WHAN (AM)

(Redirected from W275BQ)

WHAN is an adult album alternative formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Ashland, Virginia, serving Ashland and Hanover County, Virginia as well as the northern half of the Metro Richmond, Virginia region.[1] WHAN is owned by Stu-Comm, Inc.[6] WHAN currently simulcasts WNRN-FM.

WHAN
Broadcast areaAshland, Virginia
Hanover County, Virginia
Frequency1430 kHz
Branding"WNRN"
Programming
FormatAdult album alternative[1]
Ownership
OwnerStu-Comm, Inc.
WNRN, WNRN-FM, WNRS-FM
History
First air date
May 1, 1962[2]
Former call signs
WDYL (1960 – 1962, CP)
WIVE (1962 – 1977)
WKDH (1977 – 1980)
WIVE (1980 – 1987)
WMMM (1987 – 1989)
WPES (1989 – 1998)[3][4]
Call sign meaning
HANover
Technical information[5]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID8438
ClassD
Power1,000 Watts daytime
31 Watts nighttime
Transmitter coordinates
37°44′46.0″N 77°29′44.0″W / 37.746111°N 77.495556°W / 37.746111; -77.495556
Translator(s)102.9 MHz W275BQ (Ashland)
Links
Public license information
WebsiteWHAN Online

History

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On February 1, 2015, Charlottesville-based public broadcaster WTJU began simulcasting its programming on WHAN in an attempt to use its FM translator to reach the Richmond market.[7] WTJU operated the station daily from 1:00 am to 6:00 pm as part of a three-year local marketing agreement.[8] Through a separate agreement with WTJU, Virginia Commonwealth University webcaster WVCW broadcast on WHAN Monday through Thursday from 6:00 pm to 1:00 am and Friday from 9:00 pm to 1:00 am, with additional broadcasting time allowed for special events. Local programming filled the remaining timeslots 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm on Friday evenings and 6:00 pm – 1:00 am on weekends.[9]

WTJU terminated the local marketing agreement effective August 16, 2017, citing financial reasons. WHAN returned to a locally programmed music format, branded "102.9 The Mater", which it described as a mix of classic Southern rock and 1990s alternative rock but has transitioned since 2018 to "The RVA's Best Music Variety" featuring artists and genres from the past 65 years.[10][11]

On August 10, 2020, Fifth Estate Broadcasting filed an agreement to donate WHAN and W275BQ to Stu-Comm, Inc., operator of Charlottesville-based adult album alternative station WNRN-FM, which complements its existing Richmond pair of WFTH (1590 AM) and W203CB (88.5 FM). This action came less than a week after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) repealed a longstanding rule that prevented co-owned AM stations with overlapping signals from broadcasting the same programming. The sale was completed on October 9, 2020.[12][13] WHAN and W275BQ now simulcast WNRN-FM.

Translator

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In addition to the main station, WHAN is relayed by an FM translator to replicate the daytime signal of 1430 AM on the FM dial 24 hours a day.[14]

Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
W275BQ 102.9 FM FM Ashland, Virginia 155027 250 watts 96.9 m (318 ft) D LMS

References

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  1. ^ a b "Arbitron Station Information Profiles". Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  2. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 2010 (PDF). ProQuest, LLC/Reed Publishing (Nederland), B.V. 2010. p. D-559. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  3. ^ FCC History Cards for WIVE
  4. ^ "Call Sign History". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  5. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WHAN". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  6. ^ "WHAN Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  7. ^ Venta, Lance (January 28, 2015). "WTJU Adds Richmond Rimshot". RadioBB Networks. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  8. ^ "U.Va.-owned station to take over WHAN". Hanover Herald-Progress. Ashland, Virginia: Lakeway Publishers, Inc. January 21, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  9. ^ Collins, Anna (12 March 2015). "Student radio partnership brings VCU programming to Ashland FM station". VCU News.
  10. ^ Venta, Lance (17 August 2017). "WHAN Drops WTJU Simulcast To Launch Local Community Format - RadioInsight". RadioInsight.
  11. ^ "About us". WHAN.
  12. ^ "Station Donation Agreement".
  13. ^ "FCC Report & Order Eliminates Radio Duplication Rule". Radio-Online. 6 August 2020.
  14. ^ "W250BG Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
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