Wikipedia

WFAE

WFAE(90.7MHz) is anon-commercialpublic radiostationinCharlotte, North Carolina.It is the mainNPRnews and informationmemberin theCharlotte region.The station's mainstudiosand offices are at One University Place in theUniversity Cityneighborhood of northeast Charlotte.[3]The WFAE Center for Community Engagement is located at 301 E. 7th Street in Uptown Charlotte, where live shows and other community gatherings are held.

WFAE
Broadcast areaCharlotte metropolitan area
Frequency90.7MHz(HD Radio)
Branding90.7 WFAE
Programming
FormatNews/talk
Subchannels
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerUniversity Radio Foundation, Inc.
History
First air date
April 18, 1977(1977-04-18)(originallycarrier currentc. 1971-1977)
Former frequencies
90.9MHz(1977–1979)
Call signmeaning
Fine artsand education[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID69436
ClassC0
ERP100,000watts
HAAT331 meters (1,086 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
35°17′14.5″N80°41′44.2″W/ 35.287361°N 80.695611°W/35.287361; -80.695611(WFAE)
Translator(s)See § Translators
Repeater(s)See § Stations
Links
Public license information
Webcast[{{{url}}} Listen live]
Websitewww.wfae.org

WFAE has aneffective radiated power(ERP) of 100,000watts,the maximum for most FM stations. Thetransmittertoweris off Caldwell Road in northeasternMecklenburg County.[4]It is also heard onrelay stationsinHickory,Southern PinesandLaurinburg.WFAE broadcasts usingHD Radiotechnology.[5]Its HD-2digital subchannelhas ajazzformat and its HD-3 subchannel carries thePublic Radio Exchange(PRX) Remix.

Programming

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On weekdays, WFAE has all news and information programming. It carries programs from NPR and other public radio networks such asMorning Edition,All Things Considered,1A,Here and Now,MarketplaceandToday, Explained.TheBBC World Serviceairs overnight. WFAE produces a local hour-long weekday interview program,Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins,heard live at 9 a.m. and repeated at 8 p.m. Frequent news updates come from NPR and the WFAE news staff.

On weekends, WFAE features specialty programs. Weekly NPR shows includeWait, Wait, Don't Tell Me,This American Life,Radiolab,Hidden Brain,The TED Radio Hour,Latino USA,On The Media,Reveal,Freakonomics Radio,The Moth Radio HourandThe New Yorker Radio Hour.WFAE is listener-supported. It holds periodic on-airfundraisersand seeks donations on its website.

History

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Student-run station

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WFAE firstsigned onthe air on April 18, 1977.[6]It was the student radio service of theUniversity of North Carolina at Charlotte,playingclassical musicand jazz. It was originally on 90.9 MHz, broadcasting from a 10-watt transmitter atop the library building. It succeeded a student-runcarrier currentstation known as "WVFN" (Voice of the49ers), which operated from the basement of the Cone University Center.[citation needed]As of 1976, the station had reduced the amount ofTop 40music and increased jazz programming.[7]

The outlet was limited by its small budget, $25,000 a year, all collected from UNCC student fees. Its signal was limited to only the campus and surrounding neighborhoods of northeastern Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.[8][9]

NPR affiliation

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Charlotte was one of the largest markets in the South without an NPR member station untilSouth Carolina Educational Radiooutlet WPRV (nowWNSC-FM) launched from a transmitter atRock Hillon January 3, 1978.[10]It initially broadcasting instructional programs during the day before beginning a full-time schedule in July.[11]

In September 1978, WFAE securedFederal Communications Commission(FCC) approval to move to 90.7 MHz with a full 100,000 watts.[12]However, construction of the upgraded facility was hindered by state procurement delays.[13]

High power debut

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The station wentoff the airon December 7, 1979, to allow construction of its full-power facility to begin.[14]It returned at full power on June 29, 1981.[15]On that day, it became North Carolina's third full NPR member station, alongsideWFDDin thePiedmont TriadandWUNCin theTriangle.

In addition to NPR programs, the new station aired jazz during the day with classical music at night and on Sundays. Later, jazz was moved to night.[16]The station grew rapidly, and within five years moved to larger studios in the One University Place building near the UNC Charlotte campus, where the station is still based today.

