WRSI
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| City | Turners Falls, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Northampton, Massachusetts |
| Branding | 93.9 The River |
| Slogan | "Different Is Good" |
| Frequency |
93.9 MHz (Channel 230) (also on HD Radio) (also on HD Radio via WKNE-HD2) |
| First air date | July 26, 1981 (format, on 95.3 FM) July 1994 (license, as WPVQ) |
| Format | Album Adult Alternative |
| ERP | 2,500 watts |
| HAAT | 109 meters (358 feet) |
| Class | A |
| Facility ID | 8775 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 42°32′01″N 72°35′34″W / 42.53361°N 72.59278°W |
| Former callsigns | WPVQ |
| Owner | Saga Communications (Saga Communications of New England, LLC) |
| Sister stations | WHMP, WRSY |
| Website | http://www.wrsi.com/ |
WRSI (93.9 FM, "93.9 The River") is a radio station licensed to serve Turners Falls, Massachusetts. The station is owned by Saga Communications and licensed to Saga Communications of New England, LLC. It airs an Album Adult Alternative music format.
On July 11, 1977, Ed Skutnik filed an application on behalf of his Company, Green Valley Broadcasting Co., Ltd. for a construction permit to build a new FM station in Greenfield, Massachusetts. It was designated for hearing by the FCC when a competing application was filed by Poet's Seat Broadcasting, Inc. for the same vacant FM channel (95.3 MHz in Greenfield). After comparative hearings at the FCC, the FCC Administrative Law Judge decided in August 1979 that Green Valley Broadcasting Co. should be awarded the construction permit. Poet's Seat appealed the decision to a three-member FCC judicial panel. They upheld the original decision to award the construction permit to Green Valley Broadcasting Co. Poet's Seat appealed once more to the seven FCC commissioners, who voted 7-0 in Green Valley's favor. This gave Green Valley Broadcasting Co. the authority to begin construction starting in January 1981.
WRSI officially went on the air July 26, 1981 at noon with a very diverse programming line up which included music from the genres of rock, classical, jazz, new age, folk, world, country and anything new and different it could find. A concerted effort was made from the start to showcase local musicians from an area in western Massachusetts that supported its local artists through concert attendance and strong listener loyalty.
WRSI was the first stereo FM station in Franklin County, Massachusetts, and was unique among its peers in that it used next to no compression of its audio signals. This translated into less "listener fatigue" and longer audience participation. WRSI was also the first station in western Massachusetts beginning, in the end of 1982, to use compact discs as part of its regular programming source in order to broadcast the highest quality audio.
WRSI added a sister station in March 1987. WPOE (AM) Greenfield, MA was purchased from Poet's Seat Broadcasting Inc. The call letters were changed to WGAM (AM).
Green Valley Broadcasting Co., Ltd. (Ed Skutnik, owner) sold WRSI and WGAM to Howard Communications Corp. in October 1988.
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