To All WQCS Listeners and Supporters,
WQCS has proudly served the Treasure Coast since 1982. For almost forty years, we have strived to provide Public Radio programming that informs, entertains and enlightens. Our mission has only been possible with support from our listeners and community, and time and again, you have delivered. Now, thanks to decades of financial support, we have perhaps the most exciting news in the history of WQCS: We are working to acquire two additional radio stations to better serve the Treasure Coast and beyond with quality programming offerings.
The changes below are still subject to FCC and IRSC District Board of Trustees approval, but we wanted to let you, our loyal listeners, be among the first to know.
Soon, 88.9 FM will provide NPR News, talk and information 24 hours a day. Many offerings like Here and Now, 1A and BBC World, that have only been available on WQCS HD2, will be heard on our main channel. Many of you have requested expanded NPR and talk programming, and we can now deliver it.
But what about classical music? Many stations have dropped it entirely or relegated it to their HD2 channel. WQCS has always been committed to keeping classical music alive on the radio. To that end, we are working to purchase 91.1 FM in Fort Pierce. This station will feature all of the music that you’ve come to love from WQCS, on a full-time basis. Classical music, The Metropolitan Opera, Jazz On The Treasure Coast with Rodney Spencer, American Songbook with Dick Golden, and many other programs will now have a permanent home. The 91.1 FM signal is nearly identical to WQCS, so if you live on the Treasure Coast and can hear WQCS, you should be able to hear 91.1 FM as well.
We are also proud to present 88.5 FM—the first NPR affiliate to service the Lake Okeechobee region. We hope to build this station into a true resource for the Lake O community. Listeners to 88.5 FM will enjoy jazz music, local information and NPR updates. For jazz fans on the Treasure Coast, you can hear this station on 88.9 FM WQCS–HD2.
I cannot stress how this expansion is only the result of your financial support. For years we have been asking for donations, from cars to sponsorships, from estate planning to #GivingTuesday, from underwriting to memberships. Through it all, we have always wanted to give something back to every donor and supporter. This is our opportunity. Every single one of you has played a role in this expansion. I hope you’ll continue to support the new 91.1 FM and 88.5 FM, along with 88.9 FM WQCS. Together we have created a new public radio network for the Treasure Coast and the Lake Okeechobee area, and with your help, we’ll continue to grow.
Gratefully yours,
Chris Puorro, WQCS Station Manager
cpuorro@wqcs.org (772) 462-7811
