WAMC

Encyclopedia : W : WA : WAM : WAMC

WAMC is a public radio station out of Albany, NY, broadcasting on the 90.3 FM frequency. The organization's legal name is 'WAMC, Inc.' and is also known as 'WAMC Public Radio' or 'WAMC Northeast Public Radio Network'. It runs the Northeast Public Radio network of stations.

The NPR affiliate is registered with IRS as a 501c3 charitable, educational, non-commercial broadcaster. The organization's IRS Form 990 - 'Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax' can be accessed at [Guidestar.org] or [wamc.net] (not affilated with WAMC). Total annual revenues (Fiscal 2005): $6 million.

Present corporate officers include Thomas S.W. Lewis, chairman of the board of trustees; Alan S. Chartock, president & chief executive officer.

Contents

1 Criticism and Views

1.1 Accusations of bias
1.2 Support for Chartock's programming

2 Original Programing
3 National Productions
4 Podcasts
5 Technical Data

5.1 Coverage Maps
5.2 Stations, wattage, service contour maps
5.3 Translators

6 References
7 See also
8 External Links

Criticism and Views

Accusations of bias

NPR's official news policy states that its affiliate stations should be 'fair, unbiased, accurate, honest, and respectful of the people that are covered', principles that some senior NPR officials think are not always followed with non-syndicated WAMC reporting.

For example, Jonathan Kern, the NPR official who leads NPR's anti-bias workshops, expressed concern with what he views as political bias in WAMC news reporting stating that "Our code of ethics says, if you’re in the news division, you do not express opinions on the air, and I think that’s a good measure for any station." In another case, a NPR producer visiting the WAMC listening area expressed surprise regarding the "outspoken political commentary" of WAMC news coverage. It was station CEO and in-house political 'commentator' Alan Chartock's political commentary that most caught the attention of the NPR producer, who labeled it left-of-center "ranting" that, as a news professional dedicated to center-of-the-road balance at NPR, really "freaked [him] out".

Support for Chartock's programming

Stephen Yasko, manager of WTMD (89.7 FM), an NPR member station in Towson that plays mostly adult-alternative music states that quality-control challenges NPR’s decentralized nature might create are outweighed by the advantage of unique local programming.

“Public radio stations reflect the values and texture of the communities they serve,” says Yasko, who has also worked in the NPR member services department. “If NPR or any national organization had too much control or input into every station’s local personality, then you would lose the very thing that makes us what we are. So if Alan Chartock is what Albany and upstate New York created and what works for them, that’s a beautiful thing, no matter what some outsiders might say.”

Original Programing

WAMC produces many programs of their own. these include:

Capitol Connection
Hudson River Sampler
In Our Backyard
The Legislative Gazette
Tim Coakley Jazz
Midday Magazine
Northeast Report
The Roundtable
Vox Pop
WAMC Bluegrass Time
Weekly Rundown

National Productions

WAMC also produces programing that is distributed under the name National Productions. These include:

The Best of Our Knowledge
The Book Show
51%
The Health Show
The Media Project
Word for the Wise

Podcasts

WAMC also podcasts their original programs. They offer a version of pubcatcher to manage their podcasts.

Technical Data

Coverage Maps

Two Maps -- Two differing interpretations:

[WAMC's published coverage map] showing counties that are covered in whole or in part
[FCC-based coverage map] - using WAMC's map above overlaid with FCC 60dBu - industry standard - service contour maps for comparison. (Site not affiliated with WAMC.)

Please note FCC's disclaimer: "Often stations may be received at locations well beyond the displayed service contour, depending on the location of other stations on the same or adjacent channels."

Stations, wattage, service contour maps

Call Sign	Frequency	Location	Effective Radiated Power (ERP)
WAMC	90.3 FM	Albany, NY	10.0 kW ERP (10,000 Watts)	[Map]
WAMK	90.9 FM	Kingston, NY	0.94 kW ERP (940 Watts)	[Map]
WOSR	91.7 FM	Middletown, NY	1.80 kW ERP (1,800 Watts)	[Map]
WCEL	91.9 FM	Plattsburgh, NY	0.38 kW ERP (380 Watts)	[Map]
WCAN	93.3 FM	Canajoharie, NY	6.0 kW ERP (6,000 Watts)	[Map]
WANC	103.9 FM	Ticonderoga, NY	1.55 kW ERP (1,550 Watts)	[Map]
WAMQ	105.1 FM	Great Barrington, MA	0.73 kW ERP (730 Watts)	[Map]
WRUN	1150 AM	Utica, NY	5.0 kW ERP Day (5,000 Watts) 1.0 kW ERP Night (1,000 Watts)	[Map] [Map]
WAMC	1400 AM	Albany, NY	1.0 kW ERP Day (1,000 Watts) 1.0 kW ERP Night (1,000 Watts)	[Map] [Map]

Translators

Call sign	Frequency	Location	Effective Radiated Power (ERP)
W205AJ	88.9 FM	Oneonta, NY	0.003 kW ERP (3 Watts)	[Map]
W220CE	91.9 FM	Southington, CT	0.001 kW ERP (1 Watt)	[Map]
W226AC	93.1 FM	Rensselaer-Troy, NY	0.05 kW ERP (50 Watts)	[Map]
W246BJ	97.1 FM	Hudson, NY	0.05 kW ERP (50 Watts)	[Map]
W299AG	107.7 FM	Newburgh, NY	0.01 kW ERP (10 Watts)	[Map]

References

External Links

[WAMC Homepage]
[The WAMC Performing Arts Studio]-- A WAMC-owned venue in downtown Albany adjacent to their studios.
[WAMC Northeast PIRATE Network] -- A Web site containing articles and exposés generally critical of WAMC and its management.

Radio stations in the Albany / Schenectady / Troy market [(Arbitron Market #62)]
AM Stations 560 | 590 | 810 | 930 | 980 | 1160 | 1230 | 1240 | 1300 | 1330 | 1340 | 1400 | 1440 | 1460 | 1490 | 1540 | 1570

FM Stations 87.7 | 88.3 | 89.1 | 90.3 | 90.7 | 90.9 | 91.1 | 91.5 | 92.3 | 92.9 | 93.5 | 93.7 | 94.5 | 94.7 | 95.5 | 95.9 | 96.3 | 96.7 | 97.3 | 97.5 | 97.7 | 97.9 | 98.3 | 98.5 Catskill | 98.5 Lake George | 99.5
100.3 | 100.9 | 101.3 | 101.7 | 101.9 | 102.3 | 102.7 | 103.1 | 103.5 | 103.9 | 104.5 | 104.9 | 105.7 | 106.5 | 107.1 | 107.7

Defunct radio stations WSRA | WTRI | WXKW