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WPVD
WPVD (1290 AM) is a public radio station in Providence, Rhode Island. It is owned by Ocean State Media. The station serves the few areas of Providence without a clear signal from network flagship WNPN in Newport.
WPVD transmits with 400 watts by day, 16 watts by night, using a one-tower omnidirectional antenna. The transmitter is off Douglas Avenue in North Providence.
On November 23, 2018, the FCC granted a construction permit for W275DA, an FM translator station on 102.9 MHz. On September 30, 2021, W275DA began broadcasting from the same tower as WPRO-FM.
The station signed on the air in 1947 as WNAF. The call sign was changed to WDEM in 1949. It changed to WICE in 1952 to signify its broadcasting the Providence Reds hockey team. During the 1960s, WICE presented a top 40 music format. By the 1970s, WICE had switched to a news/talk format featuring Kurt Oden, who later served as an aide to Mayor Buddy Cianci. It was owned by Susquehanna Radio. It switched to Portuguese programming as WRCP in 1983. It changed to English public radio programming as WRNI in 1998. It changed to Spanish programming in 2011, and changed call signs to WRPA in 2018. On July 10, 2020, WRPA’s call changed once again to WPPB.
The station’s callsign was officially changed to WICE on February 21, 1952, with an effective date of March 1, 1952. The change was in reference to the ice the Reds skated on at the Rhode Island Auditorium where the studios were. In 1952, the station manager was Sumner Pearl who also hosted programs throughout the day. In the early days, WICE was full of sports content. WICE Sports Ace Chris Schenkel would broadcast a 'Feature Race of the Day' from Narragansett Park. They would also cover all the Providence Reds games both home and away. This made them competitive with the all-powerful WPRO.
On January 4, 1953, a small fire broke out in a storage closet where the WICE studios were located. Local announcer Sherm Strickhouser discovered the fire, and alerted the authorities. After the fire was extinguished, they found the body of 26-year-old popular local disc jockey, Jay Creedon. Creedon was scheduled to return to the air that morning after a four-week hiatus. He had slept the previous night in the storage room, falling asleep with a cigarette in his hand.
In the 1990s, a group of Rhode Islanders formed the Foundation for Ocean State Public Radio in order to bring a local public radio station to the state. At the time, Rhode Island was the only state in New England (traditionally one of the bedrocks of support for NPR) and one of only two in the entire country (the other being Delaware) that did not have a full-service NPR station within its borders. Most of the state got at least a grade B signal from Boston's WGBH (with Providence itself receiving a city-grade signal) and WBUR. After a few years of looking, they found a partner in Boston University (BU), owner of WBUR. BU agreed to buy WRCP for $1.9 million; the foundation conducted a statewide drive to help raise the funds.
On May 1, 1998, WRCP's calls officially changed to WRNI, and the license was officially transferred to the WRNI Foundation, a separate fundraising group set up by WBUR to handle local underwriting.
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WPVD
WPVD (1290 AM) is a public radio station in Providence, Rhode Island. It is owned by Ocean State Media. The station serves the few areas of Providence without a clear signal from network flagship WNPN in Newport.
WPVD transmits with 400 watts by day, 16 watts by night, using a one-tower omnidirectional antenna. The transmitter is off Douglas Avenue in North Providence.
On November 23, 2018, the FCC granted a construction permit for W275DA, an FM translator station on 102.9 MHz. On September 30, 2021, W275DA began broadcasting from the same tower as WPRO-FM.
The station signed on the air in 1947 as WNAF. The call sign was changed to WDEM in 1949. It changed to WICE in 1952 to signify its broadcasting the Providence Reds hockey team. During the 1960s, WICE presented a top 40 music format. By the 1970s, WICE had switched to a news/talk format featuring Kurt Oden, who later served as an aide to Mayor Buddy Cianci. It was owned by Susquehanna Radio. It switched to Portuguese programming as WRCP in 1983. It changed to English public radio programming as WRNI in 1998. It changed to Spanish programming in 2011, and changed call signs to WRPA in 2018. On July 10, 2020, WRPA’s call changed once again to WPPB.
The station’s callsign was officially changed to WICE on February 21, 1952, with an effective date of March 1, 1952. The change was in reference to the ice the Reds skated on at the Rhode Island Auditorium where the studios were. In 1952, the station manager was Sumner Pearl who also hosted programs throughout the day. In the early days, WICE was full of sports content. WICE Sports Ace Chris Schenkel would broadcast a 'Feature Race of the Day' from Narragansett Park. They would also cover all the Providence Reds games both home and away. This made them competitive with the all-powerful WPRO.
On January 4, 1953, a small fire broke out in a storage closet where the WICE studios were located. Local announcer Sherm Strickhouser discovered the fire, and alerted the authorities. After the fire was extinguished, they found the body of 26-year-old popular local disc jockey, Jay Creedon. Creedon was scheduled to return to the air that morning after a four-week hiatus. He had slept the previous night in the storage room, falling asleep with a cigarette in his hand.
In the 1990s, a group of Rhode Islanders formed the Foundation for Ocean State Public Radio in order to bring a local public radio station to the state. At the time, Rhode Island was the only state in New England (traditionally one of the bedrocks of support for NPR) and one of only two in the entire country (the other being Delaware) that did not have a full-service NPR station within its borders. Most of the state got at least a grade B signal from Boston's WGBH (with Providence itself receiving a city-grade signal) and WBUR. After a few years of looking, they found a partner in Boston University (BU), owner of WBUR. BU agreed to buy WRCP for $1.9 million; the foundation conducted a statewide drive to help raise the funds.
On May 1, 1998, WRCP's calls officially changed to WRNI, and the license was officially transferred to the WRNI Foundation, a separate fundraising group set up by WBUR to handle local underwriting.