WFYI-FM (90.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

) is a

Public Radio Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

station in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

. It is operated by

Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Broadcasting Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Media, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation located in Indianapolis, Indiana that operates WFYI Public Television (channel 20, digital channels 20.1, 20.2 and 20.3) and WFYI-FM Public Radio (90.1 FM & HD1 and HD2 ...

, a public broadcasting community licensee which also operates the area's

Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educati ...

(PBS) member station, WFYI Public Television via on-air digital channels 20.1, 20.2 and 20.3. WFYI-FM is a member of

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

(NPR) and carries news and information programming, plus weekly shows featuring the

Indianapolis Symphony The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is an American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown Indianapolis on Monument Circ ...

the

Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra (ICO) is a nonprofit chamber orchestra headquartered at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2019-2020 it will celebrate its 35th season. History The orchestra was founded by musicologist David Urness ...

, ''Harmonia'', and the possible return of ''Classics by Request'', ''Evening Concert'', and ''Opera Hour''. The studios and offices for WFYI-TV-FM are off North Meridian Street in Indianapolis. The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...

is on Township Line Road, also in Indianapolis. WFYI-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 hav ...

(ERP) of 10,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

s. It broadcasts in the

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...

hybrid format. Its HD2 subchannel is known as "The Point", playing

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, 2 ...

and World Music. Most of WFYI-FM's programming is also simulcast on WNDY in Crawfordsville and WISU in

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

History

The station

signed on Signing may refer to: * Using sign language * Signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...

for the first time on October 14, 1954, as WIAN, operated by the

Indianapolis Public Schools Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) is the largest school district in Indianapolis, and the second largest school district in the state of Indiana as of 2021, behind Fort Wayne Community Schools. The district's headquarters are in the John Morton ...

, with the license held by the Board of School Commissioners. At first, it was powered at only 120 watts. The station offered classroom instruction and some student programming. In the 1960s, the station increased its power to the current 10,000 watts. After years of operating at low power and limited hours, it expanded its hours and programming through a partnership with

The Fine Arts Society of Indianapolis Classical Music Indy is an American nonprofit organization based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, that produces and syndicates classical music radio programming. Classical Music Indy provides the classical music programs heard on WICR (88 ...

in which the Society broadcast

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

, apart from some hours devoted to educational programming. This gave WIAN enough hours to become a charter member of

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

in 1971. IPS sold the station to Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Broadcasting in 1988, and on March 15, 1988, it changed its

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

to WFYI-FM. Over time, the amount of classical music was decreased as the station added more news and informational programming. WFYI is the home base of the health news service Side Effects Public Media.

IRIS

WFYI 90.1 FM Public Radio carries services for the print-impaired via the Internet and a

subcarrier A subcarrier is a sideband of a radio frequency carrier wave, which is modulated to send additional information. Examples include the provision of colour in a black and white television system or the provision of stereo in a monophonic radio broa ...

(

SCA SCA may refer to: Biology and health * Sickle cell disease, also known as sickle cell anaemia * Spinocerebellar ataxia, a neurological condition * Statistical coupling analysis, a method to identify covarying pairs of amino acids in protein mult ...

) broadcast signal. It is known as the Indiana Reading and Information Services (IRIS). It was previously named Central Indiana Radio Reading, Inc. (CIRRI).

References

External links

WFYI official website
*

FYI "FYI" is a common abbreviation of "for your information" (or "for your interest"). "FYI" is commonly used in email, instant messaging and other messages to indicate an informational message, with an intent to communicate to the receiver that they ...

NPR member stations Mass media in Indianapolis Radio stations established in 1954 1954 establishments in Indiana {{Indiana-radio-station-stub