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WYPR (88.1 FM) is 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 serving the
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
metropolitan area. Its studio is in the Charles Village neighborhood of northern Baltimore, while its transmitter is in Park Heights. The station is
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
in the
Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...
and Hagerstown area on WYPF (88.1 FM) and in the Ocean City area on WYPO (106.9 FM). WYPR is Baltimore's flagship
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 ...
member station, carrying content from NPR,
American Public Media American Public Media (APM) is an American company that produces and distributes public radio programs in the United States, the second largest company of its type after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and o ...
(the distribution arm of
Minnesota Public Radio Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is a public radio network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, KNOW-FM, News & Information, KSJN, YourClassical MPR and KCMP, The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper ...
),
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 ...
and the
BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...
(on HD2). WYPR also provides Classical 24 on its HD3 subchannel. In addition, WYPR produces several of its own shows, including the public affairs-focused programs Midday and On The Record, the award-winning, sonic-storytelling series Out of the Blocks as well as local news coverage and special newsroom series. Starting in 2015, the
Baltimore Magazine ''Baltimore'' is a monthly magazine published in Baltimore, Maryland by Rosebud Entertainment L.L.C., a company owned by Steve Geppi and led by its President Michael Teitelbaum. It is the oldest, continuously published city magazine in the con ...
Reader's Poll has named WYPR the Best Radio Station in Baltimore three years in a row. The station also won Best Radio Show Host, and Best News Website in 2017.


History

The station signed on in 1979, as WJHU, a 10-watt student-run station owned by
Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...
. It took over from a
carrier current Carrier current transmission, originally called wired wireless, employs guided low-power Radio frequency, radio-frequency signals, which are transmitted along electrical conductors. The transmissions are picked up by receivers that are either conne ...
station that had operated under the same calls on AM 830 since 1945. Originally a typical freeform
college radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...
station, it boosted its power to 25,000 watts in 1985, allowing it at least secondary coverage of the entire Baltimore/
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
corridor. Soon after the power increase, Johns Hopkins converted the station into a full-time professional operation, allowing it to become Baltimore's NPR member station. It originally aired a mix of
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
and NPR programming, but on June 23, 1995, switched to a primarily news/talk format. Johns Hopkins put the station up for sale in 2000, due to the expense of maintaining it, as well as a change in focus that no longer included radio. In 2002, Your Public Radio Corp., a community group, bought the station and changed its calls to WYPR. In 2004, Your Public Radio Corp. bought religious broadcaster WJTM in Frederick, which became a relay of WYPR with the call letters of WYPF. WYPF's signal also covers Hagerstown. On July 30, 2007, Your Public Radio Corp. bought
Ocean City, Maryland Ocean City, officially the Town of Ocean City, is an Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic resort city in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County, Maryland, along the East Coast of the United States. The population was 6,844 at the 2020 United States c ...
alternative rock station 106.9 WRXS, which began simulcasting WYPR starting September 10, 2007. That station was renamed WYPO on October 3, 2007. The three stations provide at least distant-grade coverage to almost two-thirds of Maryland. For much of the time from the late 1990s to 2008, it operated at only 10,000 watts. While this provided a decent signal to Baltimore itself and most of its close-in suburbs, many of Baltimore's outer suburbs, including
Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
, only got a grade B signal. In 2008, it increased its power to 15,500 watts, giving it a coverage area roughly comparable to the other major Baltimore stations. Two years earlier,
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
student station
WMUC WMUC-FM (90.5 MHz FM broadcasting, FM) is the College radio, student-run non-commercial radio station licensed to the University of Maryland, College Park, University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, broadcasting at 30 watts. It is ...
in College Park, which at the time also broadcast at , raised concerns about
co-channel interference Co-channel interference or CCI is crosstalk from two different radio transmitters using the same channel. Co-channel interference can be caused by many factors from weather conditions to administrative and design issues. Co-channel interferen ...
due to its class D license that does not protect it from interference, in contrast to WYPR's class A license. In May 2021, WYPR announced plans to acquire
Towson Towson () is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 59,533 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is t ...
-based
WTMD WTMD (89.7 FM broadcasting, FM) is a non-commercial educational station, non-commercial public radio, public radio station city of license, licensed to Towson, Maryland, and serving the Baltimore metropolitan area. It broadcasts an adult album al ...
, an
adult album alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, ...
station owned by
Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its foundin ...
. The $3 million deal is contingent on
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
approval. WTMD will retain its format and programming. The sale was closed on November 10, 2021, officially making WTMD a sister station to WYPR. In 2024, the stations' parent changed its name to Baltimore Public Media and introduced new sonic identities for both WYPR and WTMD.


