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WCSP-FM

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WCSP-FM
Broadcast areaWashington, D.C.
Baltimore, Maryland
Frequency90.1 MHz (HD Radio)
90.1 HD2 C-SPAN1 simulcast (House of Representatives and other)
90.1 HD3 C-SPAN2 simulcast (Senate and Book TV)
XM Radio 132
Branding"C-SPAN Radio"
Programming
FormatPublic Affairs
Ownership
OwnerNational Cable Satellite Corporation
History
Former call signs
WGTB, WDCU
Call sign meaning
Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network
Technical information
Facility ID68950
ClassB
Power50,000 watts
HAAT149 meters
Transmitter coordinates
38°57′44.0″N 77°1′36.0″W / 38.962222°N 77.026667°W / 38.962222; -77.026667
Links
WebcastWCSP-FM Webstream
WebsiteWCSP-FM Online

WCSP-FM, also known as C-SPAN Radio, is a radio station licensed to the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN) in Washington, D.C. The station broadcasts on 90.1 MHz and is on-air 24 hours a day.[1] Its studios are located near Capitol Hill in C-SPAN’s headquarters.[2] In addition to WCSP-FM, C-SPAN Radio programming is also available online at c-span.org and via satellite radio on XM channel 455.

WCSP-FM broadcasts in the HD (digital) format.[3]

History

As WGTB and WDCU

The station was originally licensed to Georgetown University under the callsign WGTB, and was programmed by Georgetown students with a progressive rock format.[4] In 1979, the Georgetown administration decided that the station did not fit with the public image they desired for the university, and sold the station to the University of the District of Columbia for US$1.[4] UDC took ownership officially on March 12, 1980,[5] and WGTB became WDCU, with a jazz format.[6] During a budgetary crisis in mid-1997, the school sold WDCU for $13 million to C-SPAN, a non-profit funded by the cable television industry.[7] UDC had planned to sell the station to Salem Communications (a Christian broadcast network); however this deal was unsuccessful, leading to C-SPAN’s offer to buy the WDCU.[2] Once the station was purchased, broadcasting of C-SPAN Radio WCSP began on October 9, 1997.[6]

As WCSP

C-SPAN Radio expanded its coverage by signing programming agreements[8][9] in 1998 with two subscription-only satellite radio systems: CD Radio (later renamed Sirius) and General Motors' XM Satellite Radio, bringing the station to a nationwide audience in 2001.[10][11] As of February 14, 2007, Sirius Satellite Radio no longer carries WCSP-FM.[12] The station was added to XM Radio Canada on April 1, 2007.[13] The FM range of the radio station extends as far North as Hanover, Pennsylvania, South around 15 miles beyond Fredericksburg, Virginia, West to 5 miles East of Front Royal, Virginia and East to Cambridge, Maryland.[14] C-SPAN offers three channels of programming for listeners within the FM signal radius with HD radios, using digital technology to multicast all three channels at 90.1 FM. The three channels offer different programming: WCSP-FM's usual programming is broadcast on 90.1 HD-1; 90.1 HD-2 simulcasts C-SPAN, broadcasting coverage of the House of Representatives plus other C-SPAN programming; 90.1 HD-3 simulcasts C-SPAN2, broadcasting coverage of the Senate and audio of Book TV.[15]

As of July 28, 2010, C-SPAN Radio can be accessed via any phone, thanks to a partnership with AudioNow. In addition to this service, a C-SPAN Radio application allows users to listen to the station via their iPhone.[16]

Programming

C-SPAN Radio broadcasts public-affairs programming, including some audio simulcasts of C-SPAN's flagship television programs like Washington Journal and some radio-only programming such as the famous tape-recorded Oval Office conversations from the Johnson and Nixon administrations, oral histories, and some committee meetings and press conferences not shown on television due to programming commitments. The radio station does not try to duplicate C-SPAN television coverage, and takes a more selective approach to its broadcast content.[17] Regular programs broadcast on the radio station include Today in Washington and Prime Minister's Question Time.[18]

