In August, a coed, Catholic Benedictine boarding and day school for students grades 9-12 along Narragansett Bay surrendered its license for its 360-watt Class A FM, ending student-run programming that could be heard in nearby Bristol and in Fall River, Mass.
A change of heart came earlier this month, however, and the private school rescinded its request. Its license was restored. But, it has nothing to do with Portsmouth Abbey School wanting to keep operating the FM.
It’s just been sold to the regional NPR Member operation.
The station is WJHD-FM 90.7, licensed to Portsmouth, R.I.
It signed on the air in 1972, using a 10-watt RCA BTE-10C exciter and transmitter, two AR turntables, and a Shure mixer. It received its upgrade in power 40 years ago.
As has been seen in recent years, educational institutions have been cool on continued operations for a radio station. Why? Those in charge of these schools say students aren’t listening to the radio anymore, and that online-only streaming is suffice.
That certainly seems to be the case for Portsmouth Abbey School, only it now has a buyer for a station it had left for dead.
The buyer is Rhode Island Public Radio, known to listeners as “The Public’s Radio.”
For the school, it is getting $7,500 — better than zero for surrendering WJHD’s license.
WJHD is presently silent under an STA, which came with the restoration of WJHD as an licensed station.
Now, the question many will be asking is just what The Public’s Radio plans to do with WJHD.
At present, programming can be heard across WJHD’s coverage area via Class B WNPN-FM 89.3, licensed to tony Newport, R.I. Boosting The Public Radio’s Providence coverage is W275DA at 102.9 MHz; WNPE-FM 102.9 in Narragansett, R.I. helps in covering the southern portion of the state.
