| Broadcast area | Lansing-East Lansing metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 90.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | NPR WKAR |
| Programming | |
| Format | Public radio;classical music;news and talk |
| Subchannels | HD2:WKAR (AM)simulcast |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Michigan State University |
| WKAR-TV,WKAR (AM) | |
| History | |
First air date | October 4, 1948; 76 years ago (October 4, 1948) |
Call sign meaning | call letters are shared with WKAR (AM) (WKAR's call letters were assigned randomly in 1922) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 41683 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 85,000watts |
| HAAT | 269.3 meters (884 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°42′7″N84°24′48″W / 42.70194°N 84.41333°W /42.70194; -84.41333 |
| Translator(s) | HD2: 102.3 W272EM (East Lansing) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wkar.org |
WKAR-FM (90.5MHz) is anon-commercialpublicradio station inEast Lansing, Michigan. It is owned byMichigan State University, along withsister stationsWKAR (870 AM) andWKAR-TV (channel 23). They are owned byMichigan State University, withstudios in the Communication Arts and Sciences Building, at Wilson and Red Cedar Roads on the MSU campus.
WKAR-FM has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 85,000watts,grandfathered as a "Superpower" FM station. It can be heard as far east asFlint and theDetroit suburbs, and as far west asGrand Rapids andKalamazoo. Thetransmittertower is off Dobie Road inOkemos, near theRed Cedar River.[2]
On weekdays, WKAR-FM airsclassical music in middays and evenings, with news and talk shows heard at other times, includingNational Public Radio programsMorning Edition,All Things Considered andFresh Air. On weekends, classical music is heard in middays and overnight, withfolk music in the evening. Weekend NPR shows includeWait Wait... Don't Tell Me,This American Life,Code Switch andHidden Brain. Overnight, WKAR-FM carriesClassical 24.
Michigan news updates and NPR News are heard at the beginning of most hours. While WKAR-FM concentrates on classical music, WKAR AM has an all news and talk schedule.Morning Edition andAll Things Considered are heard on both stations. WKAR AM programming is also carried on WKAR-FM'sHD Radiodigital subchannel.
WKAR-FM is the primaryEmergency Alert System (EAS) station for the state of Michigan, relaying emergency messages from theMichigan State Police to all media outlets in Michigan. It hosts statewide tests twice a year. WKAR-FM is also the secondary EAS station for Lansing and the South Central Michigan region (WFMK is the primary station for the region).[3]
AfterWorld War II, what was then Michigan State College decided to add an FM station to supplement WKAR (870 AM). WKAR-FMsigned on the air on October 4, 1948.[4] It was the Lansing area's first FM station, although few people owned radios that could receive FM signals then.
Like most FM stations of the time, itsimulcast its AM sister during itssunrise to sunset broadcast hours. When the AM station had to sign off at sunset to protectWWL inNew Orleans, WKAR-FM would then carry its own signature programming which included classical music and other arts-related programs.
The two stations split their broadcasting schedules on March 1, 1965. The FM station primarily aired fine arts programming, while the AM station concentrated on news and information. The WKAR stations became charter members of NPR in 1971, and were among the 90 stations carrying the inaugural broadcast ofAll Things Considered.
WKAR-FM is a "Superpower Grandfathered"Class BFM station, providing a signal 7.6dB stronger than would be granted today under current U.S.Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules.[5] While most stations in this section of Michigan are limited to 50,000 watts, WKAR-FM is powered at 85,000 watts. WKAR-FM went on the air before theFCC rules on maximum power were established.
In January 2013, WKAR-AM-FM launched the daily news/arts radio magazineCurrent State, an hour-long program of interviews and produced reports devoted to Mid-Michigan and statewide politics, government, business, education, environment, science, technology, health, medicine and the arts. The program was broadcast Monday through Friday at 9 am and 6 pm on 90.5 FM and weekdays at noon on AM 870. It was discontinued several years later.
WKAR-FM is licensed by the FCC to broadcast usingHD Radio (hybrid) technology.[6] Until 2017, its HD signal broadcast on three streams.
HD1 is a simulcast of the analog FM signal's classical music and NPR format.
HD2 is a simulcast ofWKAR (870AM), continuing from local sunset to sunrise when the AM station is not broadcasting. It is also simulcast on a low-powered translator at 102.3 FM giving most of the Lansing area access to a locally focused NPR news and talk station. It originally was a simulcast of theClassical 24 music channel. That service airs on the main signal from 7 pm to 5 am.
HD3 was a simulcast of WKAR AM; it was also simulcast on a low-powered translator at 105.1 FM. On June 30, 2017, WKAR-FM ended its HD3 subchannel.[7] The Classical 24 stream is available on the WKAR website, along with streams of the Lansing area'sradio reading service as well as ajazz channel. Currently, the HD2 subchannel simulcasts WKAR 870 AM.
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