WUGA (FM)

WUGA
City Athens, Georgia
Broadcast area Northeast Georgia
(Atlanta market)
Frequency 91.7 FM
Translator(s) W250AC 97.9 Athens
First air date August 28, 1987
Format public radio
ERP 6,000 watts
HAAT 99 meters
Class A
Transmitter coordinates 33°55′13″N 83°14′46″W / 33.92028°N 83.24611°W / 33.92028; -83.24611 (WUGA)
Callsign meaning University of GeorgiA
Owner Georgia Public Broadcasting
(operated by University of Georgia under outsourcing agreement)
(Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission)
Webcast http://www.wuga.org/wuga-hi.m3u
Website http://www.wuga.org/

WUGA (91.7 FM) is the Georgia Public Broadcasting public radio station serving Athens and much of the northeast part of Georgia. It is a member of Georgia Public Broadcasting's radio network, but is operated by the University of Georgia, with studios located at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education on the UGA campus. The transmitter is located east-southeast of Athens.

The station's programming consists of classical music, news and public affairs, jazz, drama, comedy and folk music from GPB Radio, as well as locally produced content.[1]

Since 1993, the station has operated a low-powered translator, W250AC at 97.9. This "fill-in" transmitter was added to improve reception in the downtown Athens area, which can be poor due to terrain shielding and the main transmitter's relatively modest power (6,000 watts). The University of Georgia also owns a student-operated college radio station WUOG (90.5), which broadcasts and transmits from another location on campus.

On March 1, 2010, UGA announced budget cuts that, if approved, would have resulted in the closure of WUGA, or at least the end of locally produced programming on the station, as in all likelihood it would have defaulted to GPB management and become a full-time relay of the GPB network.[2] However, as of January 20, 2011, WUGA remains operated by UGA, and during the early 2010s its operations were consolidated with WUGA-TV, a television station UGA owned at the time.[3]

Supposed translators

There are two other supposed translators which are listed in the FCC database as relays of the station. However, these are licensed to Radio Assist Ministry, a company not associated with GPB or UGA. They are not listed by GPB, or given a station ID on the air, making them highly questionable. It appears that RAM may be committing an abuse of process by listing non-commercial educational (NCE) radio stations as the source for its translators in order to avoid broadcast license fees, then selling them for a profit.

Call sign Frequency
(MHz) 		City of license FCC info
W250AC 97.9 Athens, Georgia FCC
W243CE 96.5 Winder, Georgia FCC
W248AG 97.5 Commerce, Georgia FCC

There was a third such translator, W300BF 107.9 MHz in Commerce, Georgia, which, under RAM, repeated WUGA; that repeater was sold to Athens Christian Radio, Inc. in 2007, and was said by FCC records to have switched its programming source to WMJE in Clarkesville.[4]

References

  1. ↑ About
  2. ↑ Shearer, Lee (March 1, 2010). "UGA budget idea include silencing WUGA, laying off 1,400, closing 4-H". Athens Banner-Herald. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
  3. ↑ Melancon, Merritt (January 20, 2011). "WUGA-TV aims to fit in with GPB, increase local focus". Athens Banner-Herald. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  4. ↑ FCC data for W300BF
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