WEFT : History, Broadcast range, Affiliations Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WEFT

Community radio station in Champaign, Illinois

40°10′51″N 88°19′04″W / 40.18083°N 88.31778°W / 40.18083; -88.31778 (WEFT)LinksWebsiteweft.org

WEFT (90.1 MHz) is a listener-supported community radio station in Champaign, Illinois, founded in 1981 and owned by Prairie Air, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation. WEFT typically broadcasts 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. It has a wide range of programming, including music from a range of genres, local and nationally produced public affairs programming, live music, spoken word, and more.

History

WEFT had its beginnings in 1975 as community members began work to create a new radio station. In 1980, WEFT began to broadcast on the local cable TV network and acquired studio space at 113 N. Market Street in Champaign. This location is still the WEFT operations base. On September 26, 1981,^[1] WEFT went on the air as an FM radio station broadcasting at 90.1 MHz. Initially WEFT was a less–than–1,000–watt station with the transmitter and antenna located atop a nearby hotel. In 1991 WEFT/Prairie Air Inc. purchased the building at 113 N. Market Street and within 9 years paid off the mortgage.

In 1988, WEFT acquired a 10,000–watt transmitter and new broadcast antenna designed for a new transmission site located on a hill northwest of Champaign. WEFT began to broadcast in stereo at this time. This move extended the broadcast coverage area significantly with the signal reaching up to 40 miles (64 km). The 10,000–watt transmitter which had been installed in 1988 was replaced in 2008 after a lightning strike damaged the older tube–type transmitter. The current transmitter is solid state.^[1]

Broadcast range

In addition to broadcasting at 90.1 on the FM band, WEFT streams their programming live, 24 hours per day, on the internet. It streams at 128 Kbps.^[2] The FM signal reaches approximately 40 miles (64 km) to the north, west and south and about 20 miles to the east of their transmitter site. The reduced power to the east is required to avoid interference with a neighboring station located in Indiana.