WEMC

WEMC
Broadcast areaHarrisonburg, Virginia
Rockingham County, Virginia
Frequency91.7 MHz
BrandingWEMC 91.7
Programming
FormatClassical music[1]
Ownership
OwnerBoard of Trustees of Eastern Mennonite University
OperatorJames Madison University
History
First air date
1955[2]
Call sign meaning
Eastern Mennonite College
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID4308
ClassA
ERP1,850 watts
HAAT58 meters (190 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
38°28′20.0″N 78°52′57.0″W / 38.472222°N 78.882500°W / 38.472222; -78.882500
Links
Public license information
WebcastWEMC Webstream
WebsiteWEMC Online

WEMC (91.7 FM) is a classical music formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Harrisonburg, Virginia, serving Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, Virginia.[1] WEMC is owned by Eastern Mennonite University.[4]

Due to declining listenership and low student involvement, James Madison University's WMRA (90.7 FM) took over operation of WEMC on January 14, 2008.[5] WMRA moved its morning, midday, and late-night classical music blocks to WEMC in exchange for NPR's Talk of the Nation and Fresh Air, which had been heard on WEMC as WMRA was unable to fit them into its schedule. Both stations preserved their evening schedules, as WMRA was hesitant to eliminate its evening music programming due to WEMC's inferior signal.[6]

WEMC dropped its last remaining information programs, Democracy Now! and rebroadcasts of the BBC World Service, on August 11, 2014. The station now broadcasts classical music throughout the week. There are local hosts only on Monday and Tuesday evening ("Bob's Record Shelf" and "Air Play", the latter featuring regional orchestras), with the rest of the music largely coming from the syndicated Classical 24.[7] The only exceptions to the format are the local Mennonite music show "Mostly Mennonite, Mostly Acapella", and the service from Park View Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg live on Sunday morning.[8]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Arbitron was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference LaunchDate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WEMC". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference FCC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Centennial Stories: WEMC, Virginia's first noncommercial radio station, was founded on campus in 1954". emu.edu. December 2015.
  6. ^ "New Programming". WMRA. Archived from the original on January 13, 2008.
  7. ^ "WEMC Weekly Schedule".
  8. ^ "WEMC unveils new programming, rebrands as region's home for classical music – EMU News". emu.edu. August 8, 2014.