WSMR (FM)
Encyclopedia
WSMR is a radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...

 licensed to Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...

, USA. It is currently owned by the University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...

 and programs a classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

 format. Its programming is repeated on W280DW 103.9 FM in Brandon
Brandon, Florida
Brandon is a census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total population of 103,483.-Founding:...

, which serves listeners in Pasco
Pasco County, Florida
Pasco County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 344,765. The July 1, 2007 census estimate according to the U.S. Census Bureau for the county is 462,715. Its county seat is Dade City, Florida which is in the northeast part of the county - somewhat...

 and northern Hillsborough
Hillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...

 counties. This translator is on the USF main campus. Programming also covers the entire Tampa Bay market on WUSF-HD2

The station was initially licensed in 1991 by Northwestern College
Northwestern College (Minnesota)
Northwestern College is a private Christian college located in Roseville, Minnesota, and is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Established in 1902 as Northwestern Bible and Missionary Training School by Dr...

 of Roseville, Minnesota
Roseville, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,690 people, 14,598 households, and 8,598 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,543.9 people per square mile . There were 14,917 housing units at an average density of 1,126.4 per square mile...

 as WAYG; in 1996, it would adopt its current calls, WSMR. During most of its existence under Northwestern College, the station carried a Christian Adult Contemporary format, with the moniker "Life 89.1".

On July 30, 2010, Northwestern College announced that the station would cease broadcasting on August 4 at 5PM. Northwestern College held a STA
Special temporary authority
In U.S. broadcast law, a special temporary authorization or special temporary authority is a type of broadcast license which temporarily allows a broadcast station to operate outside of its normal technical or legal parameters...

 to dismantle its current tower and broadcast on another station's auxiliary tower at a lower wattage. A loss of donations from listeners and businesses during the recession has led Northwestern College to close WSMR, even though the STA filed with the FCC said that the station would continue broadcasting.

On the day of WSMR's closure, the University of South Florida announced its intention to acquire WSMR, with plans to change that station's format to classical music, while reimaging Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....

's WUSF FM as a station carrying National Public Radio-based talk programming by day and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 at night. USF has moved the station slightly closer to the Tampa Bay area; WSMR's reception area is focused on the Sarasota-Bradenton area; however, the station's programming will be available online and on WUSF-HD2
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...

. WUSF's main frequency began broadcasting an NPR News and talk schedule on September 15, 2010; however, WSMR failed to launch on that date as previously announced. Various explanations were offered by WUSF, including delays due to FCC approval, and an undefined technical issue relating to another frequency assigned to "first responders" at the same tower site.

The station's sale to USF also included W280DW, to carry WSMR's new classical signal.

Two weeks after the failed launch of classical replacement WSMR, station management came under public scrutiny for neglecting to perform due diligence regarding the purchase of the WSMR transmitter. According to a Bradenton Herald article:
Arthur Doak, an engineer for the FCC, said there was no record of WUSF or Northwestern College conducting an inspection on the tower but said stations are entitled to a review of tower sites.
“If the buyer wanted it done to protect themselves, certainly they could,” Doak said. “That’s between the buyer and the seller.”


On October 25, 2010, WSMR resumed broadcasting, but temporarily at 5000 watts on a Sarasota-area tower rented from Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...

; it would be several weeks until full-power service resumed.

WSMR's main studios will remain in Sarasota -- its construction has been completed in early 2011. The studio will be used for broadcasting, as well as live and recorded local performances.

External links


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