WERA-LP
Currently silent
Broadcast area
Arlington, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Washington, D.C.
Frequency96.7 MHz
BrandingWERA 96.7
Programming
FormatSilent (previously Community radio)
Ownership
OwnerRadio Arlington
History
First air date
December 6, 2015 (2015-12-06)[1][2]
Call sign meaning
We Are ("R") Arlington[3]
Technical information[4]
Licensing authority
FCC
195167
ClassL1
ERP21 watts
HAAT66 meters (217 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
38°53′23.60″N 77°5′12.80″W / 38.8898889°N 77.0868889°W / 38.8898889; -77.0868889
Links
Public license information
LMS

WERA-LP is a silent community radio-formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Arlington, Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria in Virginia and Washington, D.C.[5] WERA-LP is owned and operated by Radio Arlington.[6]

History

Arlington Independent Media (AIM) was founded in 1982, and received funding from the Arlington County government to operate its public-access television channels since that time. It also provided studio space, equipment, and training for local residents interested in audio and video production.[7]

WERA-LP went on the air at 6 p.m. on December 6, 2015. The station carried free-form programming typical of college and community radio, staffed by volunteer disc jockeys who played what they wished.[8] Members of Arlington Independent Media were allowed to host and create their own shows, live or recorded, provided they took the appropriate classes and follow certain guidelines.[9]

Arlington Independent Media financial crisis and silence

Until 2018, AIM's agreement with the county called for it to receive one percent of revenue from taxes charged on cable subscriptions to fund operating expenses, eligibility to apply for public, educational, and government access (PEG) funds for capital expenses (also derived from a portion of cable-subscription taxes), and a studio in Clarendon provided for free by Comcast. It also received support grants directly from the county government. In 2016, the County renegotiated the franchise agreement with Comcast, removing the dedicated funding, and additionally required AIM to begin paying rent for its studio.[10] Community protests led to the county government reversing proposed cuts to its support.[10] These funding cuts, combined with dwindling cable subscriptions reducing the pool of PEG funds – which is shared with the county's own cable channel and fiber-optic network – led to the nonprofit consistently running an operational deficit.[11]

In December 2023, WERA-LP began playing a loop of lofi hip-hop music because its studio-transmitter link failed. The station began efforts to move the studio to its county-owned transmitter site in Court House, but was once again held up by dependence on financial support from the county.[12][13] In March 2024, a group of AIM members, including former board members, wrote an open letter accusing the current board and CEO Whytni Kernodle of gross financial mismanagement, as well as improperly spending public funds on payroll and office space.[14] Arlington County began an audit of AIM's finances and accounting procedures and froze its access to any public funding. AIM was essentially forced to suspend operations and laid off its entire paid staff.[15] Kernodle resigned as CEO but denied any misconduct in an interview with the Washington City Paper.[3]

WERA-LP's signal and stream were concurrently shut off at 3:30 p.m. on March 22, 2024.[16]

The audit of AIM concluded in the fall of 2024, and found much of AIM's spending was either poorly documented or could not be substantiated at all. Auditors were unable to determine how $536,210 of $1.05 million in PEG funds were spent, and concluded some or all of it was illegally spent on operating costs. Additionally, over $400,000 of operational spending was improperly documented. The audit found that 31 percent of AIM's overall expenditures went to 49 consultants, though the organization was only able to provide contracts for 12 of them. The audit also criticized other deficient financial practices, including a lack of annual reporting and placing public and non-public funds in the same bank account in violation of its agreement with the county. The report also faulted Arlington County for a lack of oversight of AIM's spending practices.[17] The entire board of AIM was replaced with volunteers as a result. The case was referred to an outside special counsel, who declined to file criminal charges. Arlington County subsequently allowed AIM back into its transmitter space to restart operations of WERA-LP.[3][18] On March 7, 2025, WERA-LP resumed broadcasting the same automated lo-fi music feed in order to preserve its license.[19]

WERA-LP went silent again on July 28, 2025, and local media reported its wera.fm domain name had expired and Arlington Independent Media's main website also went offline. Nearly the entire board of directors had resigned in the interim. One of the two remaining board members was unable to answer when asked why the station and website were offline. A letter from one of the departing members indicated there were now efforts to find another organization to take over the license, but that "discussions are ongoing, and nothing is imminent."[20][21][22] In late August, Arlington County seized all of AIM's property in an attempt to recover roughly $70,000 of unpaid taxes and rent via auction.[23] In a filing with the FCC, station representatives claimed Arlington County locked them out of the radio transmission room without warning, called the tax delinquency "alleged", and stated it would reacquire the equipment necessary for broadcasting and construct the station elsewhere.[20] County Board Chair Takis Karatonis stated in a September 2025 public hearing that there was nothing the county could do to save AIM if it was unable to repay its debt.[24]

