WNRN
Encyclopedia
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.
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 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.
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.
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
, Modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
, Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
, and Hip Hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
formatted radio station licensed to Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
, serving Central and Western Virginia. WNRN is owned and operated by Stu-Comm, Inc.
History
Principally WNRN broadcasts Modern rockModern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
and Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
(triple-A) formats with an acoustic music
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
morning show, and hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
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
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
.
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
Staunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
and Waynesboro, Virginia
Waynesboro, Virginia
Waynesboro, deriving its name from General Anthony Wayne, is an independent city surrounded by Augusta County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 21,006 in 2010.....
are serviced on translator 101.1 FM (W266BQ Crozet). Serving Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
, WNRN shares a frequency
Frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency...
with Sweet Briar College
Sweet Briar College
Sweet Briar College is a liberal arts women's college in Sweet Briar, Virginia, about north of Lynchburg, Virginia. The school's Latin motto translates as: "She who has earned the rose may bear it."...
on 89.9 FM (WNRS-FM
WNRS-FM
WNRS-FM is a Public Radio and Modern Rock formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Sweet Briar, Virginia, serving Amherst and Amherst County, Virginia. WNRS is owned and operated by Sweet Briar College....
Sweetbriar), and broadcasts all but a few hours of the day when locally-originated programming airs on WNRS-FM
WNRS-FM
WNRS-FM is a Public Radio and Modern Rock formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Sweet Briar, Virginia, serving Amherst and Amherst County, Virginia. WNRS is owned and operated by Sweet Briar College....
. WNRN also broadcasts on translator 103.1 in Midlothian, Virginia
Midlothian, Virginia
Midlothian is an unincorporated community in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. Founded over 300 years ago as a coal mining village, it is now a suburban community located in the Southside of Richmond well beyond the city limits of Richmond in the Richmond–Petersburg region.It was named...
, which places a signal into Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. On April 13, 2006, WNRN added a translator on 95.9 FM serving Lexington, Virginia
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to...
. On August 17, 2006, religious broadcaster Positive Alternative Radio, Inc. was granted a license to rebroadcast WNRN on a translator in Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
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
Lovingston, Virginia
Lovingston is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Nelson County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 520. Its ZIP Code is 22949...
to serve Nelson County, Virginia
Nelson County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,445 people, 5,887 households, and 4,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 8,554 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
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 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
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
stating that WGTS
WGTS
WGTS 91.9 FM is a Christian radio station broadcasting from Takoma Park, Maryland, USA, and serving the Washington DC Baltimore area in a contemporary Christian music format....
, 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.
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