WFAE has a common broadcast antenna for both our analog FM service and our digital HD services. Two different transmission cables, one for FM and one for HD, connect to this antenna.
Several months ago, the HD portion of the transmission cable was damaged by high winds during a storm. This damage affects about a 200+ ft section of cable that is about 700ft above the ground on the broadcast tower.
The damage has resulted in an impairment to WFAE's HD services (WFAE-HD, the Charlotte Jazz Channel (WFAE-HD2), and Public Radio Remix (WFAE-HD3). Unlike traditional FM broadcast, which can get staticky when the signal strength drops, HD radio has a threshold beneath which most radios will not locate the station at all. While our primary HD signal is designed to seamlessly revert back to analog FM WFAE whenever the HD signal drops too low, there is no analog FM option for our jazz or Remix options. They just disappear.
This high elevation of the damage makes it extremely difficult (and expensive) to troubleshoot or make any sort of repair. We do not yet have a timeline for repair.
In the meantime, we encourage listeners to take advantage of our live webstreams of the Charlotte Jazz Channel and Public Radio Remix. You can find them at the top right of our homepage, just beneath the red "Donate" button. Simply use the pull-down option to select the stream of choice. All three options are also available on our free mobile app.
We appreciate your patience as we continue to resolve this issue.