WCOM-LP

For former television known as WCOM, see WMFD-TV. For WorldCom, whose stock symbol used to be WCOM, see MCI Inc.
WCOM-LP
City Carrboro, North Carolina
Slogan "Your Voice in the Community"
Frequency 103.5 MHz
First air date September 29, 2004
Format Variety
ERP 100 watts
HAAT 27.7 meters (91 feet)
Class L1
Facility ID 135187
Transmitter coordinates 35°52′38″N 79°04′09″W / 35.87722°N 79.06917°W / 35.87722; -79.06917
Callsign meaning COMmunity
Owner Public Gallery of Carrboro, Inc.
Webcast Listen Live
Website wcomfm.org

WCOM-LP is a community low-power FM radio station, broadcasting from Carrboro, North Carolina. It broadcasts from a radio tower over Mary Scroggs Elementary School soccer field in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Its studios are located in Carrboro at 300-G E. Main Street, near the Cat's Cradle. It is the first low-power FM station in the area, and began broadcasting in June 2004. In November 2004, the station began broadcasting a full lineup of local radio programming, including some Spanish language programming.[1] It airs a Variety format.[2]

WCOM-LP is the first low-power FM community radio station in the area to be set up under a program established by the Federal Communications Commission in 2000.[3] The station was assigned the WCOM-LP call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on February 5, 2003.[4]

As a low-powered station, WCOM-LP only produces a 100-watt signal; as such, it cannot be heard far from the tower. Its limits are just before the Chapel Hill Public Library and just past Weaver Street Market in Carrboro. During the afternoons, Fayetteville station WRCQ often bleeds over into WCOM-LP's radio space, due to WRCQ's high-power transmitter being fairly close by (about 60 miles).

History

In June 2004, WCOM-LP began broadcasting a test signal—a 30-minute loop in English and Spanish explaining the goals of the station. Since the technology was not yet in place to link the studio to the transmitter, that test signal came from a CD cabinet at the base of the transmitter at Scroggs.

References

  1. ↑ Hauptman, Karen (July 22, 2005). "Low-power FM station aims to provide community radio for Carrboro". News & Observer.
  2. ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  3. ↑ Russell, Graham (January 24, 2007). "Radio station WCOM emphasizes local edge". The Carrboro Commons.
  4. ↑ "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.


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