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WESA (FM)
WESA (90.5 FM) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. A member station of National Public Radio (NPR), WESA features a talk and information-based public radio format. The studios and offices for WESA and sister station WYEP-FM (91.3) are on Bedford Square at South 12th Street.
WESA's transmitter is located on Shiloh Street at Grandview Avenue in Pittsburgh. WESA broadcasts in HD Radio; its HD2 subchannel plays jazz and the HD3 subchannel carries the BBC World Service. Programming is also heard on four FM translators in Western Pennsylvania; by way of three of those translators, the station is also the NPR member for the Johnstown area.
The station signed on the air on December 15, 1949, as WDUQ, owned by Duquesne University. It originally served as a student laboratory on the Duquesne campus, helping students train for careers in broadcasting and gave local audiences access to cultural programs and information.
WDUQ became a member of National Public Radio in the 1970s. As NPR national shows were rolled out, they were added to the WDUQ schedule, including All Things Considered and Morning Edition as well as the popular weekend show, Car Talk. The station also had a significant local and regional news effort, including in-depth coverage of a variety of issues. The station produced and distributed programming heard on other public radio stations nationwide. WDUQ was also known as the main radio outlet for jazz music in Pittsburgh.
The station began carrying the programming of the newly formed Radio Information Service in 1976, a reading service for the visually impaired and print-handicapped. The service broadcast on a subsidiary communications authority (SCA) subchannel, only available on some FM receivers. WDUQ entered into a management agreement to handle RIS's day-to-day business operations in late 2005. In Fall 2001, WDUQ was the most listened-to public radio outlet in Pittsburgh.
In 2006, WDUQ began to give several distant communities a local signal. FM translators now relay WDUQ programming on 100.5 MHz in Johnstown, Pennsylvania; 104.1 MHz in Somerset, Pennsylvania; 92.3 MHz in New Baltimore, Pennsylvania serving the Pennsylvania Turnpike; and 104.1 MHz in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.
In October, 2007, WDUQ sparked controversy regarding the corporate underwriting it received from Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania. In exchange for a gift of more than $5,000, WDUQ began airing a series of public service announcements (PSAs) for Planned Parenthood on October 8, 2007.
The messages focused on breast and cervical cancer screening, STD treatment, and abstinence education. They did not mention abortion-related services. Planned Parenthood, however, is the largest provider of abortions in the United States. On October 10, Duquesne University President Dr. Charles J. Dougherty ordered the station to return the money and cease airing the PSAs, citing conflict with the university's Catholic identity.
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WESA (FM)
WESA (90.5 FM) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. A member station of National Public Radio (NPR), WESA features a talk and information-based public radio format. The studios and offices for WESA and sister station WYEP-FM (91.3) are on Bedford Square at South 12th Street.
WESA's transmitter is located on Shiloh Street at Grandview Avenue in Pittsburgh. WESA broadcasts in HD Radio; its HD2 subchannel plays jazz and the HD3 subchannel carries the BBC World Service. Programming is also heard on four FM translators in Western Pennsylvania; by way of three of those translators, the station is also the NPR member for the Johnstown area.
The station signed on the air on December 15, 1949, as WDUQ, owned by Duquesne University. It originally served as a student laboratory on the Duquesne campus, helping students train for careers in broadcasting and gave local audiences access to cultural programs and information.
WDUQ became a member of National Public Radio in the 1970s. As NPR national shows were rolled out, they were added to the WDUQ schedule, including All Things Considered and Morning Edition as well as the popular weekend show, Car Talk. The station also had a significant local and regional news effort, including in-depth coverage of a variety of issues. The station produced and distributed programming heard on other public radio stations nationwide. WDUQ was also known as the main radio outlet for jazz music in Pittsburgh.
The station began carrying the programming of the newly formed Radio Information Service in 1976, a reading service for the visually impaired and print-handicapped. The service broadcast on a subsidiary communications authority (SCA) subchannel, only available on some FM receivers. WDUQ entered into a management agreement to handle RIS's day-to-day business operations in late 2005. In Fall 2001, WDUQ was the most listened-to public radio outlet in Pittsburgh.
In 2006, WDUQ began to give several distant communities a local signal. FM translators now relay WDUQ programming on 100.5 MHz in Johnstown, Pennsylvania; 104.1 MHz in Somerset, Pennsylvania; 92.3 MHz in New Baltimore, Pennsylvania serving the Pennsylvania Turnpike; and 104.1 MHz in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.
In October, 2007, WDUQ sparked controversy regarding the corporate underwriting it received from Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania. In exchange for a gift of more than $5,000, WDUQ began airing a series of public service announcements (PSAs) for Planned Parenthood on October 8, 2007.
The messages focused on breast and cervical cancer screening, STD treatment, and abstinence education. They did not mention abortion-related services. Planned Parenthood, however, is the largest provider of abortions in the United States. On October 10, Duquesne University President Dr. Charles J. Dougherty ordered the station to return the money and cease airing the PSAs, citing conflict with the university's Catholic identity.