In February 1986, WFAE began airingnew-age musicon a Sunday evening show emphasizingcontemporary jazz,featuring such artists asGeorge WinstonandKitaro.[17]The show was called "New Age Sunday" at first, but the station dropped that name to distance itself from thenew agespiritual movement.[18]In 1987, WFAE began broadcasting 24 hours a day[19]and began airing more news and information programming along with more contemporary jazz, dropping classical music becauseWDAVplayed it.[20][21]

Foundation control

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WFAE's growth occurred amid financial uncertainty. UNC Charlotte was eventually forced to end support for the station due to a budget crunch. On April 15, 1993, UNC Charlotte handed over control to a nonprofit community board, the University Radio Foundation, which still owns the station today.

WFAE continued to grow through the next decade. It added a satellite station inHickory, North Carolina,WFHE, at 90.3 MHz, in 1995. WFAE's signal is spotty at best in some parts of the North CarolinaFoothills.WFHEsimulcastsWFAE.

More news, less music

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In 1996, WFAE largely dropped music in favor of a news/talk. It was one of the first NPR stations to air NPR's midday news/talk block (The Diane Rehm Show,Fresh AirandTalk of the Nation). However, it had been committed to news long before then.

In 1998, it launchedCharlotte Talks,hosted by longtimeWBThost Mike Collins.Charlotte Talksis a popular local show that focuses on local issues and figures and airs live at 9 a.m. Monday through Friday. It soon became "the de facto talk show of record in Charlotte".[22]

In November 2000, WFAE dropped its last jazz program,Jazz Tonight with Barbara Nail,which ran from 8 to midnight weekdays, replacing it with a rerun ofFresh Air,The Todd Mundt Show,and two extra hours ofThe World Today.[23]

Weekend programming

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In April 2023, WFAE dropped its last remaining music programming, consisting of ambient music programEchoesand the rock music talk showSound Opinions.WFAE also used to air a locally produced Sunday evening program of new-age music called Nightscapes, but replaced that with an expanded broadcast of Echoes. For many years, WFAE was the originating station forThe Thistle & Shamrock,a popularCeltic musicshow from NPR that originated on WFAE when it was licensed to UNC Charlotte and its host,Fiona Ritchie,was a visiting professor at the university. It began as a local program soon after WFAE signed on, and was picked up nationally in 1983. Even after WFAE dropped most music programming from its schedule,Thistleremained on the schedule until 2013.

HD Radio

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In 2004, WFAE became the first station in Charlotte and the first public radio station inNorth Carolinato broadcast usingHD Radio.[24]HD Radio was also added to WFHE.

On July 28, 2008, WFAE began airing jazz from JazzWorks on one of its HD channels to reach those disappointed by WNSC-FM joining SCETV's all-news network. Locally produced jazz shows were a possibility as well, since the station still has a large music library.[25]

In 2012, WFAE added two low-powered translators in theSandhills—one inLaurinburgand one inSouthern Pines.

Leadership

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Current Leadership

  • Ju-Don Marshall, President and Chief Executive Officer
  • Richard Lancaster, President of the Board of Directors
  • Nick Wharton, Vice President of the Board of Directors

Charlotte Talks

  • Mike Collins, host
  • Wendy Herkey, executive producer

Previous WFAE General Managers

  • Robert “Bo” Pittman
  • Jennifer Roth
  • Jon Schwartz
  • Roger Sarow
  • Joe O’Connor

Previous Program Directors

  • Jennifer Roth
  • Paul Stribling
  • Dale Spear

Awards

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WFAE has won multiple regional Edward R. Murrow Awards in the years, 2014, 2017 and 2018 and 2020.[26][27][28][29]WFAE has also won Sunshine Award for Journalism in 2017.[30]

Additional stations

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In addition to WFAE's primary 100,000 watt signal, there is one full-power station licensed tosimulcastthe programming of WFAE:

Call sign Frequency City of license Facility ID ERP
W 		Height
m(ft) 		Class Transmitter coordinates Call sign assigned
WFHE 90.3 FM (HD) Hickory, North Carolina 69437 4,000 127 m (417 ft) C3 35°50′59.4″N81°26′39.3″W/ 35.849833°N 81.444250°W/35.849833; -81.444250(WFHE) December 19, 1994

Translators

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WFAE programming is broadcast on the followingtranslators:

