WAMU

This article is about the radio station. For the defunct bank, see Washington Mutual.

WAMU

City of license	Washington, D.C.
Broadcast area	Washington metropolitan area
Slogan	The Mind is Our Medium
Frequency	88.5 (MHz) (also on HD Radio)
First air date	October 23, 1961 (originally carrier current 1951-1961)
Format	Public radio HD2: Bluegrass HD3: Public radio
ERP	50,000 watts
HAAT	152 meters
Class	B
Facility ID	65399
Callsign meaning	AMerican University
Affiliations	National Public Radio
Owner	American University
Webcast	Live stream
Website	wamu.org

WAMU is a public radio station that services the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The station broadcasts 24 hours a day on 88.5 FM, online at wamu.org, and on HD Radio at 88.5-HD1 and HD2. It is licensed to American University, and its studios are located near the campus in northwest Washington. WAMU's HD2 broadcasts Bluegrass Country, which is also available at bluegrasscountry.org and on-air in northern Virginia at 105.5 FM.

History

WAMU began as a carrier current student radio station on July 28, 1951. Its signal did not make it too far off the AU campus. The station received a commercial FM license in late 1960, and made its first FM broadcast on October 23, 1961.^[1] The student radio station is now WVAU, an Internet-only station.^[2]

From its inception, WAMU has provided public affairs and educational programming. Beginning in 1961, WAMU was granted a non-commercial broadcast license and joined the National Educational Radio Network, a predecessor to NPR. In 1971 was a founding member of National Public Radio.^[1]

In 1967, WAMU began programming bluegrass music which, in its heyday on the main channel, included the Lee Michael Demsey Show and the Ray Davis Show and weekends included Mountain Stage from West Virginia Public Radio. The station hosted an annual bluegrass concert at Fairfax High School as well as the yearly Pickin' in the Glen featuring performers such as Alison Krauss, Tony Rice, the Gibson Brothers, the Lewis Family, Hot Rize, and Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers.^[3]

The station changed its programming in 2002, transitioning its main channel to all news and public affairs and creating a separate bluegrass station online and on its HD2 channel through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.^[1]

In 2004, the prominent Washington journalist Ellen Wadley Roper left WAMU a $250,000 bequest, the largest gift in the station's history.^[4]

When fellow public radio station WETA changed to an all-classical music format in 2007, WAMU became Washington, D.C.'s only full-time NPR news station.^[5]

Current Programming

WAMU's main channel carries content from NPR, American Public Media, Public Radio International, Public Radio Exchange and the BBC World Service. News coverage is framed by NPR news each hour as well as Morning Edition and All Things Considered. The Diane Rehm Show is produced at WAMU and heard by an estimated 2 million public radio listeners nationwide. Local public affairs programs include The Kojo Nnamdi Show, which airs each weekday, and Metro Connection, which airs each Friday and Saturday.^[6]

The station also airs several entertainment shows including The Big Broadcast, which originated in 1964 as Recollections and is now hosted each Sunday night by Ed Walker, himself a storied Washington broadcaster. The program features rebroadcasts of drama, comedy, and variety programs from the "golden age of radio", including The Jack Benny Show, Dragnet, Gunsmoke, The Great Gildersleeve, Lux Radio Theater, and Philco Radio Time with Bing Crosby. The station also produces Hot Jazz Saturday Night and airs A Prairie Home Companion and This American Life.

WAMU's Bluegrass Country produces live and original bluegrass music programs, including The Katy Daley Show, The Lee Michael Demsey Show, Stained Glass Bluegrass and The Ray Davis Show,

Translators

WAMU runs the following translators to increase its coverage area:

Callsign	Frequency	City of license	Programming
WRAU	88.3 MHz	Ocean City, Maryland	Main program
WYAU	89.5 MHz	Spotsylvania, Virginia	Main Program^[7]
W288BS	105.5 MHz	Great Falls, Virginia	Bluegrass Country
W228AM	93.5 MHz	Frederick, Maryland	Bluegrass Country
W228AB	93.5 MHz	Paramount, Maryland	Bluegrass Country

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "WAMU 88.5 History". Retrieved 26 September 2014.
↑ "About WVAU". Retrieved 10 March 2014.
↑ "Mission & History". Retrieved 10 March 2014.
↑ "WAMU 88.5 FM Receives $250,000 Bequest; Largest Gift in Station's History" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: American University. 8 April 2004. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
↑ "Classical WETA’s Official Release". Retrieved 10 March 2014.
↑ "Station Schedules". Retrieved 10 March 2014.
↑ Estes, Lindley (18 June 2014). "WAMU buying Spotsylvania radio station". The Free Lance–Star (Fredericksburg, Virginia). Retrieved 26 October 2014.

External links

Radio stations in the Washington, D.C. market

By AM frequency	Washington, D.C. 630 980 1120 1260 1340 1450 1500 Maryland 540 570 900 950 1030 1050 1160 1540 1560 1580 1600 Northern Virginia 730 780 920 1190 1220 1250 1310 1390 1460 1480

By FM frequency	Washington, D.C. 88.5 89.3 90.1 90.9 93.9 96.3 97.1 98.7 99.5 100.3 101.1 103.5 107.3 Maryland 88.1 91.9 92.7 94.3♦ 94.7 95.5 99.1 99.9 102.3 104.1 107.9 Northern Virginia 87.7 89.9 94.3 97.5 97.7 104.3 105.1 105.9 106.7 107.7

NOAA Weather Radio	162.45 162.55

By callsign	KHB36 W249BE WACA WAMU WASH WAVA WAVA-FM WBIG-FM WBQH WCRW WCSP WCTN WDCN-LP WDCT WETA WFAX WFED WFRE WGOP WGTS WHUR-FM WIAD WIHT WILC WJEV-LP WJFK WJFK-FM WKDV WKIK WKIK-FM WKYS WLXE WLZL WMAL WMAL-FM WMET WMMJ WMUC WMZQ-FM WNEW-FM WNG736 WOL WOWD-LP♦ WPER WPFW WPGC-FM WPRS-FM WPWC WRCW WRQX WSPZ WTEM WTNT WTOP-FM WURA WUST WWDC WWGB WWRC WWWT-FM WWXT WWXX WYCB WZHF

Defunct Stations	WCAP WGMS WTWP WWZZ WGTB WHFS (FM)

Satellite radio local traffic/weather XM Channel 214 Sirius Channel 152 Washington, D.C. metro markets Frederick, MD Fredericksburg, VA Baltimore See also List of radio stations in Washington, D.C. List of radio stations in Virginia List of radio stations in Maryland ♦WOWD-LP is a planned low-power station with a Summer 2016 launch date.

NPR Member Stations in the District of Columbia

By callsign	WAMU WETA

By frequency	88.5 90.9

See also PBS District of Columbia and List of NPR stations

See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in District of Columbia

American University, Washington, D.C.

Schools	College of Arts and Sciences Kogod School of Business School of Communication School of International Service School of Public Affairs Washington College of Law

Research	Administrative Law Review Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies National Security Law Brief Legislation and Policy Brief Washington Semester Women and Politics Institute

Athletics	American University Eagles Men's basketball Men's soccer Bender Arena

Media	WAMU The Diane Rehm Show Kojo Nnamdi Show The Eagle

People	List of American University people

Places	American University Park Camp American University Camp Leach Katzen Arts Center Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre American University Museum Tenley Campus

Coordinates: 38°56′10″N 77°05′31″W / 38.936°N 77.092°W / 38.936; -77.092