WCRI-FM (95.9

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

; "Classical 95.9") is an

FM radio FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high fidelity, high-f ...

station on

Block Island, Rhode Island Block Island is an island of the Outer Lands coastal archipelago in New England, located approximately south of mainland Rhode Island and east of Long Island's Montauk Point. The island is coterminous with the town of New Shoreham, Rhode Isl ...

, and serving the Newport area. It is a rare classical music station supported by

commercial advertising A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

and not operated as a

public radio Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...

station. It is affiliated with the

World Classical Network The World Classical Network (WCN) is an internet-delivery classical radio broadcasting service owned by CCB Media in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The service has been in existence since February 1998, when it was owned and operated by Charles Riv ...

(WCN). The station is owned by Judson Group, Inc., a company that includes the son and grandsons of broadcasting pioneer Ted Jones, founder of

Charles River Broadcasting Charles River Broadcasting Company was the owner of classical music stations, a classic rock station, a CNN Headline News affiliate, and a syndicated classical music program service, serving communities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. History ...

and

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

classical music station

WCRB WCRB (99.5 FM) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Lowell, Massachusetts, which serves the Greater Boston area. It broadcasts European classical music, classical music. The station's studios are located in Brighton, Boston, Brighton, ...

. WCRI-FM has an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would ha ...

(ERP) of 6,000 watts as a Class A station. The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...

is off Ocean Avenue at Beach Avenue in New Shoreham.Radio-Locator.com/WCRI
/ref> The studios are on South County Trail in

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

History

The original

construction permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to bu ...

for the station was granted on October 16, 1990, with the call sign WVBI assigned on November 30. The station signed on June 13, 1994, though the license to cover was not issued until April 12, 1995. The station has always had a classical format. WVBI initially had a limited programming schedule mainly from the now-defunct Classic FM network. The station's signal had trouble covering even Block Island. Charles River Broadcasting Company acquired WVBI in early 1999, at which point it was renamed WCRI. The station then performed upgrades, affiliating with WCN which was commonly owned with WCRI. A new tower was constructed in 2001 which also enabled stereo broadcasting.

Translator station 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 tran ...

W243AI (96.5) in Newport had relayed Charles River Broadcasting flagship

since the translator's sign-on in 1996, and it carried WCRI's programming for several years before becoming a

WMVY WMVY (88.7 FM; "Mvyradio") is a non-commercial community-oriented radio station based in the town of Tisbury, Massachusetts, and licensed to serve Edgartown, both on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The station is owned by Friends of Mvyradi ...

translator in 2004. Charles River Broadcasting announced on October 27, 2005, that it was exploring the sale of its properties, with Judson Group, Inc. purchasing WCRI and sister station WCNX in 2006. Judson Group, Inc., includes the son (Christopher Jones) and grandsons (Jamie Jones and Jefferey Jones) of broadcasting pioneer Ted Jones, founder of Charles River Broadcasting and WCRB. WCRI began to simulcast on 1180 AM on October 1, 2011, replacing WCNX; to reflect this, the station added the "-FM" suffix on September 8, 2011. (The AM station was sold to Red Wolf Broadcasting Corporation in 2014, and dropped the WCRI-FM simulcast for a Red Wolf-programmed

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 2 ...

format under the WSKP call sign in December 2013.)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wcri-Fm CRI-FM Classical music radio stations in the United States New Shoreham, Rhode Island Washington County, Rhode Island Radio stations established in 1994 1994 establishments in Rhode Island