Alabama Public Radio

Infobox Radio station
name = WUAL-FM


city = Tuscaloosa, Alabama
area =
slogan =
branding = "Alabama Public Radio"
frequency = 91.5 MHz HD Radio
repeater = WQPR 88.7 (Muscle Shoals)
WAPR-FM 88.3 (Selma)
airdate =
share = 2.3
share as of = FALL 2007
share source = RRC [cite news | first= | last= | title=Tuscaloosa Market Ratings | url= | publisher=Arbitron | work =Radio Research Consortium | url = http://www.rrconline.org/arbitron | date = FALL 2007 ]
format = Educational
power =
erp = 100,000 watts
haat = 158 meters
class = C1
facility_id = 69168
coordinates = coord|33|5|40.00|N| 87|24|47.00|W|region:US_type:city
callsign_meaning = University of ALabama [ cite web|url=http://www.oldradio.com/archives/nelson/origins.call-list.html |title=Call Letter Origins |accessdate=2008-04-29 |work=Radio History on the Web ]
former_callsigns =
owner = University of Alabama
licensee =
sister_stations =
webcast =
website = [http://www.apr.org apr.org]
affiliations = American Public Media, National Public Radio, Public Radio International

Alabama Public Radio is a network of public radio stations based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, that serve western and northern Alabama with classical music, folk music, jazz, and nostalgic music programs, as well as news and feature programs from the National Public Radio, Public Radio International, and American Public Media networks. The network is operated by the University of Alabama, with studios in Tuscaloosa.

Since the station is licensed to a university, students in the UA College of Communication and Information Sciences get opportunities for practical training in announcing and other varied production duties. Nonetheless, APR maintains a small professional staff, as well as several volunteer announcers from the larger community.

APR stations

Three stations currently comprise the network:

#WUAL-FM 91.5--Tuscaloosa (flagship). Signal reaches a region extending from Birmingham to the state line of Mississippi.
#WQPR-FM 88.7--Muscle Shoals. Signal covers the northwestern corner of the state, extending eastward to Decatur.
#WAPR-FM 88.3--Selma. Signal reaches the region known colloquially as the Black Belt, about 13 counties in the west central and central parts of Alabama, including the city of Montgomery.

Some APR programs also air on WLJS-FM 91.9, the student-operated station of Jacksonville State University which broadcasts to eastern central Alabama, though WLJS is not a full APR affiliate. A news bureau is located there as well.

Translators

In addition to the full-power stations, Alabama Public Radio is relayed by these low-powered translators to widen its broadcast area:RadioTranslators
call1 = W276BQ
watts1 = 10
class1 = D
freq1 = 103.1
city1 = Pelham, Alabama
call2 = W271AM
watts2 = 10
class2 = D
freq2 = 102.1
city2 = Tuscaloosa, Alabama
call3 = W293BK
watts3 = 80
class3 = D
freq3 = 106.5
city3 = Tallassee, Alabama
call4 = W287BM
watts4 = 10
class4 = D
freq4 = 105.3
city4 = Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Also, the WQPR signal has three translators that cover the Huntsville-Decatur market.

History

UA started WUAL-FM in January 1982 as the state's fifth public radio station. It emphasized service to the immediate western Alabama area in its first several years, since most of the region had no other access to the public radio medium. However, the university soon realized the potential for expansion into other parts of the state that similarly lacked NPR service. Since Birmingham, Huntsville, southeastern Alabama, and Mobile already had existing stations, station and university officials focused on developing relay transmitters to send WUAL's signal into northwestern and south central Alabama. Thus, WQPR, originally a joint project with the University of North Alabama in Florence, appeared in the late 1980s. It was followed in the early 1990s by WAPR, which is jointly owned by Alabama State University, Troy University (both of which already held station licenses of their own) and UA.

Weekday hosts

*Brandon Hollingsworth--"Morning Edition"
*David Duff and Bob Woodman--daytime classical music
*Ryan Vasquez--"All Things Considered," "Marketplace," "The World," "Fresh Air"

The "Evening Jazz" program, formerly hosted by in-studio announcers, now consists of "Jazz with Bob Parlocha," syndicated by WFMT in Chicago. It runs for five hours per evening Monday through Thursday.

Local specialty programs

Unlike many stations in recent times, APR has always featured a heavy schedule of locally-hosted programs, many of which are unique in featuring special genres of music. Among them are the following:

*" [http://www.allthingsacoustic.org All Things Acoustic] "--a play on the title of NPR's flagship news broadcast, this show explores the wide variety of traditional and contemporary folk music and ethnic sounds, plus the singer-songwriter genre as well. UA professor Jeremy Butler hosts the program, heard on Friday evenings. This program debuted in 1993.

*"A Case of the Blues"--afternoon APR host Brian Poellnitz takes a weekly tour, late Saturday evenings, of blues and variations thereof since the 1960s.

*"Jugs, Jukes and Jazz"--long-running program featuring jazz, ragtime, Dixieland, and big band sounds from the earliest recordings through about the 1960s or so. Tom Halladay has helmed this show for the entirety of APR (WUAL's) history, over 25 years now. The program was heard for many years on Saturday afternoons; it now airs on Sunday evenings.

*"Bama Bluegrass"--Lance Kinney is the current host of this similarly enduring show, which features artists from the Bluegrass and "old-time" country music scenes. The program, heard early Saturday evenings, is especially popular with older, rural listeners. Kinney is also an associate professor of advertising and public relations at the University of Alabama.

*" [http://www.sucarnocheerevue.com Sucarnochee Revue] "--a look at music made by natives of western Alabama and eastern Mississippi, both Euro-American country singers and African-American blues players. Jack White hosts the Saturday night program.

*"The Crooners"--Sunday-evening show featuring vocalists performing big band and swing music from the 1930s through the 1950s. Former APR staff announcer Dale Owen continues his involvement with the network as host of this program.

*"Getting Sentimental Over You"--similar to the above program, but emphasizing instrumentals rather than vocals. The program immediately precedes "The Crooners" and is hosted by Dave Clark.

Defunct or off-air programs

*"Prototype"--Courtney Bowland hosts, with contributions from APR's student reporters. The podcast-only "Prototype" explores contemporary life in Alabama. By interviewing unique yet unsung Alabamians, "Prototype" seeks to create a clearer picture of the state outside the newsmakers and politicians.

*"Alabama Life"--Half-hour newsmagazine featuring people and events in the state, as well as stories from famed Alabama storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham. Jason Norris hosted the program, which was heard early Sunday afternoons. APR no longer broadcasts this show, but episodes are archived on the [http://www.apr.org/ Alabama Public Radio web site] .

ee also

WVUA-FM 90.7, the University's student-programmed station

References

External links

* [http://www.apr.org/ Alabama Public Radio]
* [http://www.allthingsacoustic.org All Things Acoustic]
* [http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wual/.jukebox?action=viewPodcast&podcastId=3783 "Alabama Headlines" podcast, anchored by Brandon Hollingsworth]
*FMQ|WUAL
*FMQ|WQPR
*FMQ|WAPR
*FMQ|WLJS