WXXI-FM (91.5

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 In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

, listener-supported

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...

, airing a classical music

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when radio was compelle ...

. Its programs can also be heard in

Houghton Houghton may refer to: Places Australia * Houghton, South Australia, a town near Adelaide * Houghton Highway, the longest bridge in Australia, between Redcliffe and Brisbane in Queensland * Houghton Island (Queensland) Canada *Houghton Township, ...

on WXXY 90.3 FM and also on a digital subchannel of WXXI-TV on 22.7. They are owned by the WXXI Public Broadcasting Council, which also owns WXXI-TV,

WRUR-FM WRUR-FM is a radio station located in the Rochester, New York area and broadcasts at 88.5 FM. Its transmitter is located on Pinnacle Hill in Rochester. WRUR-FM is the public radio station of the University of Rochester. It partners with WXXI Pub ...

and news/information-formatted AM station WXXI

1370 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1370 kHz: 1370 AM is a regional broadcast frequency, on which Class B and D stations broadcast. Argentina * LRA 54 in Ingeniero Jacobacci, Rio Negro * Trece 70 in Isidro Casanova, Bueno ...

. WXXI-FM holds periodic

fundraiser Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

s on the air to support the station. WXXI-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 h ...

(ERP) of 45,000

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 ...

s. The

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

is located on Pinnacle Hill in Brighton. It is co-located with the

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s for several Rochester FM and TV stations.

History

On , 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 ...

the air. It broadcast from the new WXXI studios at 280 State Street in Rochester. While its initial format was a mixture of classical music, folk music, jazz, news and talk, WXXI-FM became a predominantly classical station after the 1975 format change of

WBFB WBFB (97.1 MHz, "97-1 The Bear") is a commercial FM radio station in Bangor, Maine. The station is owned by Blueberry Broadcasting and airs a country music radio format, simulcast on sister stations WBFE in Bar Harbor and WMCM in Rockland. T ...

92.5 from classical to all-news radio. WBFB donated its classical music library to WXXI-FM, and WBFB program director Simon Pontin soon joined WXXI-FM as its morning host. On July 2, 1984, WXXI shifted most of its news programming, including

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 ...

's ''

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 ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'', to its new second service, WXXI

. With the exception of some weekend and evening specialty programming, WXXI-FM became a full-time classical music service. The station that is now WXXY originally signed on in 1979 as WJSL. It was the college radio station of

Houghton College Houghton University is a private Christian liberal arts college in Houghton, New York. Houghton was founded in 1883 by Willard J. Houghton and is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church.

. Houghton sold the station to WXXI in the late 1990s.Site of the Week 7/9/2021: Wellsville and Alfred, NY
Retrieved July 9, 2021. In 2007, WXXI-FM added HD Radio service, offering a simulcast of WXXI (AM) on its HD2 channel and a third service of news and information on its HD3 channel.

Programming

* WXXI-FM originates broadcasts of the

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is an American orchestra based in the city of Rochester, New York. Its primary concert venue is the Eastman Theatre at the Eastman School of Music. History George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Compa ...

, hosted by Brenda Tremblay. * WXXI-FM also originates the national program ''With Heart and Voice'', hosted first by the late Richard Gladwell and currently by Peter DuBois. It features sacred choral and organ music. * Local live music broadcasts include ''Live from Hochstein'' and ''Backstage Pass''.

References

External links

* {{coord, 43.135, N, 77.584, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title Classical music radio stations in the United States XXI-FM NPR member stations