WEHC Widens Signal to become WEHC, Emory, and WISE-FM, Wise
WEHC carries NPR programming from Radio IQ based in Roanoke and produces local programs from 1 to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to midnight daily. The signals included in the expansion were previously carrying Radio IQ 24/7 but will now include locally produced talk, music and sports programming from WEHC that will help connect the region and represent the voices of Southwest Virginia. The station is celebrating with a special edition of the stage-to-radio show, The Sampler in the Kennedy~Reedy Theatre at the McGlothlin Center for the Arts at Emory & Henry College on Friday, February 10, 2023 at 7 p.m.
WEHC and WISE-FM have both been fortunate to work with the large station, WVTF Roanoke. WEHC broadcasts WVTF Radio IQ NPR programming as well as locally-produced programs. For the last few years, WISE-FM has been used strictly as a repeater of Roanoke’s WVTF programming. Through an agreement between WEHC and WVTF, the license holder for WISE-FM, WEHC can now broadcast local programming on WISE-FM and its translator frequencies, expanding WEHC’s signal coverage significantly. To help fill in the gaps out in the rugged mountains of the coal counties, WISE-FM 90.5 Wise has translators which can be heard on 91.3 FM Pound, 90.1 FM Big Stone Gap, 90.3 FM Clintwood and 91.7 FM Norton. (WISE-FM and its translators cover Wise and Dickenson counties: Wise, Coeburn, Clintwood, Norton, Pound, Saint Paul, and surrounding areas).
As part of the celebration of 30 years on air and the new signal expansion WEHC will present The Sampler, a variety show, hosted by Ivy Sheppard and Ed Davis that will feature favorite on-air personalities and more. With musical performances by Five Mile Mountain Road Band, storytelling with Isaac Freeman, reminiscences from former broadcasters, and special guests. This will be a night of old fashioned fun for everyone. There will be a reception prior to the show beginning at 6 p.m.
This ticketed event is an important fundraiser for the signal expansion as WEHC 90.7 flips the switch on the towers in Wise, Coeburn, Clintwood, Pound and Norton, broadcasting as WEHC, The Voice of Southwest Virginia. Tickets are available at this link and at the Box Office. Limited edition items will be available to commemorate this celebration.
General Manager Ivy Sheppard said, “WEHC has a rich and storied history, and we’re looking to the future. This event is a great opportunity to contribute to your local listener supported station. We are growing by leaps and bounds and need your support in raising $25,000 to cover the cost of expansion. This will be a wonderful evening of fun and fellowship.
“WEHC is in a unique location being the only public radio service between Roanoke and Johnson City, Tennessee,” said Sheppard. “This expansion allows us to represent the ever-growing number of varied voices in Southwest Virginia. It is my hope that WEHC can be a source of news and entertainment for an underserved portion of our population.”
Shepard added that people want to hear the weather in Saltville and know what’s going on in Norton and Wise. “They want to keep abreast of local issues and politics and drive down the road singing along with a familiar Stanley Brothers song, or reveling in the success of new up-and-coming regional bands such as Winchester 49. Radio is a magic medium that connects, that shares voices and ideas.”
The station is comprised of a passionate group of Emory & Henry students, staff, faculty and community volunteers who produce and broadcast unique quality programming that fulfills the mission of Emory & Henry College and showcases the many and varied voices of Southwest Virginia. WEHC can be heard on all the frequencies aforementioned and worldwide via streaming at www.ehc.edu/wehc/.
Open gallery
