Infobox Radio station
name = WLRI-LP
city = Gap, Pennsylvania
area = Lancaster County, PA Chester County, PA
branding =
slogan = "You Can Rely On WLRI"
airdate = January 1, 2004
frequency = 92.9 MHz HD Radio
format = News/Talk
erp = 10 watts
haat = 92.9 meters (308 feet)
class = L1
facility_id = 135143
coordinates = coord|39|58|39|N|76|03|17|W
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns = WOMB-LP, WOCT-LP, WGCP-LP, WLDW-LP, WOBS-LP, WGPQ-LP, WLBX-LP, WLIZ-LP, WTPP-LP, WPAG-LP, WLAL-LP, WOPR-LP
owner = Octorara Communications Association
licensee = Octave Communications Association
sister_stations =
webcast =
website = http://www.mywlri.com
affiliations = LRInetwork, Network1, LPRN, OCANet, Fox News/Talk, Moorehead University Radio Network, Radio Ministries/Salvation Army, Finger Lake Productions, Creative PR
WLRI-LP (92.9 FM) is a low-power FM radio station licensed to serve Gap, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Octorara Communications Association and licensed to Octave Communications Association. It airs a News/Talk radio format. [cite web |work=Arbitron |url=http://www.arbitron.com/ |title=Station Information Profile]
The station was assigned the WLRI-LP call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on January 17, 2008 in radio.[cite web |title=Call Sign History |url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=135143&Callsign=WLRI-LP |work=FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database] ]tation history
WLRI was founded by Christian McLaughlin, who is also the chairperson for parent entity Octorara Communications Association of Gap, Pennsylvania. The concept of WLRI was tested and played out many years before WLRI applied for a construction permit. In 1990 McLaughlin established the Octorara area's first media outlet "CB 40". CB 40 was a Citizen's Band radio station that offered local visitors directions, road assistance and periodic weather and traffic information. It was observed that whenever CB40 transmitted the audio could be heard on the FM band on 107.1 MHz. After McLaughlin observed this he began considering expanding the sun-up to sundown service he offered to a full service micropowered FM station. Initially CB 40 signed off for the last time on December 14, 1993 when micropowered "AM 1070" signed on. The frequency was decided upon as a result of the 107.1 FM counterpart concept of CB40. The idea was to keep the frequencies alike to make it easier to remember. AM 1070 offered a very limited amount of programming as it operated four days a week from 7:00am to 7:45am then from 4:00pm to 11:00pm. After about a week of broadcasting on 1070 kHz McLaughlin decided that it was a bad idea as the Philadelphia based KYW-AM operated on 1060 kHz and drowned out what little signal was put out. The station switched frequencies on or about December 24, 1993 and also launched the FM station too. AM 1070 became "AM 1650 - Gap" and "Gap 107" FM was also launched. The original concept of programming was to offer what WLAN-AM/FM of Lancaster offered for their community. AM 1650 had adult standards and Gap 107 had pop music. The stations operated seven days a week and signed on at 6:00am and signed off at midnight through 1997. In June 1998, a third station was thrown into the mix: "TV4" a micropowered TV station. At this point McLaughlin had established McLaughlin Family Media which was a non-profit neighborhood media source. Literally covering 24 homes in the immediate area of the Christiana Avenue studios. TV4, AM 1650 and Gap 107 all had major programming changes in 1999. AM 1650, again switched frequency to 930 kHz. It was studied for many weeks and months that there was no competing stations operating on that frequency. That and the fact that a spider web antenna allowed the signal to reach a distance of 10 miles. Much further then the FM sister station. The station was rebranded as "Gap's Talking AM 930". Then Gap 107 acquired a new transmitter with an on-board whip antenna that extended the max length permitted under FCC Part 15 Title 47 rules. The previous unit had a 3 inch antenna. TV4 signed off the air in the winter of 1999. In its place a second FM station was started, "B93". B93 was the Urban formatted counterpart to Gap 107, who was Pop/ Top40 at the time. In April of 2001 B93, Gap 107 and AM 930 moved to the top of Gap Hill, which is really a mountain on County Line Road at the border of Chester and Lancaster Counties. TV4 signed back on the air in 2002 when the McLaughlin Family Media reorganized as County Line Broadcast Group LLC. CLBG started off strong, but later found that it was too expensive to operate four stations that were all micropowered. So some of the programming was spread around to each other. Gap 107's programming was simulcast on AM 930, rebranded as "Dial 93" and TV4's audio was simulcast on Dial 93 for a few hours a day. B93 picked up a "CHR/Rhythmic" format and Gap 107 gradually faded out by spring. In fact, on May 8, 2001 Gap 107 aired its last broadcast. The on air DJ at the time was McLaughlin and in his final words in the moments before noon he said "I vow to ensure this community will have a voice. Before I die, this town will have a life!" Dial 93 and and B93 remained on the air whereas TV 4 also signed off. On June 15, 2001 County Line Broadcast Group applied for an LPFM construction Permit. On April 2, 2002 CLBG converted to Octave Communications Association. On June 17, 2003 TV4 signed back on and the studios were relocated to its point of origin, Christiana Avenue. On October 16, 2003 Octave Communications Association was granted a CP from the FCC. On December 29, 2003 WOMB-LP signed on the air at half power. On January 1, 2004 B93 WOMB launched. In April of 2008 WLRI was relocated to Pequea Avenue in downtown Gap. This was a result of a financial crisis. The landlord who owned the building WLRI studios were based in had to sell the property. Then again in July, after 3 months on Pequea Avenue The station's landlord was faced with foreclosure so WLRI was forced to move again.
During its first 4 years WOMB struggled to get notoriety so it covered a generous array of formats and callsigns which included: WCGP, "GAP Christiana Parkesburg", WLBX "Lanchester's BOX FM" "WOCT - Octave Radio" "WLDW - We're Lanchester's Daily World", in 2005 Octorara Communications Association was formed "WOBS - We're the Octorara Broadcasting Service", then reverted back to its original concept of WOMB. In 2007 WOMB became WLAL as a way of saying "We Love All of Lanchester". Finally WLRI was born, "We're Lanchester Radio Information". WLRI is the first LPFM station to offer RDS radio text service, SCA audio, 5 webcasting stations, tested HD Radio, and is the closest LPFM station to Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore. In recent years the station was branded with slogans like, "You can rely on WLRI 93FM", "LanChester's Favorite", "LanChester's News Leader" and most recently "Music Radio" and "LanChester's Very Own". The station is governed by a board of directors comprised of members of the general public. Every reporter, DJ, staff member, and anchor works at their own pace on their own time. The work done or live broadcasts are streamed into the station manager's home where they're broadcast via the internet to the transmitter site. The entire concept of the station is portability, mobility, and accessibility. In addition to local programming, news, weather and traffic, WLRI also airs programs from across the United States from independent sources. In the Fall of 2007 WLRI launched WLRI93FM.com. The station then rebranded the website because the station was facing major encroachment from WDSD in Smyrna, Delaware and WMGS in Scranton, Pennsylvania, both owned by Clear Channel Communications. So WLRI put itself in a position of neutrality by just labeling and advertising WLRI, no frequency. In fall of 2008 WLRI launched MYWLRI.com.
References
External links
* [http://www.mywlri.com WLRI-LP official website]
*FMQ|WLRI-LP
*LPL|WLRI
*FMARB|WLRI
* [http://www.myspace.com/WLRI93FM WLRI-LP on MySpace]
* [http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=FL1241197.html WLRI-LP service area per the FCC database]
