WESA

For Wapeneienaars van Suid-Afrika (WESA), see Gun Owners of South Africa.

WESA

City	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Broadcast area	Pittsburgh metropolitan area
Branding	90.5 WESA
Slogan	Pittsburgh's NPR News Station
Frequency	90.5 MHz (also on HD Radio) 90.5 HD-2 for JazzWorks 90.5 HD-3 for BBC World Service
First air date	1949 (as WDUQ)
Format	public radio
ERP	25,000 watts
HAAT	146 meters
Class	B
Facility ID	17747
Former callsigns	WDUQ (1949-2011)
Affiliations	National Public Radio Public Radio International American Public Media
Owner	Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation
Sister stations	WYEP
Webcast	Live stream
Website	www.wesa.fm

WESA (90.5 FM) is a public radio station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The station broadcasts at 90.5 MHz with an ERP of 25 kW. WESA is a full member station of NPR and is also affiliated with Public Radio International and American Public Media.

History

Prior to being WESA, the station had the call sign WDUQ, owned by Duquesne University. As of fall 2001, WDUQ was the most listened-to public radio outlet in Pittsburgh.^[1]

WDUQ began broadcasting on December 15, 1949 as a student laboratory on the Duquesne University campus, exposing students to new technology and giving local audiences access to cultural programs and information. As each decade passed, WDUQ evolved as public radio grew and changed across the United States.

WDUQ was the home of the popular NPR news programs such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered as well as Car Talk and other programs. The station also had a significant local and regional news effort, including in-depth coverage of a variety of issues. The station also produced and distributed programming heard on public radio stations nationwide. It was also known as the main outlet for jazz in Pittsburgh.

The station began carrying the programming of the newly formed Radio Information Service in 1976, a reading service for the visually impaired and print-handicapped on a sub-carrier channel. WDUQ entered into a management agreement to handle RIS's day-to-day business operations in late 2005.

In 2006, WDUQ began to improve its signal strength to several distant communities. Broadcast translators now relay the main signal at FM 100.5 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, FM 104.1 in Somerset, Pennsylvania, FM 92.3 in New Baltimore, Pennsylvania serving the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and FM 104.1 in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.^[2]

Relationship with Duquesne University

In October, 2007, WDUQ engendered controversy relative to corporate underwriting it received from Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania.^[3] In exchange for a gift in excess of $5000, WDUQ began airing a series of ads for Planned Parenthood on October 8, 2007 that focused on breast and cervical cancer screening, STD treatment, and abstinence education, and which did not mention abortion-related services; Planned Parenthood, however, is the largest provider of abortions in the United States.^[4] On October 10, Duquesne University President Dr. Charles J. Dougherty ordered the station to return the money and cease airing the ads, citing conflict with the university's Catholic identity.^[3]

Sale and rebranding

Duquesne University announced in January 2010 that it would be searching for options to sell WDUQ. According to a spokesperson for the university, "Over the years, DUQ has evolved into a station that is virtually independent of the university. This could be an opportunity for Duquesne to reallocate assets for the enhancement of our educational enterprise and for the station to thrive on its own".^[5] Duquesne University decided to find a qualified buyer for WDUQ and its related frequencies.^[6] On January 14, 2011, it was announced that the university had accepted an offer from Essential Public Media, a joint venture between WYEP and Public Media Company, a subsidiary of public media proponent, brokerage and consultancy Public Radio Capital. Proceeds of the sale were to support new endowed chairs in African Studies and Mission Studies and endowments for stipends for graduate students and "scholarships to increase diversity in the student body".^[7]^[8] The station's production facility moved to WYEP's Community Broadcast Center on the South Side and certain back-office functions were combined. WDUQ adopted a new call sign, WESA, upon the completion of the sale.^[9]

On July 1, 2011, the new management implemented a change in format, airing NPR news and talk programming on the air, with full-time jazz programing available on HD radio or through the web. On September 15, 2011 the sale was finalized. The station operated under the branding "Essential Public Radio" for several months in 2012 before adopting the call letters as their official form of branding.

References

↑ McCoy, Adrian (February 2, 2002). "Public radio keeps its place in ratings". The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh). Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
↑ "WDUQ, radio for the blind team up". Pittsburgh Business Times (Pittsburgh). October 31, 2005. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
1 2 Hamill, Sean D (October 17, 2007). "Public Radio Station Halts Planned Parenthood Spots". The New York Times (New York). Retrieved March 21, 2010.
↑ McCoy, Adrian (October 16, 2007). "WDUQ, Duquesne University draw flak on ad ban". The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh). Retrieved March 21, 2010.
↑ Sostek, Anya (January 8, 2010). "School trying to sell WDUQ radio". The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh). Retrieved March 21, 2010.
↑ Seyler, Dave (15 January 2011). "Pittsburgh noncom FM finds philosophically-desirable buyer". Radio & Television Business Report. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
↑ "WYEP & Public Media Co. to Acquire WDUQ" (Press release). WYEP. January 14, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
↑ WDUQ News (January 14, 2011). "Duquesne Sells 90.5 FM". WDUQ News Blog. WDUQ. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
↑ "Details in on jazzy noncom Pittsburgh purchase". Radio Business Report. May 6, 2011. Retrieved May 6, 2011.

