BPR News

City Mars Hill, NC
Slogan "NPR for Western North Carolina"
Format News and speech
ERP 250 watts
HAAT 389.0 meters
Class A
Facility ID 40436
Former callsigns WVMH-FM (1978-2005)
Owner Western North Carolina Public Radio, Inc.
Sister stations WCQS
Website www.bpr.org

BPR News is a 24-hour, speech-based radio station (WYQS 90.5 FM) licensed to Mars Hill, North Carolina, United States. The station is owned by Western North Carolina Public Radio, Inc. (styled as "Blue Ridge Public Radio"), owner of the area's flagship public radio station, WCQS.[1][2] The format is a mixture of NPR and BBC World Service programs, plus some locally sourced programming.

As well as being available via a number of low-power translators as far apart as Brevard, Bryson City, Hendersonville, and Waynesville[3], BPR News is carried on the second HD Radio channel for WCQS Asheville (WCQS HD-2). It is also streamed live via the Blue Ridge Public Radio mobile app and on the station's website, making it available over a much wider area than its FM reach alone would allow.[4][5][6]

History

The station went on the air as WVMH-FM on October 12, 1978 and was originally owned by Mars Hill College.

On April 12, 2005, the station changed its call sign to the current WYQS and became a full repeater of WCQS. In 2008, the station broke off and began airing programming from the BBC World Service 24 hours a day[7]. This 24-hour relay of BBC programming continued, uninterrupted, for almost a decade.

This station's transmitter was relocated to Big Knob after the Madison County, North Carolina Board of Commissioners voted to allow space to be leased on the tower there.

Relaunch as BPR News

In the spring of 2017, WCQS and its associated stations rebranded under the name "Blue Ridge Public Radio". WCQS (and its repeaters and translators) continuing to air the established format of NPR programming and classical music. At this point WYQS became the home for a new channel, BPR News, with the aim of providing listeners with the choice of an all-speech format station in addition to the established NPR/classical format on WCQS[8].

The reception areas of WCQS and BPR News overlap significantly in some areas due to the topography, giving listeners a choice of FM listening from Blue Ridge Public Radio. The station also makes efforts to push uptake of its mobile app and streaming services.

Programming

Much of BPR News is a straight simulcast of the speech-based programming on WCQS, but in time slots where WQCS airs music, BPR News carries news and talk programming, providing listeners who dislike the classical format with a choice of listening.

On weekdays, following an overnight relay of the BBC World Service, NPR's Morning Edition airs from 5 to 9 am, followed by the BBC's Newshour from 9 to 10 am, and On Point with Tom Ashbrook from 10 am till noon.

Between noon and 1 pm the station carries The State of Things with Frank Stasio, a live show produced daily by North Carolina Public Radio with help from Blue Ridge Public Radio. The program concentrates on topics of interest in North Carolina and is broadcast from WUNC, with regular contributions from BPR helping to provide perspective and input from the northwest corner of the state.

In the afternoons Here and Now goes out between 1 and 3 pm, before BPR News rejoins WCQS from 3 to 7 pm for Fresh Air with Terri Gross, All Things Considered, and Marketplace. At 7 pm the station reverts to its own schedule, with some daytime shows receiving a repeat broadcast in the evenings on BPR News before the station joins the BBC World Service at 9 pm.

Weekend programs include NPR's Weekend Edition and Weekend All Things Considered, along with a selection of NPR and locally-produced programs such as Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, Ask Me Another, A Prairie Home Companion, This American Life and The Splendid Table. Some weekend NPR programs are not simulcast, with WCQS and BPR News having individual programming at certain points across the weekend.

References

  1. ↑ "WYQS Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. ↑ "WYQS Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  3. ↑ "WNC Frequencies | Blue Ridge Public Radio". Retrieved 2017-09-23.
  4. ↑ "New Radio Station to Serve Areas in Madison, North Buncombe," Asheville Citizen-Times, November 17, 2007.
  5. ↑ Tony Kiss, "New Radio Station on the Air," Asheville Citizen-Times, October 1, 2008.
  6. ↑ "WYQS Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  7. ↑ Blake, Casey (September 5, 2014). "Answer woman: WCQS ghost stations, men in dresses". Asheville Citizen-Times.
  8. ↑ "Changes for WCQS, new station in WNC". Citizen Times. Retrieved 2017-09-23.


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