WNRN FM 91.9

A non-commercial radio station licensed to Charlottesville, Virginia, operating at 91.9 MHz and serving a broad territory across central and western Virginia. The station is incorporated under the non-profit organization Stu-Comm, Inc., governed by a board of community members, and holds membership in National Public Radio. WNRN was founded in 1993 when Mike Friend, a former operations manager at WTJU, established Stu-Comm with the goal of bringing public radio to the Charlottesville-Albemarle area. The station initially operated under the call sign WANJ during construction and officially signed on as WNRN in September 1996. Its transmitter is located at the Carter's Mountain antenna farm. The station broadcasts an adult album alternative format, making it the area's primary NPR-affiliated music station. Regular programming includes NPR's nationally distributed music program World Cafe, alongside locally produced specialty music shows on weekends. In-studio performance sessions with emerging and established artists are a recurring feature. From 2000 onward, WNRN significantly expanded its geographic reach through a network of FM translators and rebroadcasters, covering the Shenandoah Valley between Roanoke and Harrisonburg, as well as Richmond, Williamsburg, and Hampton Roads. Stu-Comm purchased WNRS-FM outright in 2010, adding coverage toward Lynchburg. The station also operates translator stations acquired in Lexington, Harrisonburg, Lovingston, and Richmond. This expansion made WNRN one of the most widely distributed independent public radio signals in Virginia.