Broadcast translatorsfor WFAE
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP(W) HAAT Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
W229BD 93.7 FM Southern Pines, North Carolina 148046 10 94.2m(309ft) D 35°07′36.5″N79°23′44.1″W/ 35.126806°N 79.395583°W/35.126806; -79.395583(W229BD) LMS
W291BM 106.1 FM Laurinburg, North Carolina 147924 80 51.7 m (170 ft) D {{{coord2}}} LMS

References

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  1. ^Pam Kelley, "Public Radio Stations Facing Crisis with N.C. Budget Cuts,"The Charlotte Observer,April 2, 1991.
  2. ^"Facility Technical Data for WFAE".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^"Directions to WFAE".RetrievedSeptember 1,2014.
  4. ^"FM Query Results for WFAE, Federal Communications Commission".RetrievedSeptember 1,2014.
  5. ^"HD Radio Stations in Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill NC-SC".Archived fromthe originalon April 2, 2011.RetrievedOctober 8,2014.
  6. ^"UNCC Radio Station Goes On The Air April 18".The Charlotte News.April 2, 1977. p. 4A.RetrievedSeptember 16,2020.
  7. ^Maschal, Richard (February 15, 1976)."Beethoven Is Bumping Rock 'n' Roll".The Charlotte Observer.p. 1C.
  8. ^"A gift for your ears".The Charlotte News.December 28, 1977. p. 16.RetrievedSeptember 16,2020.
  9. ^Colver, Bob (January 4, 1978)."Public Radio in Charlotte: Where does it stand today?".The Charlotte News.p. 16.RetrievedSeptember 16,2020.
  10. ^Schumpert, Mary (January 3, 1978)."2 Stations Reach Out To Teach".The Charlotte Observer.p. 13A.RetrievedSeptember 16,2020.
  11. ^Colver, Bob (July 14, 1978)."Heartbeat of public radio is sounding stronger".The Charlotte News.p. 4.RetrievedSeptember 16,2020.
  12. ^FCC History Cards for WFAE
  13. ^Alridge, Ron (August 14, 1979)."A Higher Powered WFAE Runs Into Red-Tape Delay".Charlotte Observer.p. 13A.RetrievedSeptember 16,2020.
  14. ^Alridge, Ron (June 11, 1980)."WFAE-FM Receives $50,000 For Transmitting Tower, Studio".Charlotte Observer.p. 17A.RetrievedSeptember 16,2020.
  15. ^"Welcome back, WFAE".The Charlotte News.June 29, 1981. p. 6.RetrievedSeptember 16,2020.
  16. ^Kathy Haight, "Jazz Turns Hot As Charlotte Warms to the Sound,"The Charlotte Observer,October 10, 1986.
  17. ^Jeff Borden, "'New Age Sunday' to Debut on WFAE,"The Charlotte Observer,February 7, 1986.
  18. ^David Perlmutt, "'New Age' Jazz Show Drops Misinterpreted Name,"The Charlotte Observer,December 27, 1986.
  19. ^Jeff Borden, "24-Hour Broadcasting Will Begin at WFAE,"The Charlotte Observer,March 12, 1987.
  20. ^Jeff Borden, "WFAE Replaces Daytime Classical Music with Jazz,"The Charlotte Observer,November 26, 1987.
  21. ^Jeff Borden, "Station Manager Leaving WFAE,"The Charlotte Observer,June 4, 1988.
  22. ^Mark Washburn, "WFAE Celebrates 20 Years on the Air,"The Charlotte Observer,July 1, 2001, p. 1F.
  23. ^Diane Suchetka, "WFAE Drops All That Jazz for an All-Talk Format,"The Charlotte Observer,November 17, 2000, p. 1B.
  24. ^"IBOC Update - Dec 22, 2004: Public Radio's WFAE Orders Full HD Radio Package in Charlotte".RetrievedSeptember 1,2014.
  25. ^Mark Washburn, "WFAE Adds Jazz to Its Mix,"The Charlotte Observer,July 24, 2008.
  26. ^"WFAE Wins Two Regional Murrow Awards".WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source.April 25, 2017.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
  27. ^"WFAE Wins 4 Regional Murrow Awards".WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source.April 22, 2014.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
  28. ^"WFAE Wins Three Regional Murrow Awards".WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source.May 12, 2020.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
  29. ^"WFAE's Lisa Worf, Sarah Delia Earn Edward R. Murrow Awards".WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source.April 25, 2018.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
  30. ^"WFAE's Lisa Worf Wins Sunshine Award".WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source.March 13, 2017.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
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