WERA-LP

Last updated

WERA-LP
Broadcast area Arlington, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Washington, D.C.
Frequency 96.7 MHz
BrandingWERA 96.7
Programming
Format Silent (previously variety)
Ownership
Owner
  • Arlington Independent Media
  • (Arlington Independent Radio)
History
First air date
December 6, 2015
(9 years ago) (2015-12-06) [1] [2]
Technical information [3]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 195167
Class L1
ERP 21 watts
HAAT 66 meters (217 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 38°53′23.60″N77°5′12.80″W / 38.8898889°N 77.0868889°W / 38.8898889; -77.0868889
Links
Public license information
LMS
Webcast Listen live
Website wera.fm

WERA-LP is a silent broadcast radio station licensed to Arlington, Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria in Virginia and Washington, D.C. [4] WERA-LP is owned and operated by Arlington Independent Media. [5] [6]

Contents

History

Arlington Independent Media (AIM) was founded in 1982, and has received funding from the Arlington County government to operate its public-access television channels since that time. It also provides studio space, equipment, and training for local residents interested in audio and video production. [7]

WERA-LP went on the air at 6 p.m. on December 6, 2015. The station carried freeform programming typical of college and community radio, staffed by volunteer disc jockeys who played what they wished. [6] Members of Arlington Independent Media are allowed to host and create their own shows, live or recorded, provided they have taken the appropriate classes and follow certain guidelines. [8]

Until 2018, AIM's agreement with the county called for it to receive one percent of revenue from taxes charged on cable subscriptions to fund operating expenses, eligibility to apply for public, educational, and government access (PEG) funds for capital expenses (also derived from a portion of cable-subscription taxes), and a studio in Clarendon provided for free by Comcast. It also received support grants directly from the county government. That year, a renegotiated franchise agreement with Comcast removed the dedicated funding from tax revenue, and additionally required AIM to begin paying rent for its studio. Community protests led to the county government reversing proposed cuts to its support and providing a small secondary studio space for audio production. [9] These funding cuts, as well as the need for AIM to compete with Arlington County Public Schools and the municipal cable channel and fiber-optic network for one pool of PEG funds, combined with dwindling cable subscriptions reducing that pool, has led to the nonprofit has since consistently running an operational deficit. [10]

In December 2023, WERA-LP began playing a loop of lofi hip-hop music because its studio-transmitter link failed. The station began efforts to move to the building housing its transmitter in Court House, but was once again held up by dependence on financial support from the county. [11] [12] In March 2024, amid accusations that AIM was improperly spending public funding on payroll and office space, Arlington County began an audit of its finances. With its access to county funds cut off, AIM was essentially forced to suspend operations and laid off its entire paid staff. [13]

WERA-LP's signal and stream were concurrently shut off at 3:30 p.m. on March 22, 2024. However, its request for special temporary authority from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to go silent was backdated to March 20; the station thus has until March 21, 2025 at 12:01 a.m. to resume broadcasting, or its license will be forfeited pursuant to the Telecommunications Act of 1996. [14]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Currier, Jennifer (November 19, 2015). "Community Radio Station WERA to Launch Dec. 6". Local News Now, LLC. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Call Sign History". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WERA-LP". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ↑ "Arbitron Station Information Profiles". Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings . Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  5. ↑ "WERA-LP Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Pauly, Megan (November 24, 2015). "A New Radio Station Gets Ready To Launch In Arlington". American University/WAMU . Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  7. ↑ Waits, Jennifer (June 28, 2016). "Radio Station Field Trip #104 – Radio Arlington Station WERA-LP".
  8. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". Arlington Independent Media . Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  9. ↑ Koma, Alex (February 28, 2019). "New Budget Could Slash County Funding for Arlington's Nonprofit TV, Radio Stations". ARLnow.
  10. ↑ "Arlington Independent Media is in a financial hole. The county says it should look elsewhere for more funding". ARLNow. August 2, 2023.
  11. ↑ DeVoe, Jo (January 26, 2024). "Why community radio station WERA 96.7 has had lo-fi beats on loop for nearly two months". ARLnow.
  12. ↑ "AIM to move headquarters but cannot yet close chapter on financial concerns". ARLNow. December 6, 2023.
  13. ↑ Egitto, Dan (March 19, 2024). "Arlington Independent Media lays off its entire staff, elects new board president and treasurer". ARLnow.
  14. ↑ "Request for Silent Authority of a Low Power FM Station Application (LMS File No. 242331)". FCC LMS.
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