WXHQ-LP explained

WXHQ-LP
City:Newport, Rhode Island
Country:US
Area:Newport and Providence, Rhode Island
Branding:Radio Newport
Airdate:December 2001
Frequency:105.9 MHz
Format:Jazz
freeform
Erp:50 watts
Haat:42.3m (138.8feet)
Class:L1
Facility Id:123581
Licensing Authority:FCC
Callsign Meaning:"X marks the spot for high quality programming"
Owner:Newport Music Arts Association

WXHQ-LP (105.9 FM, "Radio Newport") is a non-commercial radio station licensed to the community of Newport, Rhode Island. The station serves Newport and the greater Providence, Rhode Island, area.[1] The station is owned and operated by the Newport Music Arts Association, a non-profit organization. It airs a jazz and freeform format that, according to the station's website, includes "jazz, blues, r&b, bossa nova, Afro-Cuban, lounge, soul, funk, reggae, ska, electronic, downtempo, acid-jazz, surf, world, country, folk, and even occasionally some rock".[2] [3] The music played is almost exclusively instrumental and the station has a policy against playing songs featuring English language vocals.

The station has been assigned the WXHQ-LP call letters by the Federal Communications Commission since May 31, 2001.[4] This is the first FCC-licensed low-power FM station in the state of Rhode Island.[5] WXHQ-LP is also the first public radio station licensed to Newport.[6]

Community involvement

The WXHQ-LP studios are located on in a small office on Marlborough Street.[7] The station's transmitter is located atop the Hotel Viking on Bellvue Avenue in downtown Newport.[8] This transmitter site includes a rooftop container garden used to promote sustainable agriculture and green living by collecting rainwater and growing food.[9]

Other community involvement activities of WXHQ-LP include providing music programming for the annual Newport Island Moving Co. dance festival,[10] broadcasting the Newport Jazz Festival,[11] and serving as a contributing sponsor each year for the Newport International Film Festival.[12]

FCC actions

On October 29, 2007, the FCC issued a $250 Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture for WXHQ-LP to licensee Newport Music Arts Association.[13] The fine was levied because the station failed to file a timely license renewal application and did not provide an explanation for the late filing. The standard fine of $3,000 was reduced because the licensee did file a renewal application before the actual expiration of the broadcast license.

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: LPFM starts on a slow roll . Radio Business Report . Jim . Carnegie . August 16, 2002.
  2. Web site: Welcome to the WXHQ Website . WXHQ 105.9 Low Power FM, Newport RI .
  3. Web site: Winter 2008 Station Information Profile . Arbitron .
  4. Web site: Call Sign History . FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database .
  5. News: 2002 Year In Review . NorthEast Radio Watch . Scott . Fybush . January 1, 2003 . WXHQ-LP (105.9 Newport), Rhode Island's first LPFM.
  6. News: Low-power Newport radio station is fueled by high-powered hopes . The Newport Daily News . July 23, 2001.
  7. News: Weisman. Janine. March 22, 2006. The little station that could. The Newport Mercury. https://web.archive.org/web/20120419192343/http://www.newportmercury.com/articles/2006/03/22/off_the_lip/offthelip.txt. April 19, 2012.
  8. News: July 1, 2002 - New 1610 Signs On in Montreal . Scott . Fybush . July 1, 2002 . NorthEast Radio Watch.
  9. News: Rooftop Garden in Newport, Rhode Island, USA . The Rooftop Garden Project . December 13, 2007.
  10. News: Fall Preview: Moving It - From Birds To Bach To Ballroom And Belly Dance . The Providence Phoenix . Johnette . Rodriguez . Fall 2005.
  11. Web site: Newport Musical Arts Association . Arts & Cultural Alliance of Newport County . The Newport Musical Arts Association has been awarded a Low Power FM radio station license (WXHQ 105.9) by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This license will enable the NMAA, a non-profit organization, to broadcast uniquely diverse programming to the city of Newport and its surrounding areas. . https://web.archive.org/web/20070831205629/http://www.newportarts.org/pages/sitepage.cfm?id=115&pname=Multimedia&purl=multimedia.cfm . August 31, 2007.
  12. Web site: Contributing Sponsors . Newport International Film Festival . https://web.archive.org/web/20080225014326/http://www.newportfilmfestival.com/2007/sponsors/default.asp . February 25, 2008.
  13. Web site: Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture DA 07-4457 . Federal Communications Commission .