WRVO Public Media adds new signals in Rome, western Madison County

OSWEGO, N.Y. — WRVO Public Media has expanded its broadcast network with the addition of two new signals serving the city of Rome and western Madison County. 

One is a translator heard at 92.3 FM in Rome, which is located on the Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) Rome campus along Floyd Avenue, near the Griffiss Business and Technology Park. 

The second signal serves the Madison County town of Fenner and is heard at 90.5 FM. WMVQ, a full-time FM station, serves portions of western Madison and eastern Onondaga counties including the communities of Cazenovia, Chittenango and Canastota.

The new signals seek to provide “clearer reception for many listeners,” Michael Ameigh, general manager of WRVO Public Media, said in a news release.

“These new signals reach into communities that either did not receive WRVO previously or experienced weak coverage. Many listeners in Oneida, Madison and Lewis counties are now able to receive WRVO reliably for the first time,” said Ameigh.

Oswego–based WRVO’s radio network across the region attracts one of the largest radio audiences in upstate New York, according to Ameigh. 

“Recent independent surveys estimate WRVO’s weekly audience at approximately 90,000 individual listeners … making our network one of the most successful public-radio services in the country,” Ameigh says. “Expanding our reach is critical to attracting listeners to support WRVO’s public mission.”

Ameigh cites Nielsen Audio for the figure on weekly audience of individual listeners. Columbia, Maryland–based Neilsen Audio describes itself as the “definitive source for comprehensive radio metrics and insights,” according to its website.

The WRVO transmitter at MVCC is the latest for the public broadcaster on regional college campuses. 

In addition to that transmitter, WRVO also broadcasts programming on WRVN 91.9 FM at the SUNY Polytechnic campus in Utica; on WRVD 90.3 FM at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse; and on WRVO 89.9 FM at SUNY Oswego, the home of its flagship transmitter, broadcast studios, and administrative offices.

WRVO also has part-time signal availability on WRCU 90.1 FM at Colgate University in Hamilton and on WSUC 90.5 FM at SUNY Cortland in Cortland.

It also transmits on WRVH 89.3 FM in Clayton and on WRVJ 91.7 FM in Watertown, according to the WRVO website.

Full-time low-power WRVO-FM repeaters are also located in Geneva at 90.7 FM; in Ithaca at 92.5 FM and 104.5 FM; and in Norwich at 89.9 FM, its website says.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com