WETA (FM)
classical music public radio station in Washington, D.C.
WETA (90.9 FM) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Washington, D.C., United States, broadcasting a classical music 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).
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 (610 ft).
WETA programming is simulcast on WGMS (89.1 FM) in Hagerstown, Maryland, and on translator W205BL 88.9 in Frederick, Maryland. WETA and WGMS broadcast using HD Radio.
Past formats and format changes
From 1970 through early 2005, WETA featured a mixed radio format of classical music, folk music, jazz, and news. It switched to a predominantly news and talk radio format from February 28, 2005, until January 22, 2007, when it switched to its current all-classical radio format. The switch was part of an unusual deal between the public radio station and commercial station WGMS, which abandoned the classical music format it had aired for decades after an attempt to sell WGMS to Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder failed.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “WETA (FM)” is classical music public radio station in Washington, D.C. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through WETA, classical and music, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “classical music public radio station in Washington, D.C” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7949066. VIAF identifies the subject as 132801198. The Library of Congress control number is no88001746. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1970, 2005 and 2007.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “WETA (FM)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow WETA (FM) primary sources, WETA (FM) archive and WETA research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “WETA (FM)”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “WETA (FM)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.