Summary
WMFE-FM (90.7 MHz) is a listener-supported FM radio station in Orlando, Florida, owned by Community Communications, Inc. WMFE-FM is Central Florida's National Public Radio (NPR) member station, with a format of news and information. Most programming is simulcast on WMFV (89.5 FM) in Cedar Creek, Florida. The radio studios are on East Colonial Drive in Orlando.
 | |
| Broadcast area | Central Florida |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 90.7 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Central Florida Public Media |
| Programming | |
| Format | Public radio |
| Subchannels | HD2: Classical |
| Affiliations | NPR, APM, PRX, BBCWS |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Community Communications, Inc. |
| WMFV | |
| History | |
First air date | July 14, 1980 |
Call sign meaning | Mid-Florida Educational |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 12857 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 98,000 watts |
| HAAT | 223 m (732 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 28°36′9″N 81°5′36″W / 28.60250°N 81.09333°W |
| Links | |
Public license information |
|
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WMFE-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the maximum for non-grandfathered FM stations. The transmitter is on TV Tower Road in Bithlo, Florida, amid the towers for other Orlando-area FM and TV stations.[2]
History edit
On July 14, 1980, the station signed on. In its early years, it played a mix of classical music and jazz, along with news and information from NPR. The jazz music was dropped in 1983. Prior to that year, NPR programming was only available on a part-time basis via University of Central Florida station WUCF-FM (WFTU-FM until 1978), leaving Orlando as the largest radio market in the nation without a full-time public radio station.
Over time, the music shows were replaced with more public radio informational shows. In November 2009, the primary HD1 channel switched to an all-news/talk format with programs from NPR and other public radio sources. The HD2 digital subchannel became the source for classical music, with some weekend specialty music.
In April 2011, Community Communications announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to sell PBS member sister station WMFE-TV to the Daystar Television Network, due to economic conditions. The organization said it would keep WMFE-FM's radio station and call sign, since its listener contributions were able to meet expenses.[3][4][5][6]
The sale of WMFE-TV to Daystar was later canceled.[7] Instead, Community Communications sold the television station in 2012 to the University of Central Florida, which intended to keep the PBS programming. The TV station's call letters switched to WUCF-TV.[8]
On September 25, 2017, it was announced that WMFE-FM would acquire WKSG in Cedar Creek, Florida, (near Ocala) from Daystar Public Radio, Inc. Upon approval of the deal, WMFE-FM switched the format on WKSG to public radio news/talk. It provides public radio coverage to underserved areas of Central Florida, including portions of Lake and Marion counties. The call letters on WKSG were changed to WMFV, similar to WMFE's call sign.[9]
On April 3, 2024, WMFE rebranded as "Central Florida Public Media".[10]
Previous logo edit
References edit
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WMFE-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/WMFE
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 2, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Boedeker, Hal (April 1, 2011). "WMFE selling its Orlando TV station". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 29, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ [1] Archived April 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "WMFE says deal to sell TV station is off, seeks better offer – the TV Guy – Orlando Sentinel". Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ^ "WMFE to sell Channel 24 license, equipment to UCF – the TV Guy – Orlando Sentinel". Archived from the original on June 24, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ 90.7 WMFE is getting a sister station 90.7 WMFE, September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
- ^ WMFE Rebrands as Central Florida Public Media Radioinsight - April 4, 2024
External links edit
- Official website
- WMFE in the FCC FM station database
- WMFE in Nielsen Audio's FM station database