North Country Public Radio (NCPR) is a

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

(NPR) member regional radio network headquartered in

Canton, New York Canton is an incorporated Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 11,638 at the time of the 2020 census. The town contains two Administrative divisions of New York#Villa ...

. The member-supported network is owned by St. Lawrence University (SLU) and is the NPR member for the Adirondack North Country region of northern New York. Its

radio studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for recording and mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enough to record a single sin ...

s are in the Noble Medical Building on the SLU campus. The

flagship station In broadcasting, a flagship (also known as a flagship station or key station) is the broadcast station which originates a television network, or a particular radio or television program that plays a key role in the branding of and consumer loyal ...

, WSLU in Canton, signed on for the first time on March 7, 1968, on 96.7 MHz.NCPR: A Brief History
, North Country Public Radio. Retrieved June 21, 2019. It was a charter member of NPR. It adopted the on-air name North Country Public Radio in 1984. In the same year, WSLU moved to 89.5 MHz, and NCPR built the first of several low-powered

FM translator A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater ( two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tr ...

s. Much of the surrounding area was among the few places in the Northeastern United States that were still without public radio. Its first full-powered repeaters, WSLO in Malone and WSLL in Saranac Lake, began broadcasting in 1989, with additional stations signing on in the early 1990s. It now comprises 16 full-power FM transmitters and 17 low-powered translators serving the North Country, parts of western

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

and the

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

provinces of

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

with regional and national news, public affairs programs, and an eclectic variety of music.NCPR: on the Air and on the Map
, North Country Public Radio. Retrieved June 21, 2019. Major cities in its coverage area are Watertown, Plattsburgh, and Glens Falls in New York, as well as

Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

;

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

; and

Cornwall, Ontario Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, situated where the provinces of Central Canada, Ontario and Quebec and the U.S. state of New York (state), New York converge. It is Ontario's easternmost city. Although it is the seat of the United ...

. In May 2011, North Country Public Radio also launched WREM, a radio station in Canton which offers a distinct program schedule sourced from

Public Radio Exchange The Public Radio Exchange (PRX) is a non-profit web-based platform for digital distribution, review, and licensing of radio programs. The organization is the largest on-demand catalogue of public radio programs available for broadcast and internet ...

. In November 2024, NCPR opened up a new FM transmitter at Ellenburg, New York on 88.9 FM with a call sign WELN. The new signal will cover communities along Route 11 between Malone and Plattsburgh, NY which was previously a dead air zone.Signal dropping out past Malone? Not anymore!
''North Country Public Radio'', November 22, 2024

Stations

Notes:

Translators

Notes

References

External links

NCPR website

North Country at Work
{{Authority control * NPR member networks St. Lawrence University 1968 establishments in New York (state) Radio stations established in 1968