WETA (FM)

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WETA
WETA-TV logo
City of license WETA: Washington, D.C.
WGMS: Hagerstown, Maryland
W205BL: Frederick, Maryland
Broadcast area Washington, D.C.
Branding Classical WETA 90.9FM
Frequency WETA: 90.9 (MHz)
(Also on HD Radio)
WGMS: 89.1 (MHz)
W205BL: 88.9 (MHz)
First air date 1970
Format Classical/NPR News
ERP WETA: 75,000 watts
WGMS: 900 watts
W205BL: 10 watts
HAAT WETA: 186 meters
WGMS: 408 meters
W205BL: 352 meters
Class WETA: B
WGMS: B1
W205BL: D
Facility ID WETA: 65669
WGMS: 25103
Callsign meaning WETA: Washington Educational Telecommunications Association
WGMS: Washington's Good Music Station
Owner Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association
Webcast WETA-FM Live Stream
Website www.weta.org/fm/

WETA is a noncommercial, public radio station in Arlington County, Virginia whose signal (90.9 FM) covers the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The station airs a classical music format. The station, which has the highest effective radiated power of any FM station in the DC Metro area at 75,000 watts, also has an HD simulcast at 90.9 FM HD and operates simulcasting stations WGMS-FM 89.1 in Hagerstown, Maryland and at W205BL-FM 88.9 in Frederick, Maryland.

From 1970 through early 2005, WETA featured a mixed format of classical music, folk music, jazz, and news. It switched to a predominantly news and talk format from February 28, 2005 until January 22, 2007, when it switched to its current all-classical format. The switch was part of an unusual deal between the public radio station and commercial station WGMS (FM), which abandoned the classical music format it had aired for decades after an attempt to sell WGMS to Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder failed.

As of February 1, 2007, the FCC granted WETA permission to use the WGMS call letters for its Hagerstown, Maryland, repeater station, formerly known as WETH 89.1 FM, while the collective identity remains WETA.

Contents

WETA changed to a classical music format on January 22, 2007, at 8 p.m. EST, with classical music now offered for more of the broadcast day than ever before in the station’s history. Its current classical format is primarily mainstream orchestral, with a smattering of early and baroque music and chamber music. Aside from Saturday afternoon opera, very few vocal performances are aired on WETA.

As of April 2007 WETA reduced the number of hourly NPR newscasts, which had continued to be heard every hour since the change to the classical music format. Newscasts are now heard on the hour during drive time and at selected hours at other times. WETA also airs audio from the PBS NewsHour Monday through Friday evenings.

WETA airs opera programming on Saturday afternoons, including live broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera during the Met's regular fall-through-spring broadcast season.

For many years, WETA has provided a sub-carrier channel for The Metropolitan Washington Ear, Inc., which offers news for the blind and visually impaired. Listeners tune in to the service using special receivers provided free to qualifying individuals and can receive audio from more than 200 current publications, including newspapers, magazines, and bestselling books.

  • Daniel C. DeVany, Vice President and General Manager, Radio
  • Jim Allison, Program Director, Radio
  • Michael Byrnes, Chief Engineer, Radio


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