Radio Newport Turns 10 From Atop the Hotel Viking

Radio Newport WXHQ 105.9 FM turns ten years old this month. The low power jazz/free-form radio station that broadcasts from “the rooftop of the lovely” isn’t celebrating, though. Instead, it's business as usual, continuing to transmit the eclectic music mix that its audience has come to know and love.

“Radio Newport has a devoted fan-base that expect a certain style of programming. During the day we will continue to play what people have come to expect of the Radio Newport sound," owner Steve Cerilli said.

The call letters for the station are intentional. Although all transmitters in the northeast must begin with W, the XHQ stands for “X marks the spot for High Quality programming.”

Their sound is a wide range of jazz, ska, and world beat, among others. The only requirement is that the tunes must be instrumental, or have non-English language lyrics. English words would distract from the songs instrumentals, Cerilli said.

With less than a four-mile broadcast radius from Newport, the station is a welcome home signal for many of its fans. Cerilli once called it “a soundtrack for people in town.” The station is a part of "the list of things that make Newport great," he said.

An unexpected element about Radio Newport is their container roof garden. Although it may seem out of context at first, it is an important aspect of the station. Cerilli emphasized the station’s connection with the community. Aside from broadcasting the Newport Jazz Festival and supporting Island Moving Company, the roof garden is a way to promote sustainable agriculture throughout the city. Cerilli said it is important to show others that they can use rainwater runoff and grow food in EarthBox container systems on a flat roof. The plants actually help cool the office below as well, he said.

Cerilli's garden has even been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Seeds of Change, Newport Life, and the Newport Flower Show.

WXHQ doesn’t have regular DJs, but there are still a number of distinctive voices that identify the station. They’re all professional voice actors that Cerilli has worked with at his job as a post production sound engineer.

“The station is kept on the air by our team of dedicated volunteers," he said.

The future will bring some changes to the station, including adjustments to the late night programming. Daytime programming will remain the same, and Cerilli said he may even add a live broadcast component by mid-summer.

"Technology has finally caught up with our limited budget so we are going to make the leap,” Cerilli said.

Since the station doesn’t do fundraisers or sell memberships, it relies on underwriters like the Hotel Viking, Bangkok City in Middletown  and , as well as the support from their listeners and fans.