Broadcast area Southern Rhode Island Frequency 95.9 MHz Format Classical | Branding Classical 95.9 First air date June 13, 1994 | |
City Block Island, Rhode Island | ||
WCRI-FM (95.9 FM; "Classical 95.9") is a classical music-formatted radio station in Block Island, Rhode Island, affiliated with the World Classical Network. The station is owned by Judson Group, Inc., a company that includes the son and grandsons of broadcasting pioneer Ted Jones, founder of Charles River Broadcasting and Boston classical music station WCRB.
History
The original construction permit for the station was granted on October 16, 1990, with the call sign WVBI assigned on November 30. The station signed on June 13, 1994, though the license to cover was not issued until April 12, 1995.
Although the station has always had a classical format, WVBI initially had a limited programming schedule (mainly from the now-defunct Classic FM network); furthermore, its signal had trouble covering even Block Island. Charles River Broadcasting acquired WVBI in early 1999, at which point the station was renamed to WCRI. The station then performed upgrades; in addition to affiliating with WCN (then commonly owned with WCRI), a new tower was constructed in 2001 (which also enabled stereo broadcasting), and translator station W243AI (96.5) in Newport, Rhode Island, which had relayed Charles River Broadcasting flagship WCRB since the translator's sign-on in 1996, carried WCRI's programming for several years before becoming a WMVY translator in 2004.
Charles River Broadcasting announced on October 27, 2005, that it was exploring the sale of its properties, with Judson Group purchasing WCRI and sister station WCNX in 2006. WCRI began to simulcast on 1180 AM, replacing WCNX, on October 1, 2011; to reflect this, the station added the "-FM" suffix on September 8, 2011. (The AM station was sold to Red Wolf Broadcasting Corporation in 2014, and dropped the WCRI-FM simulcast for a Red Wolf-programmed oldies format under the WSKP call sign in December 2013.)