NTIA / PTFP: Public Broadcasting Coverage

MISSISSIPPI


State population (2000 census)		2,844,658

Population receiving a FM public radio signal		2,756,681	96.9%
(from both in and out-of-state stations)
Population in uncovered areas		87,977

Stations in State	FM stations	14
	FM translators	0
	AM stations	0

1989 PTFP Study:	Population receiving a
	FM public radio signal	2,397,000	95%

Broadcast Coverage Maps

FM Stations - Detail FM Stations - Printable

Public Radio Stations in State

Main stations in bold followed by associated repeaters and translators
Facilities in italics operated by out‑of‑state broadcasters
Location in ( ) - actual location of transmitting facilities
N - New facility since 1989 study # - Station now meets study criteria

FM Stations

WUSM 88.5 Hattiesburg    WMAE 89.5 Booneville

WURC # 88.1 Holly Springs    WMAU 88.9 Bude

WVSD N 91.7 Itta Bena    WMAO 90.9 Greenwood

WJSU 88.5 Jackson    WMAW 88.1 Meridian

WMPN 91.3 Jackson    WMAV 90.3 Oxford

   WMAB 89.9 Ackerman WPRL 91.7 Lorman

   WMAH 90.3 Biloxi WKNA¹ 88.9 Senatobia

AM Stations

None

¹ Operated by WNKO, Memphis, TN.
General Comments
Public radio service in Mississippi is primarily provided by an eight station statewide network operated by Mississippi Public Broadcasting, the organization which also provides public television services to the state. Other stations are licensed to educational institutions. Multiple program services are available in Jackson, the state's largest city, as well as in northern and western portions of the state.
FM Service
The 1989 PTFP study reported 13 public radio stations serving the state. Two additional stations, WURC Holly Springs and WVSD Itta Bena, are included. WURC did not qualify for inclusion in 1989 but now meets PTFP's study criteria.   WVSD began service in 1991. In 1989, one station in Jackson, WMPN, had the call letters WMAA. Another Jackson station, WMPR was included in the 1989 study but does not meet the criteria for inclusion in this study.
In 1989, WKNA Senatobia operated under the call letters WNJC and was licensed to Northwest Mississippi Junior College. The station now is now licensed to and rebroadcasts programming from community licensee WKNO in Memphis, Tennessee.
The percentage of Mississippi's population receiving a signal has increased from 95% in 1989 to 96.9% currently. The total number of residents not receiving a public radio signal has been reduced from 124,000 to 87,977.
AM Service
None
Service from Adjacent States
Some residents living along Mississippi's borders with Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana receive public radio programming from those states. As noted, WKNA Senatobia is operated by WKNO Memphis, TN.
Unserved Areas
Region A
Monroe County, on the Alabama border north of Columbus, has 19,400 residents without public radio service.
Region B
South of Columbus, Kemper County has about 4,000 residents without public radio service.
Region C
In the center of the state, where Attala, Leake and Madison counties come together, is an area of 6,300 residents without public radio service.
Region D
Marion County, in south central Mississippi on the Louisiana border, has approximately 19,800 unserved residents.
State network officials have tried -- so far unsuccessfully -- to find vacant frequencies that would enable them to activate transmitters to serve these regions.