In the early period of C-SPAN Radio's existence, programming also included coverage of local events and government hearings affecting only the Washington region.[2] A unique part of WCSP's programming is its rebroadcast of five Sunday morning talk shows, without commercials, in rapid succession.[17] All programs on C-SPAN Radio are broadcast commercial-free.[10]

WCSP-FM is the first radio station to broadcast audiotape of historical U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments, with announcers explaining the court decision at the end of the recording.[10] The broadcasts of the Supreme Court arguments have provided listeners in the U.S. and Canada with the opportunity to hear spoken words during oral arguments for several of the Court's most influential cases, including the Texas v. Johnson argument over flag-burning in 1989, and the Miranda v. Arizona argument in 1966.[19][20] In September 2010 the Supreme Court began releasing audio recordings of the week's oral arguments each Friday, thereby allowing C-SPAN Radio to broadcast a selection of current arguments. Prior to this arrangement, recordings of oral arguments were occasionally made available on a same-day basis, which C-SPAN would request in cases of high public interest.[21][22]

References

  1. ^ Fisher, Marc (21 October 1997). "C-SPAN for Drive Time; 'Washington Journal' Makes Radio Debut on WCSP". Washington Post. pp. D08. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Hall, Thomas C. (24 October 1997). "C-SPAN radio won't be tied to the Hill". Washington Business Journal. 16 (24): 5.
  3. ^ http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=100 HD Radio Guide for Washington D.C.
  4. ^ a b Eve Zibart (1 February 1979). "Georgetown Pulls the Plug on Its Campus Station". The Washington Post. p. B12.
  5. ^ Roger Piantadosi (13 March 1980). The Washington Post. p. D8. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ a b Kitson Flynn (13 October 1997). "C-SPAN Takes Over". The Washington Times. p. C13.
  7. ^ "C-SPAN steps in as buyer of WDCU in Washington". Current. 25 August 1997. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  8. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (19 October 1998). "Radio satcaster pacts for programs, changes name". Variety: 58.
  9. ^ "American Mobile Radio Selects Hughes and Alcatel". Audio Week. 30 March 1998.
  10. ^ a b c Patricia Meisol (12 January 1999). "The Motion Carries; With C-SPAN Radio, news is gavel-to-gavel even while traffic's bumper-to-bumper. And with the Clinton trial heating up the airwaves, its popularity may speed ahead". The Baltimore Sun. p. 1E.
  11. ^ Mark Spencer (10 November 1999). "C-SPAN might be heading to your radio". Chicago Daily Herald. section Neighbor, p. 4.
  12. ^ Charles Babington (19 March 2007). "Radio Deal Could Face Technical Difficulties; XM, Sirius Systems Already Strained". The Washington Post. p. D01.
  13. ^ "XM Canada Reaches 237,500 Subs; Adds New Channels". MarketNews Canada. 12 March 2007.
  14. ^ "Predicted coverage area for WCSP 90.1 FM, Washington, DC". Radio-Locator. Theodric Technologies. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  15. ^ "C-SPAN Radio". C-SPAN.org. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  16. ^ "C-SPAN Radio Expands Distribution" (PDF). C-SPAN. 28 July 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  17. ^ a b Chris Kaltenbach (22 February 1998). "New station features processes of government; Radio: WCSP-FM (90.1) serves up large doses of public policy as it's happening, but more selectively than C-SPAN". The Baltimore Sun. p. 5E.
  18. ^ "C-SPAN Regular Programs". Sirius.com. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  19. ^ Andrew Cohen (8 October 2010). "C-SPAN's Supreme Court Broadcasts: Do You Have the Right to Burn the Flag?". PoliticsDaily.com. AOL. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  20. ^ Andrew Cohen (1 October 2010). "C-SPAN's Supreme Court Broadcasts: Voices and Views That Shaped the Law". PoliticsDaily.com. AOL. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  21. ^ "C-SPAN Statement In Response to Today's Supreme Court Announcement on Oral Argument Audio Release" (PDF). C-SPAN.org. 28 September 2010. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  22. ^ John Eggerton (23 October 2008). "C-SPAN Seeks Oral Argument Tapes in Fox Swearing Case". Broadcasting & Cable. New Bay Media. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
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