Alabama Public Radio Article Index for
Alabama 		Website Links For
Alabama 		 

Information About

Alabama Public Radio
  CATEGORIES ABOUT ALABAMA PUBLIC RADIO
   
radio stations in alabama
   
npr member stations
   
APPAREL
BABY
BEAUTY
BOOKS
CAR TOYS
CELL PHONES
DVD'S
ELECTRONICS
GOURMET FOOD
GROCERIES
HEALTH & PERSONAL
HOME & GARDEN
JEWELRY
MUSIC
MUSIC INSTRUMENTS
OFFICE PRODUCTS
SOFTWARE
SPORTING GOODS
TOOLS & HARDWARE
TOYS
VIDEO GAMES
SHOPPING HOME
MORE SHOPPING...



Since the station is licensed to a university, students in the UA College Of Communication And Information Sciences get opportunities for practical training in announcing and other varied production duties. Nonetheless, APR maintains a small professional staff, as well as several volunteer announcers from the larger community.


APR STATIONS

Six stations currently comprise the network:

#WUAL-FM 91.5--Tuscaloosa (flagship). Signal reaches a region extending from Birmingham to the state line of Mississippi .

#WQPR-FM 88.7-- Muscle Shoals . Signal covers the northwestern corner of the state, extending eastward to Decatur .

#WAPR-FM 88.3-- Selma . Signal reaches the region known colloqually as the "Black Belt," about 13 counties in the west central and central parts of Alabama, including the city of Montgomery .

#94.7 FM-- Decatur . A low-powered translator relay of WQPR (above).

#98.1 FM-- Madison . A low-powered translator relay of WQPR (above).

#100.7 FM-- Huntsville . A low-powered translator relay of WQPR (above).

APR acquired the latter three frequencies in the early 2000s when a Huntsville businessman, who used them to relay Rock Music stations from Nashville, Tenn. , discontinued his efforts due to lack of local advertising. Prior to the mid- 1990s , the Huntsville-Decatur market did not have a strong local FM rock station, a situation which the local operator sought to remedy with the translators.

It should be noted that APR's special reports, as well morning and afternoon editions of The Alabama Report, also air on WLJS 91.9-FM at Jacksonville State University, though WLJS is not a full APR affiliate. Work is being done to help integrate WLJS into the APR system as an East Alabama bureau to compliment those already established in Florence, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery and Mobile.


HISTORY


UA started WUAL-FM in January 1982 as the state's fifth public station. It emphasized service to the immediate western Alabama area in its first several years, since most of the region had no other access to the public radio medium. However, the university soon realized the potential for expansion into other parts of the state that similarly lacked NPR service. Since Birmingham, Huntsville, southeastern Alabama, and Mobile already had existing stations, station and university officials focused on developing relay transmitters to send WUAL's signal into northwestern and south central Alabama. Thus, WQPR, operating as a joint project with the University Of North Alabama in Florence , appeared in the late 1980s , and the early 1990s witnessed the beginning of WAPR, which Alabama State University and Troy University , both of which already held station licenses of their own, cooperated with UA in building and operating.


WEEKDAY HOSTS


  • Jason Norris with news anchor '''Butler Cain'''--" Morning Edition "

  • David Duff and '''Bob Woodman'''--daytime classical music

  • Brian Poellnitz with news anchor '''Brett Tannehill'''--" All Things Considered "

  • Alisa Beckwith--"Evening Jazz" (Mondays-Thursdays)

  • Nathan Dains--"Late Night Jazz" (Sundays-Thursdays)



LOCAL SPECIALTY PROGRAMS


Unlike many stations in recent times, APR has always featured a heavy schedule of locally-hosted programs, many of which are unique in featuring special genres of music. Among them are the following, all heard on weekends:

  • All Things Acoustic --a play on the title of NPR's flagship news broadcast, this show explores the wide variety of traditional and contemporary folk music and ethnic sounds, plus the Singer-songwriter genre as well. UA professor Jeremy Butler hosts the program, heard on both Friday evenings and overnight Saturdays. This program has been heard for over 12 years now.


  • The Alabama Report--originating from APR's studios in Tuscaloosa, The Alabama Report is an encapsulation of the biggest headlines in the state on any given day. Running 5.5 minutes during Morning Edition, a four-minute update at midday, and six minutes on All Things Considered, The Alabama Report gathers news and analysis from all its bureaus and provides a unified statewide news summary. Butler Cain serves as morning anchor, and Brett Tannehill anchors in the afternoon.


  • A Case of the Blues --afternoon APR host Brian Poellnitz takes a weekly tour, overnight Fridays, of blues and variations thereof since the 1960s .


  • Jugs, Jukes and Jazz--long-running program featuring jazz, Ragtime , Dixieland , and Big Band sounds from the earliest recordings through about the 1960s or so. Tom Halladay has helmed this Saturday-afternoon show for the entirety of APR (WUAL's) history, over 24 years now.


  • Bama Bluegrass--volunteer Lance Kinney is the current host of this similarly enduring show, which features artists from the Bluegrass and "old-time" Country Music scenes. The program, heard early Saturday evenings, is especially popular with older, rural listeners.


  • Country Music Flashback--the title essentially sums up the program's focus, but the songs are from the era before 1975 , when honkey-tonk sounds and four-part harmonies were the dominant expressions of the tradition, unlike most country music today. Andy Tucker, a Tuscaloosa insurance agent, volunteers his time to host this show late Saturday evenings.


  • Sucarnochee Revue--a look at music made by natives of western Alabama and eastern Mississippi, both Euro-American country singers and African-American blues players. Jack White hosts the Saturday night program.


  • Alabama Life--half-hour newsmagazine featuring people and events in the state. "ME" local host Jason Norris narrates the program, heard early Sunday afternoons.


  • The Crooners--Sunday-evening show featuring vocalists performing Big Band and Swing music from the 1930s through the 1950s . Former APR staff announcer Dale Owen continues his involvement with the network as host of this program.


  • Getting Sentimental Over You--similar to the above program, but emphasizing instrumentals rather than vocals. The program immediately follows "The Crooners" and is hosted by Dave Clark.


  • Classic Jazz--another volunteer announcer of long tenure, Joe Moudry, goes through his personal and the station's collections of "straight-ahead," Bebop jazz. His show is heard late Sunday evenings.


  • Prototype--Former Alabama Report anchor Bobby Puppione hosts this new venture of APR. Taking to the world of cyberspace, the podcast-only Prototype explores life in Alabama at the dawn of the twenty-first century. By interviewing unique yet unsung Alabamians, Prototype seeks to create a more clear picture of the state outside the newsmakers and politicians.



MISCELLANEA


APR employs a news staff of at least 11 people, stationed in bureaus throughout the state. These reporters and producers provide coverage of Alabama news and happenings during the weekday broadcasts of "ME" and "ATC". Butler Cain is the news director.

UA operates a separate station for students to program radio shows, WVUA-FM 90.7, which uses the branding "New Rock 90.7." That station features mostly Alternative Rock programming, with related genres throughout the weekly schedule and coverage of minor UA athletic competitions.


EXTERNAL LINKS