.svg) | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Tampa Bay area |
| Frequency | 89.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | WUSF News |
| Programming | |
| Format | Public Radio -News - Talk |
| Subchannels | HD2:Classical music (simulcast ofWSMR) |
| Affiliations | National Public Radio American Public Media Public Radio Exchange BBC World Service |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | University of South Florida |
| WSMR | |
| History | |
First air date | September 1963; 61 years ago (1963-09) |
Call sign meaning | University of South Florida |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 69122 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 69,000watts |
| HAAT | 295 meters (968 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 27°50′53.00″N82°15′48.00″W / 27.8480556°N 82.2633333°W /27.8480556; -82.2633333 |
| Translator(s) | HD2: 103.9 W280DW (Tampa) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wusf.org |
WUSF (89.7FM) is aNational Public Radio (NPR)member station in theTampa Bay area. It islicensed toTampa and owned by theUniversity of South Florida. WUSF isnon-commercial and listener-supported. The station'sformat features news and talk programming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, provided by NPR and other public radio networks. The studios and offices are on East Fowler Avenue in Tampa, on the USF campus.
WUSF is aClass C1 FM station. It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 69,000watts. Thetransmitter is on Boyette Road at Mosaic Drive inRiverview, Florida.[1] WUSF broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. Its HD2digital subchannel featuresclassical music fromsister station 89.1WSMR. That programming feeds 250-wattFM translatorW280DW at 103.9 MHz.
WUSFsigned on the air in September 1963; 61 years ago (1963-09).[2] That was seven years after USF's founding in 1956. It joined NPR in 1976. It was the first public radio station in the country-—and the first station of any kind in Florida-—to broadcast usingHD radio technology.[3]
In 2010, USF acquiredChristian radio stationWSMR 89.1 MHz inSarasota. It was previously owned byNorthwestern College ofRoseville, Minnesota.[4] At the time, WUSF aired a mix of news and information shows along withclassical music. USF planned to change WSMR's format to classical music, available around the clock. WSMR inherited the classical music library of WUSF. With WSMR becoming a full-time classical station, WUSF could switch to a format of NPR news along with nighttimejazz programming. WSMR's coverage area is mainly in the Sarasota-Bradenton area, but the station's programming would also be available online and on WUSF's HD2digital subchannel.
WUSF's format was scheduled to be changed on September 15, 2010.[5] But its relaunch was delayed due to technical problems.[6] WSMR's sale to USF also includedFM translator station W280DW, a repeater of WSMR, that broadcasts on 103.9 MHz. It is based inBrandon and servesPasco and northernHillsborough counties. The translator continued rebroadcasting WSMR, with its new classical music format.[7]
Two weeks after the failed launch of classical replacement WSMR, station management came under public scrutiny.[8] Critics thought the staff neglected to perform due diligence regarding the purchase of the WSMR transmitter. According to an article in theBradenton Herald:
On October 20, 2022, WUSF announced that it would drop jazz programming later that month.[9] It would have a schedule of all spoken-word programming, with news, information and talk shows, along with theBBC World Service airing overnight. In 2023, WUSF launched its online jazz programming.[10]