Repeaters


Programs

* "A Blue View," hosted by
National Aquarium (Baltimore) The National Aquarium – also known as National Aquarium in Baltimore and many people calling it the Baltimore Aquarium – is a nonprofit public aquarium located at 501 East Pratt Street on Pier 3 in the Inner Harbor area of downtown Baltimo ...
CEO John Racanelli * "
All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...
," hosted by Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, Mary Louise Kelly, and Ailsa Chang * "Cellar Notes" with Al Spoler and Hugh Sisson * "ClearPath - Your Roadmap to Health & Wealth" with Greg Tucker * Election Coverage * "Foreman and Wolf on Food and Wine" with Tony Foreman and Cindy Wolf * "
Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's hosts are Terry Gross and Tonya Mosl ...
" with
Terry Gross Terry Gross (born February 14, 1951) is an American journalist who is the host and co-executive producer of '' Fresh Air'', an interview-based radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed nationally by NPR. Since joining NP ...
* "Future City" with Wes Moore * "Gil Sandler's Baltimore Stories" * " Here and Now" with Robin Young and Jeremy Hobson * "Humanities Connection" with Dr. Phoebe Stein * "In the Bromo" with Tom Hall * "Inspiring Moments," in partnership with Kennedy Krieger Institute * "Midday" with Tom Hall, formerly hosted by Dan Rodricks * "More Than Words," hosted by Jonna McKone and Jamyla Krempel * "
Morning Edition ''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 a ...
" hosted by
Steve Inskeep Steven Alan Inskeep (; born 1968) is an American journalist who is currently one of the four rotating hosts of ''Morning Edition'' and '' Up First'' on National Public Radio. Prior to being a host of ''Morning Edition'', Inskeep covered the Pentag ...
, Rachel Martin, Noel King, and local host Nathan Sterner * "On Being with Krista Tippet" * "
On Point ''On Point'' is a radio show produced by WBUR-FM in Boston, Massachusetts, and syndicated by American Public Media (APM). The show addresses a wide range of issues from news, politics, arts and culture, health, technology, environmental, and bu ...
" with Meghna Chakrabarti * "On the Record" with Sheilah Kast * "Out of the Blocks" with Aaron Henkin and Wendel Patrick * "Radio Kitchen" with Al Spoler and Jerry Pelligrino * "Sports at Large" with Milton Kent * "The Checkup: How Health Care Is Changing In Maryland" with Sheilah Kast * "The Environment in Focus" with Tom Felton * "The First Five Years" with Linnea Anderson * "The Morning Economic Report" with Anirban Basu * "The Nature of Things" with W. Brooks Paternotte * "The New Yorker Radio Hour" with
David Remnick David J. Remnick (born October 29, 1958) is an American journalist, writer, and editor. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for his book '' Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire'', and is also the author of ''Resurrection'' and ''King of t ...
* "The Signal," hosted by Aaron Henkin, Lisa Morgan, and Andy Bienstock (currently on hiatus) * "The Weekly Reader," hosted by Lisa Morgan and Marion Winik * "
University of Maryland Medical Center The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) is a teaching hospital with 789 beds based in Baltimore, Maryland, that provides the full range of health care to people throughout Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region. It gets more than 26,000 inp ...
Commentaries" * "What Are You Reading?" with Tom Hall * "Why Baltimore" with Shannon C. Landwehr * "Your Maryland" with Ric Cottom * "Your Retirement" with Anirban Basu


Newsroom Series

* "On Pills and Needles: Maryland's Opioid Crisis" with Rachel Baye (2017) * "Eight and Out: Transgender in the Second Grade" with Mary Rose Madden (2017) * "Chesapeake Bay Collaborative" (2015-7) * "On The Watch: Fixing the Fractured Relationship Between Baltimore's Police and Its Communities," by Mary Rose Madden (2015-6) * "Up With Neighborhoods: A Southwest Baltimore Partnership" with Frasier Smith (2015-6) * "Rockets' Red Glare: the War, the Song, and their Legacies" (2013-4) * "Deconstructing Vacants" with P. Kenneth Burns (2014) * "Sparrows Point: The Plan, The Cleanup, and The Promise" with Paul Lee (2015) * "Common Core: A Work in Progress" with Gwendolyn Glenn (2014)


Events

WYPR is a media sponsor of the local
Patterson Park Patterson Park is an urban park in Southeast Baltimore, Maryland, United States, adjacent to the neighborhoods of Canton, Highlandtown, Patterson Park, and Butchers Hill. It is bordered by East Baltimore Street, Eastern Avenue, South Pa ...
Concert Series throughout the summer months. In addition, the radio station is also a media partner of
Stevenson University Stevenson University is a private university in Baltimore County, Maryland with two campuses, one in Stevenson, Maryland, Stevenson and one in Owings Mills, Maryland, Owings Mills. The university enrolls approximately 3,615 undergraduate and g ...
's Baltimore Speakers Series at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore.


Awards

* In 2014, WYPR's production The Lines Between Us earned a DuPont-Columbia Award for outstanding journalism, one of the highest awards in American journalism. * WYPR was honored by the Chesapeake Associated Press in 2016 for a series on pedestrian safety in Ocean City, as well as reporting on the April 2015 rioting in Baltimore, and a commentary entitled “A Shattered City and a Search for Justice.” * Also in 2016, the Chesapeake Associated Press and the Public Radio News Directors, Inc. selected On the Watch, a year-long series by reporter Mary Rose Madden on police reform in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray, for an award of excellence. * WYPR's series Out of the Blocks was honored with a 2016 regional Edward R. Murrow Award for outstanding documentary. Out of the Blocks brings real stories of struggle, survival, and celebration in Baltimore City to listeners in a format that includes an original musical score for each episode by Baker-award-winning composer Wendel Patrick. Out of the Blocks was also named “Best Radio Series” by Baltimore's City Paper in 2016. * Best of Baltimore Readers' Poll named WYPR "Best Radio Station" in 2017, in addition to naming WYPR's Tom Hall "Best Radio Show Host" (runners up being Nathan Sterner and Sheilah Kast, also of WYPR) and naming wypr.org "Best Website (News)." The radio station was also runner-up for both "Best Instagram Account" and "Best Twitter Account."


References


External links

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