| Blue Ridge Public RadioFlagship Station | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| |
| Broadcast area | Western North Carolina |
| Frequency | 88.1MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding |
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| Programming | |
| Format | Public radio (news/talk) |
| Subchannels | HD2:Simulcast ofWYQS |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Western North Carolina Public Radio, Inc. |
| WYQS | |
| History | |
First air date | August 28, 1975; 50 years ago (1975-08-28) |
Former call signs | WUNF-FM (1974–1984) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 71923 |
| Class | C3 |
| ERP | 1,900watts |
| HAAT | 356 meters (1,168 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 35°35′23″N82°40′25″W / 35.589806°N 82.673722°W /35.589806; -82.673722 |
| Translators |
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| Repeater | See§ Repeaters |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
WCQS (88.1FM) is anon-commercialpublic radiostation inAsheville, North Carolina, servingWestern North Carolina. It airs anews and talkradio format and is owned by Western North Carolina Public Radio, Inc.[2][3] It airs programming fromNPR,American Public Media and thePublic Radio Exchange and is theflagship station ofBlue Ridge Public Radio. It carries locally produced news and music shows, under theBPR News branding. TheBBC World Service is heard overnight.
WCQS is aClass C3 station. It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 1,900watts, with anFCCconstruction permit to increase power to 5,000 watts.[4] Thetransmitter is on High Top Mountain Road in Asheville.[5] Serving 14 counties across the mountainous terrain of Western North Carolina requires Blue Ridge Public Radio to broadcast on a host ofsister stations andFM translators to effectively reach its audience.[6] It can also be heard online via the Blue Ridge Public Radio app, and on the BPR website.
WCQS began August 28, 1975,[7] as WUNF-FM, a 10-watt station (later upgraded to 110-watt station) operated by theUniversity of North Carolina at Asheville from the Lipinski Student Center. Western North Carolina Public Radio bought the station in 1984, changed thecall sign to WCQS, and immediately secured a membership agreement with NPR. While most of the station's coverage area was served bySouth Carolina Educational Radio'sUpstate outlet,WEPR inGreenville, WNCPR wanted to build a station that would be tailored to the area's interests.
Eventually, the station increased its power to 1,600 watts, still a fairly modest level for a full NPR member on the FM band. This may be due to the need to protectWRVL inLynchburg, Virginia, located at adjacent 88.3. As a result, even though its transmitter is located 3,609 feet (1,100 m) above sea level, its coverage area is effectively limited to Asheville and its close-in suburbs inBuncombe,Haywood andHenderson counties.
In 2005, WNCPR bought WVMH, a radio station operated byMars Hill College, and changed its call sign toWYQS. Originally a straightsimulcast of WCQS, it broke off in 2008 to air the BBC World Service full-time, and continued to do so until early 2017.
In the summer of 2010, Jody Evans joined WCQS as executive director, replacing Ed Subkis, who had held the job for 18 years. Evans wanted WCQS to become a source for news and information, and she planned on more local news coverage and working with other news media. One joint project was live broadcasts fromBrevard Music Center, which would use the resources ofWDAV in theCharlotte area.[8]
Evans said in February 2011 that WCQS would have more emphasis on local news, and that David Hurand's evening showsByline,Conversations, andEvening Rounds would be dropped. Hurand added local news reports during the more popular showsMorning Edition andAll Things Considered. New national shows being added includedMarketplace andThe Splendid Table.[9]
On March 24, 2013, WCQS added WMQS at 88.5 FM, to serve theMurphy area.[10]
July 2015 saw the arrival of a new general manager and CEO, David Feingold.[11] Matt Bush replaced Hurand as News Editor the following year.
In the spring of 2017, WCQS and its associated stations rebranded as "Blue Ridge Public Radio". WCQS (and its repeaters and translators) became "BPR Classic", retaining their established format of NPR programming andclassical music. As part of the relaunch, on March 6, 2017, WYQS relaunched as "BPR News", an all news-and-talk station airing BBC and NPR programming around the clock.[12] Its launch ended the 24-hour carriage of the BBC World Service after almost a decade.
Since WYQS operates at only 100 watts, it is available on WCQS'sHD Radiosubchannel WCQS HD-2 and online.
On October 11, 2022, Blue Ridge Public Radio announced that it would swap the formats of WCQS and WYQS on October 31, with "BPR News" airing on WCQS and its satellites and "BPR Classic" moving to WYQS andWZQS.[13]
WCQS operates two full-powered rebroadcasters: WFQS inFranklin at 91.3 FM and WMQS inMurphy at 88.5 FM. In addition, there are nine low-powered translators to serve its vast and mountainous coverage area.
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | Facility ID | Class | ERP (W) | Height (m (ft)) | Transmitter coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WFQS | 91.3 FM | Franklin, North Carolina | 71880 | C3 | 265 | 702 meters (2,303 ft) | 35°10′24.3″N83°34′51.5″W / 35.173417°N 83.580972°W /35.173417; -83.580972 (WFQS) |
| WMQS | 88.5 FM | Murphy, North Carolina | 173770 | A | 49 | 196 meters (643 ft) | 35°7′37.3″N84°1′34.6″W / 35.127028°N 84.026278°W /35.127028; -84.026278 (WMQS) |
The Bryson City and Highlands translators are nominally part of the WFQS license. However, WFQS is a straight simulcast of WCQS.
The reception areas of WCQS and WYQS overlap significantly in some areas due to the topography, giving listeners more programming choices. The station also makes efforts to push uptake of its mobile app and streaming services.
These are former translators that have been moved to new frequencies:
On October 31, 2022, W213BX swapped places with W268CL, which was simulcastingWCQS-HD2.[16]