External links

Official website

Query the FCC's FM station database for WESA

Radio-Locator information on WESA

Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WESA

Radio stations in the Pittsburgh market

By FM frequency	88.1 88.1 88.3 88.7 88.9 89.3 90.1 90.5 91.3 91.7 92.1 92.1 92.5 92.9 93.7 94.5 94.9 95.3 95.7 96.1 96.9 97.7 98.3 98.9 99.3 99.7 100.1 100.7 101.1 101.5 102.5 103.1 103.5 103.7 103.9 104.3 104.7 105.1 105.9 106.3 106.7 107.1 107.5 107.9

By AM frequency	540 590 620 660 680 730 770 810 860 910 940 970 1020¹ 1080 1150 1210 1250 1280 1320 1360 1380 1410 1450 1460 1480 1490 1510 1550 1570 1640 ¹ Clear-channel stations with extended nighttime coverage

NOAA Weather Radio frequency	162.550

Digital Radio	89.3-1 89.3-2 90.5-1 90.5-2 90.5-3 91.3-1 92.9-1 92.9-2 92.9-3 92.9-4 93.7-1 93.7-2 94.5-1 94.5-2 96.1-1 96.1-2 96.9-1 96.9-2 96.9-3 96.9-4 99.7-1 100.7-1 100.7-2 100.7-3 102.5-1 102.5-2 104.7-1 104.7-2 105.9-1 105.9-2 107.9-1 107.9-2

By callsign	KDKA¹ KDKA-FM KFX300 KIH35 KQV W261AX WAMO WANB WAOB WAOB-FM WAVL WBGG WBJV WBUT WBVP WBZZ WCAL WCNS WCYJ WDIG WDSY-FM WDVE WEDO WEGW WESA WFSJ-LP WFGI WGBN WGLZ WHJB WISR WIUP WJAS WJPA WJPA-FM WJST WKBN WKFB WKGO WKHB WKPL WKST WKST-FM WKVE WLCY WLER WLSW WLTJ WMBA WMBS WMNY WHOT WMUG-LP WNJR WOGG WOGH WOGI WOHI WORD WPGB WPGP WPGR WPHP WPIT WPKL WPKV WPTS-FM WQED WQMU WQTW WRCT WRRK WSHH WSRU WTYM WUKL WVKF WVNP WWCS WWNL WWSW WWVA WXDX WYEP WYFU WYZR WZUM

Defunct	WKZV 1110 AM WASP 1130 AM WBGI 1340 AM WSTV 1340 AM WZUM 1590 AM

Pennsylvania radio markets Allentown–Bethlehem Altoona Bradford–Coudersport Chambersburg–Waynesboro Erie Harrisburg–Lebanon–Carlisle Lancaster Montrose New Castle Philadelphia Pittsburgh Reading Sayre–Towanda–Mansfield–Wellsboro Wilkes-Barre–Scranton Williamsport York Other Pennsylvania radio regions Bedford Indiana Johnstown Lewistown–Mifflintown Meadville–Franklin Punxsutawney–DuBois St. Marys–Emporium–Kane State College Stroudsburg Sunbury–Selinsgrove–Lewisburg Warren Mass media in the Pittsburgh Area Radio stations TV stations Newspapers See also List of radio stations in Pennsylvania

Radio stations in the Johnstown, Pennsylvania market

By AM frequency	560 850 990 1160 1230 1400 1450 1490

By FM frequency	88.9 89.7 90.7 92.1 95.5 96.5 97.3 97.7 98.5 99.1 100.5 101.7 105.1 105.7

NOAA Weather Radio frequency	162.4

By callsign	WCCL WCRO WCCS WDAD WESA WFGI-FM WFRB WFRJ WJHT WKGE WKYE WLGY WLKH WLKJ WLLI WMUG-LP WNTJ WPCL WQED-FM WRKW WXM33 WWGE WYRA

Defunct	WNCC/950 WBHV/1330 WRDD/1580

Pennsylvania radio markets Allentown–Bethlehem Altoona Bradford–Coudersport Chambersburg–Waynesboro Erie Harrisburg–Lebanon–Carlisle Lancaster Montrose New Castle Philadelphia Pittsburgh Reading Sayre–Towanda–Mansfield–Wellsboro Wilkes-Barre–Scranton Williamsport York Other Pennsylvania radio regions Bedford Indiana Johnstown Lewistown–Mifflintown Meadville–Franklin Punxsutawney–DuBois St. Marys–Emporium–Kane State College Stroudsburg Sunbury–Selinsgrove–Lewisburg Warren See also List of radio stations in Pennsylvania

Radio stations in the Bedford, Pennsylvania market

By FM frequency	90.7 91.1 92.3 98.1 100.9 101.7 104.3 107.5

By AM frequency	1040 1310 1600

By callsign	W214AB W222AP WAYC WAYC-FM WBFD WBVE WCCL WFGY WSKE WUFR WZSK

Defunct	WRAX

Pennsylvania radio markets Allentown–Bethlehem Altoona Bradford–Coudersport Chambersburg–Waynesboro Erie Harrisburg–Lebanon–Carlisle Lancaster Montrose New Castle Philadelphia Pittsburgh Reading Sayre–Towanda–Mansfield–Wellsboro Wilkes-Barre–Scranton Williamsport York Other Pennsylvania radio regions Bedford Indiana Johnstown Lewistown–Mifflintown Meadville–Franklin Punxsutawney–DuBois St. Marys–Emporium–Kane State College Stroudsburg Sunbury–Selinsgrove–Lewisburg Warren See also List of radio stations in Pennsylvania

NPR member stations in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Penn State University stations	Kane WPSX State College WPSU

Temple University stations	Jackson Township WRTY Ephrata WRTL Philadelphia WRTI Summerdale WJAZ Coatesville WRTJ

WQED stations	Johnstown WQEJ Pittsburgh WQED

WVIA stations	Scranton WVIA Williamsport WVYA

Other stations	Allentown WDIY Erie WQLN Harrisburg WITF Philadelphia WHYY Philadelphia WXPN Pittsburgh WESA Pittsburgh WYEP

See also List of NPR stations

See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Pennsylvania

Coordinates: 40°25′48″N 79°59′12″W / 40.43004°N 79.98654°W / 40.43004; -79.98654

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