WRVS-FM
Encyclopedia
WRVS-FM, "89-Nine ECSU", is a Black Urban music
radio station run from Elizabeth City State University
in Elizabeth City, North Carolina
. It has 41 kilowatt
s (kW) power.
WRVS at one point used the slogan "The Rhythm of the River City". The original slogan was "Wonderful Radio Viking Style". The station later moved to its current location in Williams Hall.
The station was the brainchild of former Chancellor Jimmy Jenkins. He hired David C.Linton, from WSHA-FM at Shaw University
to help the University realize his dream. Linton was brought in as Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Media Development. Linton,worked with the FCC, engineers and others to get the station on the air. Linton,who served as the stations first General Manager & Program Director also coined the slogan, as well as, the station call letters. The original staff consisted of Paula Sutton, Public Affairs Director, Andre Smith,Sports Director, Gospel announcer Dorothy Keith and a group of talented students. It was David Linton and Paula Sutton who shared the on-air debut honors by playing the song "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" by McFadden and Whitehead.
The station call letters stand for Wonderful Radio Viking Style. In 1990 the station received several upgrades, including a new transmitter allowing an effective radiated power
of 41 kW (the old transmitter now serves as a backup transmitter) as well as a new frequency of 89.9 MHz.
On July 3, 1996 the station went dark for weeks due to water and smoke damage to equipment due to an electrical fire that occurred upstairs in Williams Hall. The station signed back on in October and later went to a Jazz based format as "Jazzy 89-Nine".
In 2003, the station reverted back to its original and current Urban/Urban AC based format, and began broadcasting 24 hours a day.
In the 1990s WRVS was one of the best programmed student operated stations of its kind. WRVS is Public Supported NPR Affiliated Radio Station. Its 280 foot (85 m) transmitter and studios are located on the campus of Elizabeth City State University. WRVS will soon broadcast in HD radio; equipment upgrades are in progress.
Mainstream Urban
Mainstream Urban is a term used to describe a radio format similar to an Urban Contemporary format. The format differentiates itself due to two factors: playlist composition and target demographic...
radio station run from Elizabeth City State University
Elizabeth City State University
Elizabeth City State University is a public, historically black college located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, in the United States...
in Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County and Camden County in the State of North Carolina. With a population of 18,683 at the 2010 census, Elizabeth City is the county seat of Pasquotank County....
. It has 41 kilowatt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s (kW) power.
History
The station originally began broadcasting on Tuesday March 18, 1986 with 10 kW at 90.7 MHz from a little white houselike building that currently houses other offices of the university.WRVS at one point used the slogan "The Rhythm of the River City". The original slogan was "Wonderful Radio Viking Style". The station later moved to its current location in Williams Hall.
The station was the brainchild of former Chancellor Jimmy Jenkins. He hired David C.Linton, from WSHA-FM at Shaw University
Shaw University
Shaw University, founded as Raleigh Institute, is a private liberal arts institution and historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1865, it is the oldest HBCU in the Southern United States....
to help the University realize his dream. Linton was brought in as Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Media Development. Linton,worked with the FCC, engineers and others to get the station on the air. Linton,who served as the stations first General Manager & Program Director also coined the slogan, as well as, the station call letters. The original staff consisted of Paula Sutton, Public Affairs Director, Andre Smith,Sports Director, Gospel announcer Dorothy Keith and a group of talented students. It was David Linton and Paula Sutton who shared the on-air debut honors by playing the song "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" by McFadden and Whitehead.
The station call letters stand for Wonderful Radio Viking Style. In 1990 the station received several upgrades, including a new transmitter allowing an effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
of 41 kW (the old transmitter now serves as a backup transmitter) as well as a new frequency of 89.9 MHz.
On July 3, 1996 the station went dark for weeks due to water and smoke damage to equipment due to an electrical fire that occurred upstairs in Williams Hall. The station signed back on in October and later went to a Jazz based format as "Jazzy 89-Nine".
In 2003, the station reverted back to its original and current Urban/Urban AC based format, and began broadcasting 24 hours a day.
In the 1990s WRVS was one of the best programmed student operated stations of its kind. WRVS is Public Supported NPR Affiliated Radio Station. Its 280 foot (85 m) transmitter and studios are located on the campus of Elizabeth City State University. WRVS will soon broadcast in HD radio; equipment upgrades are in progress.