Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
WERA-LP
Radio station in Virginia, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
WERA-LP is a variety formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Arlington, Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria in Virginia and Washington, D.C.[4] WERA-LP is owned and operated by Arlington Independent Media.[5][6]
Remove ads
Remove ads
History
Summarize
Perspective
Arlington Independent Media (AIM) was founded in 1982, and has received funding from the Arlington County government to operate its public-access television channels since that time. It also provides studio space, equipment, and training for local residents interested in audio and video production.[7]
WERA-LP went on the air at 6 p.m. on December 6, 2015. The station carried freeform programming typical of college and community radio, staffed by volunteer disc jockeys who played what they wished.[6] Members of Arlington Independent Media are allowed to host and create their own shows, live or recorded, provided they have taken the appropriate classes and follow certain guidelines.[8]
Until 2018, AIM's agreement with the county called for it to receive one percent of revenue from taxes charged on cable subscriptions to fund operating expenses, eligibility to apply for public, educational, and government access (PEG) funds for capital expenses (also derived from a portion of cable-subscription taxes), and a studio in Clarendon provided for free by Comcast. It also received support grants directly from the county government. That year, a renegotiated franchise agreement with Comcast removed the dedicated funding from tax revenue, and additionally required AIM to begin paying rent for its studio. Community protests led to the county government reversing proposed cuts to its support and providing a small secondary studio space for audio production.[9] These funding cuts, as well as the need for AIM to compete with Arlington County Public Schools and the municipal cable channel and fiber-optic network for one pool of PEG funds, combined with dwindling cable subscriptions reducing that pool, has led to the nonprofit has since consistently running an operational deficit.[10]
In December 2023, WERA-LP began playing a loop of lofi hip-hop music because its studio-transmitter link failed. The station began efforts to move to the county-owned building housing its transmitter in Court House, but was once again held up by dependence on financial support from the county.[11][12] In March 2024, amid accusations that AIM was improperly spending public funding on payroll and office space, Arlington County began an audit of its finances. With its access to county funds cut off, AIM was essentially forced to suspend operations and laid off its entire paid staff.[13]
WERA-LP's signal and stream were concurrently shut off at 3:30 p.m. on March 22, 2024. However, its request for special temporary authority from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to go silent was backdated to March 20; the station thus had until March 21, 2025 at 12:01 a.m. to resume broadcasting, or its license will be forfeited pursuant to the Telecommunications Act of 1996.[14]
The audit of AIM concluded that over $1 million of public funds could not be accounted for, among other deficient financial practices. The entire board of AIM was replaced with volunteers as a result. The case was referred to an outside special counsel, who declined to file criminal charges. Arlington County subsequently allowed AIM back into its transmitter building to re-install its broadcasting equipment.[15] On March 7, 2025, WERA-LP resumed broadcasting the same automated music feed in order to preserve its license.[16]
Remove ads
See also
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads