustees of Eastern Mennonite University |
Webcast | WEMC Webstream |
Website | WEMC Online |
WEMC is a Public Radio formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Harrisonburg, Virginia, serving the Harrisonburg area. WEMC is owned by the Board of Trustees of Eastern Mennonite University and operated by Board of Trustees of Eastern Mennonite University.
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Founded by EMU in 1955 thanks to a donation from the class of 1954, WEMC is Virginia's first public radio station. WEMC broadcasts primarily classical music. BBC news airs at 7 am and 5 pm; NPR's Fresh Air at 6 pm; jazz from 7-9 pm; and Democracy Now! at 9 pm. Saturdays are largely devoted to folk, bluegrass, rock and world music. Sacred music and a live church service are offered on Sunday mornings.
The studio was originally located in the balcony of Lehman Auditorium and later moved to Astral Hall, which had been an astronomy classroom. (The EMU telescope is still housed in the observatory next to Astral Hall.)
On February 1st, 2007, James Madison University's public radio station WMRA, assumed management of WEMC-FM. WEMC now broadcasts from WMRA's studios on the corner of Reservoir Street and Cantrell Ave. in Harrisonburg. While the daily operations and financial needs of WEMC are handled by WMRA management, EMU retains the operating license for the station[1].
WEMC requested from the FCC to move its antenna 10 miles to the NNW of its current location and increase its power and antenna height. They are requesting to be a directional Class B station with a power increase to 9,500 watts. This power increase will improve coverage to Staunton, Luray, and Mount Jackson, towns that currently cannot receive WEMC well.
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