WVCR-FM

Infobox Radio station
name = WVCR-FM


city = Loudonville, New York
area = Capital District
branding = 88.3 The Saint
slogan = "We Play Anything"
airdate = 1960 (on 89.1 MHz)
"Moved to 88.3 1970"
frequency = 88.3 MHz
format = Variety hits
haat = 256.0 meters
class = B1
facility_id = 60295
coordinates = coord|42|38|13.00|N| 74|0|5.00|W|region:US_type:city
callsign_meaning = W Voice of College Radio
W Voice of the Capital Region
owner = Siena College
website = [http://www.wvcr.com www.wvcr.com]

WVCR-FM "(88.3 The Saint)" is a Variety hits radio station owned by, and primarily staffed by students from, Siena College, located near Albany, New York. The station broadcasts on 88.3 MHz at a power of 2.8 kilowatts ERP from the Heldeberg Mountains tower farm in New Scotland.

WVCR is perhaps the only non-commercial licensee to emulate the Variety hits format made popular by the Jack FM approach in the Capital Region. The format is very popular in the region with a very diverse selection from classic 1960's hits to current hits of today. Somewhat of a 25,000 Watt I-Pod for Baby Boomers

Unlike many Variety Hits stations, WVCR's Variety Hits format contains DJs that interact with listeners, and identify songs played on the station.

In addition, the station frequently makes uses of jingles to identify themselves. This is a somewhat uncommon pratice among stations with this format.

On Sundays, WVCR breaks its format for a day of block programming known as "Saint Sundays". the programming during this period includes Power & Praise, The Catholic Chorale, Polka Spotlight, The Proud to be Irish Show, Smitty & Friends (Sinatra Era) and DeSelecciones, which just celebrated its 20th year on the station in May 2007. The station also broadcasts Siena women's basketball games as well as the games of the New York-Penn League's Tri-City ValleyCats.

History

WVCR-FM first signed on in 1960 on 89.1 MHz as a Top 40 formatted station operated solely by Siena students. Though the station operated with a Class D license from a tower on the Siena campus, the station did reach much of both Albany and Troy. At the same time, a carrier current AM station heard solely on campus signed on, mostly simulcasting the FM signal.

In 1970, PBS station WMHT obtained a full-power construction permit for the 89.1 frequency, paying WVCR to vacate the frequency. With WMHT's help, WVCR would relocate to 88.3 MHz in time for the 1971-72 academic year, upgrading to Class A status with a 360W transmitted signal from Pinnacle Mountain in New Scotland, NY. It was at this time WVCR adopted a more eclectic format common of college radio.

Although the additional height of the Pinnacle Mountain site opened up the possibility of greatly expanded coverage, the WVCR signal was too weak to be reliably received throughout much of the Capital District and especially the Siena College campus. The situation was further worsened by WVCR's failure to transmit in stereo, with stereo broadcasts finally beginning in 1987. As a result, the station experienced a gradual decline in listenership and member morale throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s.

1985 saw a major change at WVCR as a planned dormitory renovation at Plassman Hall forced WVCR to relocate to all new studios across campus. To accomplish this, WVCR-FM spent most of the 1985-86 academic year off the air with the new facilities debuting in December 1986. The relaunch of the station provided the opportunity for a fresh start, and the new student members made many major upgrades to the signal, with the adoption of stereo in 1987, a newer vintage transmitter and antenna in 1988, and the upgrade from class A to B1 status (25000 watts equivalent) in 1989. By 1989, the signal could be reliably be received on campus for the first time since 1970. An additional power increase took place in Jan of 2001 to bring the signal to its current level.

As the 1990s started, the number of genres on WVCR declined as student interest in the station began to go towards two genres of music, heavy metal and urban contemporary, both underrepresented in the Albany market. By 1995, WVCR's schedule outside of Sundays was made solely of programming in those two formats. The 1996 arrivial of current Siena president Fr. Kevin Mackin, who publicly objected to "offensive" programming, put the heavy metal programming in jeopardy and it was replaced prior to the 1997-98 academic year by alternative rock. This arrangement would remain in place until the end of the Fall semester of the 1998-99 academic year. It should be noted that this dramatic change was done shortly after the replacement of the aging transmitter used by WVCR. The change was seen as completely unfair to many personalities who had tired endlessly for years building the station into a regional powerhouse, as well as being unfair to the listeners who had put up some $25,000+ in a listener appeal for the transmitter replacement. The move also undermined the WVCR "Executive Committee" which had previously been consulted with all station business. The decision was a 'closed door' event featuring Fr Mackin and then station president (and future Clear Channel guy) Terry O'Donnell.

On December 27, 1998, WVCR axed all rock programming and took on a Rhythmic Top 40 format, a move allegedly done in rapid response to the launch of then-urban contemporary WAJZ. With this move came an upgrade of studio equipment and the expansion of WVCR to a 24-hour broadcast day; previously, it had signed off from 12:00-6:00 AM. Though the format was successful and had an advantage in both signal and establishment, the departure of some popular personalities and the evolution of the format to more commercial material led to a declining listenership both on-campus and in the community. After a 2001 review by Fr. Mackin stated that the trends of the Rhythmic Top 40 format had made it as "offensive" as the heavy metal format had been four years earlier, WVCR relaunched as a Mainstream Top 40 station in September 2001.

Popular on campus, WVCR's Top 40 format struggled to get some traction going against the more established WFLY and the seemingly Rhythmic WKKF. The redundancy of the station in the market and the support of the station in the community paling in comparison to past formats led Siena to switch the format to variety hits on April 9, 2006.

WVCR-FM continues to be a community leader in the Albany, Schenectady & Troy, N.Y. market while also broadcasting to the neighboring states Vermont & Massachusetts. As of August 2006 Darrin "Scott" Kibbey serves as General Manager & Host of the "Morning Wake-Up Call" with John F. Kelly (former Chairman of the NYS Broadcaster Assoc.) serving as Director to the station.

As of March 29th, 2008, WVCR became the first radio station in the Capital Region, and very likely the first radio station in the nation, to broadcast a show that showcases Japanese Popular Music (J-Pop). The show which is entitled “The J-Pop Exchange" is produced and hosted by "SeanBird", one of WVCR's On-Air personalities.Fact|date=May 2008

External links

*fmq|WVCR-FM