WERN

Public radio station in Madison, Wisconsin

This article is about the American FM radio station. For the German river, see Wern.

WERN

* Madison, Wisconsin

Broadcast area| Madison, Wisconsin
Frequency| 88.7 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding| Wisconsin Public Radio
Programming
Format| Public radio \- News and Talk
Subchannels| HD2: WPR Music
Affiliations| NPR
American Public Media
Classical 24
Ownership
Owner| Wisconsin Educational Communications Board

Sister stations

| WHA
History

First air date

| March 30, 1947; 78 years ago (1947-03-30)

Former call signs

| WHA-FM (1947–1974)

Call sign meaning

| Wisconsin Educational Radio Network (early branding for network)
Technical information[1]

Licensing authority

| FCC
Facility ID| 63030
Class| B
ERP| 20,500 watts
HAAT| 385 meters (1,263 ft)
Translator(s)| HD2: 90.5 W213CE (Madison)
HD2: 107.9 W300BM (Madison)
Links

Public license information

* Public file
* LMS

Webcast| Listen Live
Website| wpr.org

WERN (88.7 FM) is a non-commercial public radio station in Madison, Wisconsin. It is part of Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR), and is the flagship of WPR's News Network along with AM sister station WHA. The studios are on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Vilas Communication Hall, 821 University Avenue in Madison.

WERN is a Class B FM station, with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 20,500 watts. The transmitter and antenna are located at the Madison Community Tower, located adjacent to South Pleasant View Road on Madison's southwest side in the Junction Ridge neighborhood. The tower is shared with WHA-TV, both of the WPR Music translators serving the Madison area, WIBA-FM, and many other broadcast and land mobile radio services.[2] WERN broadcasts using HD Radio technology.[3] Its HD-2 digital subchannel carries the WPR Music network and feeds FM translators W213CE at 90.5 MHz and W300BM at 107.9.[4]

## History

[edit]

The station signed on the air on March 30, 1947; 78 years ago (1947-03-30).[5] It was the first FM station in the network that would become Wisconsin Public Radio. The call sign was WHA-FM, co-owned with its sister station, WHA 970 AM. At first, the two stations simulcast their programming, a mix of classical music, news, university lectures and public affairs shows. Originally WHA 970 was a daytimer station. When it had to go off the air at night, 88.7 WHA-FM continued its programming.

By the late 1960s, WHA-FM began airing some programming that was separate from 970 AM. Eventually, simulcasting was reduced and the FM station sought its own identity. The call letters became WERN in 1974.[6]

Because WHA-FM/WERN began broadcasting before current maximum levels were set by the Federal Communications Commission, the station's signal is grandfathered. It runs at a higher power for its height above average terrain (HAAT) than would be permitted today. It covers a large area which affords WPR News a strong signal across Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois including the Rockford area and Metro Milwaukee.

As part of a major realignment of WPR's offerings which took effect on May 20, 2024; WHA and WERN became the flagships of the WPR News Network, successor to the Ideas Network. Two low-powered translators that served to improve WHA's coverage when that station dramatically reduces its power at sunset aired the all-classical WPR Music network after this realignment occurred.[7] The change substantially improved coverage of NPR news programming in Madison, since WERN penetrates further into south-central Wisconsin, and into buildings, than the two translators.

## See also

[edit]

* Wisconsin Public Radio

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WERN". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. ^ Radio-Locator.com/WERN
3. ^ "HD Radio Guide for Madison, Wisconsin"
4. ^ Radio-Locator.com/W213CE
5. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-233, Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved Aug. 25, 2023.
6. ^ http://www.wpr.org/about/hd_innovation.cfm [dead link]
7. ^ "Welcome to the new WPR!". WPR. Retrieved April 10, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Wisconsin Public Radio
*   * Facility details for Facility ID 63030 (WERN) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
* WERN in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
* Facility details for Facility ID 83023 (W213CE) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
* W213CE at FCCdata.org

* v
* t
* e

Radio stations in the Madison metropolitan area, Wisconsin

By AM frequency|

* 810
* 900
* 940
* 970
* 1070
* 1190
* 1240
* 1260
* 1310
* 1350
* 14801
* 1550
* 1580
* 1670

