Nashville's newest radio station, WXNA 101.5 FM, is moving closer to its debut. The listener-supported, community- focused, low power FM station recently announced its debut schedule. It features a full slate of programming from 7 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.
In addition to several free-form, genre-jumping musical programs, the schedule also features many specialty shows spotlighting rock & roll, jazz, soul, blues, classical, movie soundtrack music, and a wide selection of other genres.
Longtime fans of independent Nashville radio will recognize many shows aired previously on WRVU, such as Pete Wilson’s R&B revue Nashville Jumps, Janet Timmons’ new music guide Out the Other, Doyle Davis’ D-Funk, Roger Blanton’s in-studio jamfest Delicious Elixir, and Laura Powers’ morning punk rev-em-up Needles + Pins.
Quite a few prominent Nashville musicians are making the jump from playing instruments to playing records, with shows such as David Olney’s Free Fall, Tommy Womack’s Happiness Hour, Kristi Rose and Fats Kaplin’s This Is Pulp Radio!, and Richie Owens and Howard Yearwood’s bluegrass fest Wagon Wheel.
WXNA’s debut schedule also contains a variety of talk radio programs, including the community-focused Nashville Haps with Ashley Crownover, the comedy scene overview Nashville Stand Up Sits Down with Chad Riden, and the food-focused Yum Yum Eat Um Up! with Dawn and Gene Kote.
“Each week, WXNA will deliver 82 original shows and over 120 hours of locally crafted, independent programming,” WXNA president Heather Lose says. “To be creating this station in the town we love, for the people of Music City, is a thrill beyond measure, and we can’t wait to go live.”
WXNA will broadcast at 101.5 MHz FM with an effective power of 100 watts. The station’s signal is expected to reach 425,000 listeners in its primary broadcast area that includes all of East Nashville and Inglewood, with an additional 215,000 listeners in its broad coverage area, and a worldwide audience through online streaming. The station is expected to be on the air by April.