It’s a unique community-focused noncommercial FM offering two originally produced shows alongside syndicated fare including Democracy Now! that in recent times has been seeking listener donations to help build a new radio tower, thus making it truly “Williamsport Community Radio.”
It is now known that this effort is pivoting in a significant way, as this Class A facility is being sold. Yet, the noncomm’s programming isn’t going away — and is poised to finally cover the city it seeks to tie itself to.
With just $2,463 raised in a $20,000 GoFundMe campaign designed to bridge a $35,000 gap in the cost to “Make The Tower Louder,” WXPI Community Radio has decided to abandon that effort and go in a different direction. And, it is one that will finally give WXPI coverage of Williamsport.
Albert Davis, Consulting Engineer for the station, tells RBR+TVBR that WXPI is planning to relocate to a new low-power FM facility at 97.1 MHz in Williamsport. Doing so resolves the biggest issue associated with WXPI-FM 88.5 — the Jersey Shore, Pa., facility’s signal contour is so tiny it doesn’t reach Williamsport, a 16-mile drive east along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River.
With Curt Musheno signing off on the deal, Family Life Ministries is agreeing to purchase WXPI-FM for $20,000. Roger Rafson of CMS Station Brokerage (soon to be with Media Services Group exclusively) acted as the broker in this transaction, while the Family Life Radio parent’s legal counsel is Joe Chautin III of Hardy, Carey, Chautin & Balkin.
WXPI will join a group of signals that includes W272DV at 102.3 MHz in Lock Haven, Pa., and W277BJ at 103.3 MHz in Williamsport, Pa., fed by the HD2 signal of WILQ-FM. Owning WXPI will help to fill a signal gap in the hilly terrain of Central Pennsylvania.