By FM frequency|

* 88.1
* 88.7
* 89.5
* 89.9
* 90.3
* 91.3
* 91.7
* 92.1
* 92.7
* 93.1
* 93.7
* 94.1
* 94.9
* 95.9
* 96.3
* 98.1
* 99.3
* 99.9
* 100.1
* 100.5
* 101.5
* 102.5
* 104.1
* 105.1
* 105.5
* 105.9
* 106.3
* 106.7
* 106.9
* 107.3

| LPFM|

* 88.1
* 92.5
* 95.5
* 96.9
* 97.1
* 98.7
* 99.1
* 102.9
* 103.5

|

Translators|

* 90.1
* 90.5
* 91.1
* 94.51
* 95.5
* 96.7
* 96.9
* 96.9
* 97.3
* 97.7
* 98.5
* 99.5
* 100.9
* 101.1
* 101.9
* 103.3
* 104.7
* 107.9

NOAA Weather Radio
frequency|

* 162.45
* 162.55

Digital radio
by frequency & subchannel|

* 970-1
* 88.7-1
* 88.7-2
* 88.7-3
* 92.1-1
* 94.9-1
* 94.9-2
* 96.3-1
* 96.3-2
* 101.5-1
* 101.5-2
* 102.5-1
* 102.5-2
* 104.1-1
* 104.1-2
* 104.1-3
* 105.5-1
* 107.3-1
* 107.3-2
* 107.3-3
* 107.3-4

By call sign|

* KHA147
* W211AU
* W213CE
* W216BL
* W233CN
* W238CB
* W244DR
* W245DE
* W247CI
* W249DH
* W253DH
* W255DE
* W258CM
* W265CV
* W270AU
* W277AE
* W277DV
* W284CW
* W300BM
* WAUN
* WBGR-FM
* WBKY
* WCNP
* WDDC
* WDLS
* WDMP-FM
* WEKZ
* WERN
* HD2
* HD3
* WFAW
* WHA
* WHFA
* WHIT
* WHHI
* WIBA
* WIBA-FM
* WIDE-LP
* WISY-LP
* WIXL-LP
* WJJO
* WJQM
* WJVL
* WJTY
* WJWD
* WLMV
* WLSP-LP
* WMAD
* HD2
* WMDX
* WMGN
* WMHX
* WMMM-FM
* HD2
* WNNO
* WNWC
* WNWC-FM
* WMUU-LP
* WOLX-FM
* HD2
* WORT
* WOZN
* WQWA-LP
* WRIS-FM
* WSJY
* HD2
* HD3
* HD4
* WSUM
* WTLX
* WTMJ
* WTSO
* WULD-LP
* WVMO-LP
* WWHG
* WWMV-LP
* WWQM-FM
* WXJ87
* WXXM
* WZEE
* HD2
* HD3
* WZRK

Nearby regions
Appleton-Oshkosh
DeKalb
Dubuque
Janesville-Beloit/Jefferson County
Milwaukee–Racine
Rockford
Wisconsin Dells–Baraboo

See also
List of radio stations in Wisconsin

1 = Broadcast in Spanish (fulltime)

* v
* t
* e

NPR station networks/member stations in the state of Wisconsin

Wisconsin Public Radio
NPR News & Classical Network|

* WERN Madison
* WGTD Kenosha/Racine
* WHND Sister Bay/N. Door County
* WHRM Wausau
* WHSA Brule/Hayward
* WHWA Washburn/Ashland/Bayfield
* WLSU La Crosse
* WPNE Green Bay
* WSSU Superior
* WSSW Platteville
* WUEC Eau Claire
* WVSS Menomonie

Wisconsin Public Radio Ideas Network|

* KUWS Superior
* WHA Madison
* WHAA Adams/Wisconsin Rapids/Wisconsin Dells
* WHAD Delafield/Milwaukee
* W300BM Madison/E. Dane County
* WHBM Park Falls
* WHDI Sister Bay/N. Door County
* WHHI Highland/W. Dane County
* WHID Green Bay
* WHLA La Crosse
* WHWC Menomonie
* WLBL Auburndale/Stevens Point
* WLBL-FM Wausau
* WRFW River Falls
* WRST-FM Oshkosh/Fond du Lac
* WSHS Sheboygan
* WUWS Ashland

Wisconsin Public Radio HD2 Classical Network
(HD/Internet radio network)|

* KUWS-HD2 Superior/Duluth
* WERN-HD2 Madison
* WHAD-HD2 Delafield/Milwaukee
* WHRM-HD2 Wausau
* WERN-HD2 Madison
* WLSU-HD2 La Crosse
* WPNE-HD2 Green Bay

Milwaukee Public Radio|

* WUWM

Radio Milwaukee|

* WYMS

WXPR Public Radio|

* WXPR Rhinelander
* WXPW Wausau
* W265AI Ironwood, Michigan

Woodland Community Radio|

WOJB Reserve/Hayward

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 Wisconsin

43°03′22″N 89°32′06″W﻿ / ﻿43.056°N 89.535°W﻿ / 43.056; -89.535
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