| City | Wilkesboro, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 90.9 MHz |
| Format | Album Adult Alternative/Americana (rebroadcasts WNCW) |
| ERP | 1,000 Watts |
| HAAT | -52.0 meters |
| Class | A |
| Facility ID | 72460 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 36°8′12.00″N81°11′0.00″W / 36.1366667°N 81.1833333°W |
| Owner | Isothermal Community College |
| Webcast | http://www.wncw.org/ListenLive.html |
| Website | wncw.org |
WSIF (90.9 FM) is a radio station with an Album Adult Alternative/Americana format, rebroadcasting the programming of station WNCW.
FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM) technology. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is capable of better sound quality than AM broadcasting, the chief competing radio broadcasting technology, so it is used for most music broadcasts. Theoretically wideband AM can offer equally good sound quality, provided the reception conditions are ideal. FM radio stations use the VHF frequencies. The term "FM band" describes the frequency band in a given country which is dedicated to FM broadcasting.
Americana is an amalgam of American music formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the musical ethos of the United States, specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, gospel, and other external influences. Americana, as defined by the Americana Music Association (AMA), is "contemporary music that incorporates elements of various mostly acoustic American roots music styles, including country, roots rock, folk, gospel and bluegrass resulting in a distinctive roots-oriented sound that lives in a world apart from the pure forms of the genres upon which it may draw. While acoustic instruments are often present and vital, Americana also often uses a full electric band."
WNCW is a non-commercial public radio station licensed to serve Spindale, North Carolina. Owned by Isothermal Community College, the station broadcasts a varied format including folk, blues, jazz, reggae, Celtic, world, rock, bluegrass, indie, and news.
It is owned and operated by Isothermal Community College in Spindale, North Carolina, which took over the station on January 5, 2010. [1]
Isothermal Community College (ICC) is a community college in Spindale, North Carolina. Named after its location in the thermal belt, an area in the foothills of Western North Carolina with significantly milder temperatures than its immediate neighboring areas, it is part of the North Carolina Community College System.
Spindale is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,321 at the 2010 census.
Previously, the station was owned and operated by Wilkes Community College, Wilkesboro, North Carolina. According to FCC filings in May 2008, the school decided to end its broadcasting program, and requested permission to remain silent while the license was transferred to another educational institution. At the expiration of the six month "Stay Silent" authorization in November 2008, the College asked for an extension of the order to finalize the details of the transfer to an unspecified community college.
Wilkes Community College (WCC), a member of the North Carolina Community College System, is a public, two-year, open-door institution serving the people of Wilkes, Ashe and Alleghany counties and beyond. The college is located in the city of Wilkesboro, North Carolina in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Brushy Mountains. The college is probably best known as the site of the annual MerleFest music festival.
Wilkesboro is a town in and the county seat of Wilkes County, North Carolina. The population was 3,413 at the 2010 census. The town is located along the south bank of the Yadkin River, directly opposite the town of North Wilkesboro. Wilkesboro is a Small Town Main Street community and has recently revitalized its historic downtown to include the Carolina West Wireless Community Commons, Wilkes Communications Pavilion, Heritage Square and Splash Pad. Cub Creek Park is adjacent to the downtown and contains many amenities to include baseball, walking trails, mountain biking trails, trout fishing, dog park, basketball, tennis, and pickleball courts, picnic shelters, etc. Wilkesboro is also the home of the annual MerleFest and Carolina in the Fall festivals.
In 2009, Isothermal Community College acquired the license of WSIF, Wilkesboro, North Carolina, formerly operated by Wilkes Community College. WSIF began simulcasting WNCW programming in January, 2010.
