WEHC

WEHC is a Public Radio-formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Emory, Virginia, serving the Abingdon/Marion area.^[1] WEHC is owned and operated by Emory and Henry University.^[4]

WEHC

Emory, Virginia United States
Broadcast area	Abingdon, Virginia Marion, Virginia
Frequency	90.7 MHz
Branding	90.7 WEHC
Programming
Format	Public radio[1]
Affiliations	BBC World Service National Public Radio Radio IQ
Ownership
Owner	Emory and Henry University
History
First air date	November 15, 1994 (30 years ago) (1994-11-15)[2]
Call sign meaning	Emory and Henry College
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	19527
Class	C3
ERP	8,700 watts
HAAT	114 meters (374 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	36°46′1.0″N 81°50′18.0″W
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live
Website	ehc.edu/wehc

History

The original incarnation of WEHC was a 100-watt AM station, which signed on October 24, 1929 on 1370 kHz. This WEHC was the first station to go into operation in Virginia outside of Richmond and Norfolk. The station was programmed mostly by students and represented to the Federal Radio Commission by faculty member W. Byron Brown. After three years of operation, the Great Depression prompted the college to sell to Brown for $5,000 (equivalent to $115,232 in 2024) in the fall of 1932. The station went off the air that December as Brown moved the physical facilities to Charlottesville, Virginia, where it is still in operation as WCHV.^[5][6]

The current WEHC, which is legally unrelated to the original station, was founded in 1992. The original station kept the WEHC callsign until 1935, but it was never reused and remained available for the new station.^[5]

New transmitter and tower

WEHC worked with US Representative Rick Boucher (D-VA) to raise the $187,932 needed to build a brand new 199 foot tower and increase the station's power from 500 watts to nearly 10,000.^[7] On October 27, 2009, WEHC turned on their new transmitter, dramatically increasing their power from 500 to 8,700 watts.^[8]

Programming

WEHC is a mix of national, international, and local programming. During the afternoon and evening hours, WEHC airs locally produced music and public affairs programs. Through an arrangement with Roanoke station WVTF, WEHC simulcasts Radio IQ programs, including BBC World Service news, Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and 1A. As of November 12, 2022, WEHC also airs its entire line of local programs on Wise, Virginia station WISE-FM, which is owned by WVTF's parent company the Virginia Tech Foundation.^[9][10]

Network stations

WEHC's programming is simulcast on the full power WISE-FM and four low-power translator stations to widen its broadcast area. All stations are owned by the Virginia Tech Foundation.

Call sign	Frequency	City of license	ERP W	Class	FCC info
WISE-FM	90.5 FM	Wise, Virginia	220	A	FCC (WISE-FM)
W211BF	90.1 FM	Big Stone Gap, Virginia	8	D	FCC (W211BF)
W212BP	90.3 FM	Clintwood, Virginia	1	D	FCC (W212BP)
W217BF	91.3 FM	Pound, Virginia	1	D	FCC (W217BF)
W219CJ	91.7 FM	Norton, Virginia	50	D	FCC (W219CJ)