WCPI boosts output power, enlarges borders

The non-profit broadcasting service of the Warren County Education Foundation has placed orders for a new transmitter and related equipment to boost its output power to 1600 watts from the present 1000 watts, station officials announced yesterday. At the same time, the transmitting antenna along with new transsmitter will be moved from the downtown area to a new tower giving it a 200-foot increase in elevation.

“The increased power and the new antenna height will greatly expand our range,’ said Dr. Norman Rone, president of the education foundation and general manager of WCPI, “Listeners in Murfreesboro, Cookeville and Tullahoma will receive a clear, consistent signal from us, and we’ll be offering programming that will make them want to tune in,” he added.

The station’s frequency assignment will remain unchanged at 91.3 FM.

The Federal Communications Commission recently granted a construction permit to allow the station to acquire and install the new transmitter and to move its antenna from the 100-foot tower next to the Chamber of Commerce building to larger tower southeast of the downtown area. Final government approval for the upgrades is expected to arrive in the form of a broadcast license amendment in the near future, Rone explained. The present main studio will remain at the Chamber of Commerce.

New studio automation equipment will allow the station to remain on the air 24 hours a day, providing music and up-to-the-minute newcasts every hour.

“We are still considering our options in moving to an around-the-clock format, and we’re seeking input from the listening public to help guide us to a decision,” Gloria Grissom, WCPI station manager stated.

“Since we first went on the air eight years ago, we’ve been able to cover almost all of Warren County with a strong, steady signal and to reach a considerable depth into adjacent counties,” Jeff Golden, another of the education foundation’s officers said. “Our new, stronger signal means we’ll be able to better serve all areas of our county and reach out further to Middle Tennessee listeners,” he continued.

As a non-commercial broadcaster, WCPI operates under special rules of the FCC which allow businesses and organizations to support financially its day-to-day operations. Brief announcements in the programming acknowledge the contributions of these underwriters.

“Nationally and locally, the profile of a typical public radio underwriter shows that it is involved in other public-service activities and contributes to a variety of cultural, charitable and humanitarian programs,” Rone observed. “Public radio underwriters manifest a lively interest in our shared future as a community and as a culture.”

An incidental benefit to underwriters from the business community, he said, is that public radio offers access to audiences which, according to studies over many years, have higher-than-average disposable incomes, have higher educational attainment and are more discriminating and better informed as consumers.

“The fact that we are free from influence or constraint from commercial advertisers means that we can be an independent voice for our community, promoting the rich and creative diversity of ideas and cultures,” Rone stated.

The twin pillars of WCPI’s public service are information programming and a wide spectrum of musical entertainment, the station’s principals emphasize. Listeners can hear the latest national and world news, as well as business-related and sports updates, every hour by way of the Associated Press Radio News Network, the broadcast outlet of the largest news-gathering organization on Earth.

Regular educational and “how-to” features include book reviews, culinary, decorative arts, horticultural and historical programs, many of which are produced by WCPI staffers and volunteers. Other programs offer local analysis and opinion on political, governmental and cultural currents. The station regularly produces public debates for candidates for public offices and broadcasts community events ranging from the Warren County A&L Fair to Chamber of Commerce-sponsored red carpet ceremonies at newly-opening businesses.

WCPI hosts programs produced and voiced by pupils in the county’s elementary schools and provides training opportunities for high school students interested in pursuing careers in radio, television and journalism. As part of the national emergency alert network, the station disseminates instantaneous information and warnings on weather threats and other public emergencies.

Since its inaugural day of broadcasting, religious programming has been a prominent and regular part of the daily schedule, which presently runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Live and pre-recorded worship services on Sundays, along with periodic Bible readings each day, are among the spiritual emphasis features.

Daily and weekly musical offerings cover the gamut from blue grass and Southern gospel to classical and grand opera, with big band, blues, Dixieland and 1960s-pop in between.

“Whatever your musical preference, just stay around a little while and you’ll hear something you like—something you’re not likely to hear on most other radio stations,” Golden boasted. “It’s especially gratifying that these programs are produced by our own Warren County residents, people who have expert knowledge in their respective areas of music. I think that is something really distinctive and a source of justifiable pride in our community.”

To help lift the station to the next, higher level of public service, WCPI will soon appeal to the listening public for financial support for its expanded operations, Rone said. The appeal for donations will start with special edition of “Viewpoints—the View from Here,” a regular weekend news and commentary program.

WCPI volunteers and staffers will be interview guests for that broadcast, scheduled for Nov. 26 at 6:05 p.m. and Nov. 27 at 12:30 p.m.

WCPI volunteer Kym Jones, left, host for the “Opera Showcase” each Saturday at 4 p.m., tells the story line for one of the public radio station’s opera features while program director Gloria Grissom operates the controls, synchronizing the music with the narrative.