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WFSS (91.9 FM) is a public radio station in Fayetteville, North Carolina, broadcasting National Public Radio programming originating from WUNC. It was owned by Fayetteville State University until May 2015, when it was purchased by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and turned into a WUNC satellite.

In its final years as a separately programmed station, WFSS programmed jazz as well as an eclectic mix of formats on the weekend, including bluegrass, Gospel, blues, African and Latin music. It serves Fayetteville and twelve surrounding counties.

History

In 1977, WFSS began broadcasting at 10 watts, and was operated by students using the station to prepare them for broadcasting careers. Its coverage area was limited to a two-mile radius of campus. In February 1983, power was increased to 100,000 watts, and the station joined NPR. From the beginning the station played jazz but went on to offer a wide variety of programming including blues, reggae and rhythm and blues. Joseph Ross, who came from Monrovia, Liberia, was the station manager from 1977 until the 1980s and again starting in 1995.

In March 1993, in order to switch from 89.1 to 91.9 and reduce interference to WECT in Wilmington (whose transmitter was located in Bladen County), WFSS signed off for five days and then came back at 30,000 watts before finally returning to full power at 100,000 watts.

On January 20, 2000, a winter storm caused significant damage to broadcasting equipment, and WFSS came back days later at 60 watts. The return to full power happened May 5 after $45,000 in repairs.

Funding reductions to Fayetteville State from 2009 onward caused WFSS to lose money. Even with the presence of Fort Bragg, the Fayetteville area was just barely large enough to support a standalone NPR member station. By 2014, all efforts to increase community support had come up short of the levels needed for the station to stay independent. On May 13, 2015, Fayetteville State trustees unanimously voted to sell WFSS to UNC Chapel Hill for $1.35 million. The deal was intended to preserve public radio in the region. Though the sale still required Federal Communications Commission approval, WUNC's licensee, WUNC Public Radio, LLC, took over WFSS' operations under a local management agreement. This allowed WFSS to begin simulcasting WUNC at 10 a.m. on May 13, hours after the trustee vote. Until the FCC approved the deal, Fayetteville State was required to keep an FCC-minimum skeleton crew of two employees (one manager and engineer) on site. The sale was consummated on November 24, 2015.

Translator

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for WFSS". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. ^ Futch, Michael (May 14, 2015). "FSU sells campus radio station to WUNC Public Radio". The Fayetteville Observer.
3. ^ Pritchard, Catherine (February 17, 2000). "Jazz use traditional at WFSS". The Fayetteville Observer.
4. Futch, Michael (August 25, 1995). "WFSS Pioneer Is Back -- For Now, at Least". The Fayetteville Observer.
5. "FSU's Public Radio Station Back On The Air". The Fayetteville Observer. March 25, 1993.
6. Futch, Michael (May 14, 2000). "With the push of a button, it's 'Jesus' in Spanish". The Fayetteville Observer.

External links

• official website
• Last version of WFSS Website before sale to WUNC
• Facility details for Facility ID 21241 (WFSS) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WFSS in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
• Facility details for Facility ID 22655 (W231AB) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• W231AB at FCCdata.org

• Radio stations in Fayetteville, North Carolina
• NPR member stations
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Radio stations established in 1977
• 1977 establishments in North Carolina