WETA (FM)

WETA
Broadcast areaWashington metropolitan area
Frequency90.9 MHz (HD Radio)
RDS
  • PI: 6126
  • PS: WETA
  • RT: WETA Classical 90.9
BrandingWETA Classical 90.9 FM
Programming
LanguageEnglish
FormatClassical music
Subchannels
  • HD2: Viva La Voce (classical vocal music)
  • HD3: Virtuoso (classical music)
Ownership
OwnerGreater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association
WETA-TV
History
First air date
March 15, 1970 (1970-03-15)
Call sign meaning
Washington Educational Telecommunications Association
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID65669
ClassB
ERP
  • 75,000 watts (analog)
  • 3,200 watts (digital)
HAAT186 meters (610 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
38°53′30.4″N 77°7′53.9″W / 38.891778°N 77.131639°W / 38.891778; -77.131639
Translator88.9 W205BL (Frederick, Maryland)
Repeater89.1 WGMS (HD Radio) (Hagerstown, Maryland)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websiteweta.org/fm

WETA (90.9 MHz) is a non-commercial, public radio station licensed to serve Washington, D.C., broadcasting a classical music radio format. Its studios, shared with primary PBS member WETA-TV (channel 26), are located inside the Sharon Percy Rockefeller Center for Public Media on Campbell Avenue in Arlington, Virginia, and its broadcast tower is located near Arlington at (38°53′30.0″N 77°7′54.0″W / 38.891667°N 77.131667°W / 38.891667; -77.131667).

WETA is a grandfathered "superpower" station. The station covers the Washington metropolitan area with the highest analog effective radiated power (ERP) of any FM station in the market with 75,000 watts. This exceeds the maximum analog ERP limit allowed for a Class B FM station, and is also above the maximum allowable analog ERP for the station's antenna height above average terrain (HAAT) according to current Federal Communications Commission rules, which is 32,000 watts at 186 meters.

WETA programming is simulcast on WGMS 89.1 in Hagerstown, Maryland, and on translator W205BL 88.9 in Frederick, Maryland. WETA and WGMS broadcast using HD Radio.