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WLRN-FM (91.3 MHz) and WKWM (91.5 MHz) are non-commercial, listener-supported, public radio stations for South Florida and the Keys. WLRN-FM is licensed to Miami and WKWM is licensed to Marathon. They are owned by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The offices and studios are on NE 15th Street in Miami.

WLRN-FM is a Class C1 station and WKWM is Class C3. WLRN-FM's transmitter is off SW 52nd Avenue in Pembroke Park. WKWM's transmitter is off Route A1A in Ramrod Key. Programming is also heard on four FM translators in South Florida.

Programming

WLRN-FM and WKWM are the flagship NPR member stations in South Florida. They air a news and information format during the day with jazz at night and the BBC World Service overnight. Weekday information shows include Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air, 1A, Here and Now, The World and Marketplace. There are two weekday evening music programs: Radyo Lekol, a Haitian Creole show and Weeknight Jazz, which features traditional and contemporary jazz music.

Weekend specialty shows include Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, The Moth Radio Hour, The TED Radio Hour, The New Yorker Radio Hour, The Ezra Klein Show, Travel with Rick Steves, A Way with Words, Freakonomics Radio, Latino USA, Science Friday, Hidden Brain, Radiolab and This American Life.

Translators and repeaters

As of 2022, WLRN-FM has three repeaters in the Florida Keys: 93.3 W227AD in Key Colony Beach, 89.1 W206AS in Big Pine Key, and 100.5 W263BO in Key West.

In late September 2008, WLRN launched a full-powered, class C3, 12 kW station, WKWM 91.5, in Marathon, Florida, which simulcasts WLRN programming for the southern Keys. This station broadcasts in HD Radio. WKWM has one repeater, 92.1 W221AY in Tavernier.

To serve the Palm Beaches of South Florida, WLRN-FM leases FM translator 101.9 W270AD in West Palm Beach. It has a power of 250 watts and is fed by an HD2 subchannel of 90.7 WFLV. The translator and HD2 subchannel are owned by the Educational Media Foundation based in Tennessee.

History

Early years

WLRN-FM signed on the air in 1949; 75 years ago (1949). Its original call sign was WTHS-FM and it broadcast on 91.7 MHz. It was powered at 5,000 watts, a fraction of its current output. It has always been owned by the Miami public school system, although in its early years, the holder of the license was The Board of Public Instruction of Dade County. The studios and offices were at 1410 NE 2nd Avenue.

The school board acquired Channel 17 in 1959. At first, WTHS-TV was mostly used for classroom instruction on school days. But it later became Miami's secondary PBS station as WLRN-TV.

In the 1960s, WTHS-FM moved to 91.3. The power increased slightly to 8,400 watts. The station became a charter member of NPR in 1970 and is the longest running NPR affiliate in Florida. WTHS-FM maintained a long-time radio reading service for the blind on an analog subcarrier.

In 1973, the stations changed their call letters to WLRN-FM-TV to represent the word "Learn." Employees of WLRN-FM-TV are part of AFSCME union local 1187.

In the late 1970s, WLRN-FM was given permission by the Federal Communications Commission to boost its power to 92,000 watts on its 400 foot tower. However, it chose to go on a taller antenna and run 47,000 watts as a Class C1 station.

HD Radio

WLRN-FM and WKWM broadcast using HD Radio technology. The HD2 digital subchannel was originally called "WLRN Xtra HD." It was known as "South Florida’s Alternative News and Talk Station", featuring talk programming by day and BBC World Service at night.

Until December 2, 2007, HD2 carried "Classical 24", which offered classical music 24 hours per day. Classical 24 later moved to another public radio station, WKCP 89.7 FM, after that station's acquisition by Classical 24's parent, American Public Media. But 89.7 was sold to the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) for its "K-LOVE" Christian Contemporary music network on July 17, 2015. Classical music returned to WLRN's HD2 subchannel on August 10, 2015. It once again uses the "Classical 24" network but is now referred to as "WLRN Classical HD2."

The Palm Beaches

On October 16, 2015, WLRN-FM announced it would lease the HD2 subchannel of WFLV in West Palm Beach and its FM translator 101.9 W270AD from the Educational Media Foundation (EMF). The subchannel and translator would simulcast WLRN-FM in the region as "101.9, NPR For The Palm Beaches." Until then, listeners in the Palm Beach area had to try pulling in 91.3 WLRN-FM from its main transmitter in Pembroke Pines, quite distant for an FM signal to reach.

The translator on 101.9 MHz began airing WLRN-FM programming in November 2015. Other than W270AD, there was no NPR affiliate on the Florida Coast between Miami and Orlando. In 1982, a new NPR station signed on in Fort Pierce, WQCS 88.9 FM, owned by Indian River State College. But its transmitter is distant from the Palm Beaches as well.

Although 101.9 W270AD's programming is produced by WLRN-FM, it airs a slightly different schedule from WLRN-FM's main signal. On weekday evenings, it doesn't air Radyo Lekol (Creole-language program produced by MDCPS; weeknights from 9:00-9:30pm) or Evening Jazz (weeknights from 9:30pm–1:00am). Programming from the BBC World Service airs instead.

Controversy

In June 2011, WLRN dropped ties with the Florida Public Radio Network. That is a statewide network of public radio stations designed to provide coverage of the Florida Legislature and other Florida-relevant issues. This was partly in response to its producer, WFSU-FM in Tallahassee, receiving $2.8 million in funding for various services related to Florida government, including $497,522 for "statewide government and cultural affairs programming", which includes the Florida Public Radio Network.

This is despite the $4.8 million of funding to other public radio and television stations (including WLRN radio and television) vetoed by Governor Rick Scott in May 2011. In its place, WLRN-FM signed on to a joint partnership between the Tampa Bay Times and The Miami Herald in coverage of state issues from the papers' Tallahassee bureau.

References

1. WLRN-FM: 66339
   WKWM: 122606 "Facility Technical Data for WLRN-FM - WKWM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
2. Venta, Lance (February 14, 2022). "Friends Of WLRN To Take Over Management Of South Florida Public News/Talker". RadioInsight. Archived from the original on February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
3. Radio-Locator.com/WLRN
4. Radio-Locator.com/WKWM
5. "WLRN-FM". FCC Data. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
6. "WKWM". FCC Data. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
7. Broadcasting Yearbook 1959 page B-131. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
8. Broadcasting Yearbook 1970 page B-43. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
9. contract
10. Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-44. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
11. WLRN To Operate NPR For Palm Beaches - Radio Insight
12. "St. Petersburg Times: "Gov. Rick Scott's veto of public TV and radio funds spares capital's WFSU", June 6, 2011". Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2011.

External links

• WLRN radio
• Facility details for Facility ID 66339 (WLRN-FM) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WLRN-FM in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
• Facility details for Facility ID 122606 (WKWM) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WKWM in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
• Facility details for Facility ID 66353 (W221AY) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• Facility details for Facility ID 66350 (W227AD) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• Facility details for Facility ID 59323 (W206AS) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• Facility details for Facility ID 59322 (W263BO) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• Night Train
• Ted Grossman

25°58′48″N 80°11′46″W / 25.980°N 80.196°W / 25.980; -80.196

• HD Radio stations
• NPR member stations
• Radio reading services of the United States
• Radio stations in Miami
• Miami-Dade County Public Schools
• 1948 establishments in Florida
• Radio stations established in 1948