WESA FM 90.5

A non-commercial FM radio station licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a member station of National Public Radio. Operating on 90.5 MHz, the station broadcasts a talk and information-based public radio format with a strong emphasis on local and regional journalism. Studios and offices are shared with sister station WYEP-FM (91.3) at Bedford Square on South 12th Street. The transmitter is located on Shiloh Street at Grandview Avenue. WESA broadcasts in HD Radio, with an HD2 subchannel carrying jazz programming and an HD3 subchannel relaying the BBC World Service. The station is also the NPR member serving the Johnstown area via FM translators in western Pennsylvania. The station traces its origins to December 15, 1949, when it signed on as WDUQ under the ownership of Duquesne University, initially serving as a student training laboratory while providing cultural programming to local audiences. WDUQ became an NPR member in the 1970s, adding signature national programs including All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Car Talk, while also maintaining a significant local news operation. The station was also Pittsburgh's primary jazz radio outlet during the WDUQ era. A Radio Information Service for the visually impaired and print-handicapped launched on an SCA subchannel in 1976, with WDUQ later taking on management of that service. Current coverage spans education, health, science, technology, environment, energy, and regional politics, with reporting produced by a dedicated local newsroom.