In a January 22, 2026 Audit Committee meeting, County Manager Mark Schwartz stated that the equipment auction brought proceeds of $59,000 and he would be ending efforts to recoup either the remaining delinquent taxes and rent or the undocumented and improperly spent public funding.[25]

In a March 19 filing with the FCC, AIM's legal consultant stated there had been "substantial progress" in returning WERA-LP to the air. WERA-LP has until July 29, 2026 at 12:01 a.m. to resume operations or its license will be forfeited.[26] On April 7, AIM filed to transfer the license and broadcasting equipment to a newly formed nonprofit, Radio Arlington, for no consideration. The transfer was approved by the FCC on May 12 and closed on May 26.[27]

See also

References

  1. ^ Currier, Jennifer (November 19, 2015). "Community Radio Station WERA to Launch Dec. 6". Local News Now, LLC. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  2. ^ "Call Sign History". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Morris, Vince (March 20, 2025). "Arlington's Community Radio Station Could Be Doomed Following An Audit Showing Mismanaged Public Funds". Washington City Paper.
  4. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WERA-LP". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  5. ^ "Arbitron Station Information Profiles". Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  6. ^ "WERA-LP Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  7. ^ Waits, Jennifer (June 28, 2016). "Radio Station Field Trip #104 – Radio Arlington Station WERA-LP".
  8. ^ Pauly, Megan (November 24, 2015). "A New Radio Station Gets Ready To Launch In Arlington". American University/WAMU. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  9. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Arlington Independent Media. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Koma, Alex (February 28, 2019). "New Budget Could Slash County Funding for Arlington's Nonprofit TV, Radio Stations". ARLnow.
  11. ^ "Arlington Independent Media is in a financial hole. The county says it should look elsewhere for more funding". ARLNow. August 2, 2023.
  12. ^ DeVoe, Jo (January 26, 2024). "Why community radio station WERA 96.7 has had lo-fi beats on loop for nearly two months". ARLnow.
  13. ^ "AIM to move headquarters but cannot yet close chapter on financial concerns". ARLNow. December 6, 2023.
  14. ^ DeVoe, Jo (March 14, 2024). "Arlington Independent Media in 'crisis' amid audit, board turnover and delayed move". ARLnow.
  15. ^ Egitto, Dan (March 19, 2024). "Arlington Independent Media lays off its entire staff, elects new board president and treasurer". ARLnow.
  16. ^ "Request for Silent Authority of a Low Power FM Station Application (LMS File No. 242331)". FCC LMS.
  17. ^ Egitto, Dan (February 6, 2025). "NEW: AIM audit reveals 'deeply concerning' issues in handling of $2M from county". ARLnow.
  18. ^ Egitto, Dan (February 13, 2025). "AIM regains access to radio room, but hurdles remain for WERA 96.7". ARLnow.
  19. ^ "Resumption of Operations of a Low Power FM Station Application (LMS File No. 267809)". FCC LMS.
  20. ^ a b "Request for Silent Authority of a Low Power FM Station Application (LMS File No. 278550)". FCC LMS.
  21. ^ Egitto, Dan (July 31, 2025). "AIM's website and radio station go dark, though leaders aren't sure why".
  22. ^ Lane, Dan (August 1, 2025). "WERA Goes Dark". DCRTV.
  23. ^ Egitto, Dan (August 29, 2025). "AIM's entire broadcast studio goes up for auction over $70K in unpaid taxes and rent". ARLnow.
  24. ^ McCaffrey, Scott (September 15, 2025). "Karantonis: County can't save Arlington Independent Media from possible demise". ARLnow.
  25. ^ McCaffrey, Scott (February 4, 2026). "County ends quest to recoup up to $500K from Arlington Independent Media". ARLnow.com. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  26. ^ "Request for Silent Authority of a Low Power FM Station Application (FCC File No. 292956)". FCC LMS.
  27. ^ "Assignments (LMS File No. 295097)". FCC LMS.

McCaffrey, Scott (February 4, 2026). "County ends quest to recoup up to $500K from Arlington Independent Media | ARLnow.com". ARLnow.com. Retrieved February 17, 2026.