WMRA

WMRA signed on in the summer of 1969, broadcasting on 91.1 MHz with 10 watts. The transmitter was at 851 South Main Street in Harrisonburg and the studios were at Alumni Hall on the campus of what was then Madison College. WMRA's signal was sufficient to cover the city of Harrisonburg proper. The station aired from 4 p.m. to midnight daily, and was a typical college radio station, with all programming produced by students.{{cite news|last1=Staff|title=Radio Station Seeks Assistance In Setting Up Special Program|url=http://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1227&context=i19601969|work=The Breeze|publisher=Madison College|date=November 19, 1969|page=1}}{{cite news|title=Radio at Madison|url=http://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1225&context=i19601969|work=The Breeze|publisher=Madison College|date=November 6, 1969|page=4}}

WMRA moved to 90.7 MHz and upgraded power to 19.5 kW on November 12, 1975, at which time the station also applied for funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and joined NPR. As a condition of CPB funding, the station hired professional staff. While students continued to handle many on-air operations, the station adopted a typical public radio format of NPR news, talk, and classical music, with specialty programs of folk and jazz. Unusually for a public radio station, a student-programmed progressive rock show took the late-night timeslot.{{cite news|title=First Power WMRA Broadcast Due|url=http://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1349&context=i19701979|work=The Breeze|publisher=Madison College|date=July 11, 1975|page=1}}{{cite news|title=WMRA To Expand Range Nov. 12|url=http://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1366&context=i19701979|work=The Breeze|publisher=Madison College|date=October 28, 1975|page=1}} All rock music was dropped in 1980 owing to low listenership, to "no great student response", according to then-general manager Don Lanham.{{cite news|title=WMRA terminates rock programming|url=http://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1041&context=i19801989|work=The Breeze|agency=James Madison University|date=September 30, 1980|page=10}} Student programming moved to WXJM (88.7 FM) when that station signed on in 1990.

File:WMRA-FM 2014.PNG

On January 14, 2008, WMRA took over the operation of Eastern Mennonite University's WEMC (91.7 FM), which faced declining ratings and little student interest. WMRA moved its daytime classical programming there in exchange for extra NPR programs that WEMC had previously aired because WMRA could not fit them into its schedule. Both stations kept their evening schedules intact; WMRA was hesitant to move its evening music programs due to WEMC's inferior signal.{{cite web|title=New Programming|url=http://www.wmra.org/newprogramming.html#schedules|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113032840/http://www.wmra.org/newprogramming.html#schedules|url-status=dead|website=WMRA|archive-date=January 13, 2008}}{{cite news|title=WMRA & WEMC programming changes|url=http://hburgnews.com/2008/01/08/wmra-wemc-programming-changes/|work=hburgnews.com|date=January 8, 2008}}{{cite web|title=New Programming|url=http://www.wmra.org/newprogramming.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213210132/http://www.wmra.org/newprogramming.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 13, 2008|website=WMRA}} WEMC went all-classical on August 11, 2014, while WMRA picked up WEMC's remaining information programming and dropped its weekday music programming. WMRA has since started airing several weekend music programs and occasional weeknight music programming.{{cite news|title=WEMC unveils new programming, rebrands as region's home for classical music|url=https://emu.edu/now/news/2014/08/wemc-unveils-new-programming-rebrands-as-regions-home-for-classical-music/|work=emu.edu|date=August 8, 2014}}

WMRA programming is heard on network of three full-powered repeaters. WMRL and WMRY are straight simulcasts of WMRA; their existence is only acknowledged on WMRA's legal IDs. WMLU is owned by Longwood University, and breaks off from WMRA in evening and late-night timeslots to air its own music and student programming.

WMRA also operates one fill-in translator in Winchester, Virginia due to interference from Washington's WETA on 90.9.{{cite web|title=WMRA Engineering Resources|url=http://www.jmu.edu/wmra-eng/wmra.html}}

{{RadioTranslators

| call1 = W233AA

| freq1 = 94.5

| city1 = Winchester, Virginia

| watts1 = 45

| class1 = D

| fid1 = 6129

}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.wmra.org/ wmra.org]

{{FM station data|65447|WMRA}}

{{-}}

{{Harrisonburg Radio}}

{{NPR Virginia}}

{{Virginia college radio}}

{{James Madison University}}

Category:1969 establishments in Virginia

Category:Public radio stations in the United States

Category:NPR member stations

Category:Radio stations established in 1969

MRA

MRA

Category:James Madison University