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Research dossier · Places & Architecture

WXXO (FM)

classical music public radio station in Rochester, New York, United States

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 9, 2026
Entity authorityQ7957901 ↗
Source-derived summary

WXXO (91.5 FM) is a public, listener-supported radio station in Rochester, New York, airing a classical music radio format. Its programs can also be heard in Houghton on WXXY (90.3 FM) and on the seventh digital subchannel of WXXI-TV (channel 21). It is owned by the WXXI Public Broadcasting Council, which also owns WXXI-TV and a two-station news and information service, WXXI (1370 AM) and WXXI-FM 105.9. WXXO holds periodic fundraisers on the air to support the station.

WXXO has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 45,000 watts. The transmitter is located on Pinnacle Hill in Brighton. It is co-located with the towers for several Rochester FM and TV stations.

History

The station signed on December 23, 1974, as WXXI-FM, the FM sister station to WXXI-TV. Its initial format was a mixture of classical music, folk music, jazz, news and talk. WXXI-FM switched to mostly classical music after the 1975 format change of WBFB (92.5 FM) from a commercial classical station to all-news radio. WBFB donated its classical music library to WXXI-FM, and WBFB program director Simon Pontin soon joined WXXI-FM as its morning host.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “WXXO (FM)” as classical music public radio station in Rochester, New York, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around WXXO, classical and music.

Editorial reviewA valuable geographic starting point for tracing changing names, boundaries, uses and administrative responsibility. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1370, 1974, 1975—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with WXXO, classical and music providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “WXXO (FM)”, the useful work is to connect “classical music public radio station in Rochester, New York, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7957901. The first chronological checks are 1370, 1974 and 1975.

Critical limits

Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. 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.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “WXXO (FM)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow WXXO (FM) primary sources, WXXO (FM) archive and WXXO research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “WXXO (FM)”?
  2. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “WXXO (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.