Early years WSMC-FM first signed on the air in November 1961. Originally on 88.1 FM, it moved to 90.7 in 1967 and to 90.3 in 1990. For years, its signal was spotty at best in downtown Chattanooga. However, in 1990, it moved from its original tower on
White Oak Mountain to a new tower on
Mowbray Mountain in
Soddy-Daisy, allowing it better coverage of the
Chattanooga radio market. The
call sign stands for Southern Missionary College, SAU's name at the time the station began operations. From its earliest days, the station has broadcast a mix of classical music and Adventist religious music and teachings.
Adventist restrictions In 1971, WSMC became one of the charter members of NPR. However, because of the religious doctrine of the licensee's church body, the
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, WSMC cannot air live news programming from sunset on Friday evening until sunset on Saturday evening. This frequently resulted in NPR's afternoon
drive time program,
All Things Considered, being interrupted while in progress. This situation did not sit well with NPR during the 1990s. Coinciding with this dispute, a citizens' group called "Chattanoogans for Better Public Radio" took exception to what group organizer Bob Steverson described as the "awkward marriage of convenience" between WSMC and NPR. Most of NPR's funding comes from the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, partially subsidized by Federal appropriations. From sunset on Friday evening to sunset on Saturday evening, WSMC aired a variety of local and national religious programs. The groups complained that it was inappropriate for WSMC to receive federal funding, since it aired more religious programming each week than could be considered a public service. Some individuals also alleged that the religious programming, mandated by the administration of what was then Southern College of Seventh-day Adventists, amounted to catering to a religious minority at the expense of the larger public in the
Tennessee Valley. In March 1995, WSMC formed a community advisory board to address these concerns. However, as Steverson's group saw it, Southern College had three options: stop preempting NPR programming, move NPR programming to
WUTC 88.1 FM, the area's other NPR member station, or give up WSMC's license to another owner. In June 1995, NPR officials began the process of terminating WSMC's membership on the grounds that the station preempted NPR programming too often and aired too much religious programming. In response, college officials and station management decided to take action themselves, discontinuing most NPR programming, news included, taking effect on September 30, 1995. Replacing
ATC were
Public Radio International's
The World and
American Public Media's
Marketplace, which could air on a delayed basis or be preempted on Fridays. Today, long-form spoken word programming from NPR and other sources is gone. Most moved to WUTC, which replaced WSMC as the Chattanooga market's primary NPR station. (WUTC is owned by the
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.) A few NPR music programs and news briefs remain on WSMC's schedule (purchased separately without a network discount). ==Programming==