VOWR 800 AM plays oldies, adult standards, folk, country and classical music alongside Christian programming, live from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. You can stream it live and free right now on Radio Shuffle, wherever you are in the world.
A Church Broadcast That Became a Radio Station
VOWR first went on air on July 20, 1924, using an experimental call sign, 8WMC, that stood for Wesley Methodist Church, according to Wikipedia's entry on the station. Reverend Joseph G. Joyce started it to provide a companion for people who could not get to church services, but it soon grew into public service programming and entertainment for the whole community. The call letters later settled on VOWR, short for Voice of Wesley Radio.
A Call Sign From a Country That No Longer Exists
The VO prefix was issued to the Dominion of Newfoundland before it joined Canada in 1949. VOWR is one of only four Canadian stations whose call signs do not begin with the usual CB, CF, CH, CI, CJ or CK, a group that also includes its St. John's neighbours VOCM, VOCM-FM and VOAR-FM. It is a small on-air reminder of Newfoundland's years as a separate dominion.
Non-Commercial and Listener-Supported
The Wesley United Church of Canada owns the station, which operates on 800 kHz as a non-commercial, listener-supported broadcaster with studios on Patrick Street, per the station's own site. Volunteers do much of the work, many of them former broadcasters from the province's public and private stations, which gives the schedule a seasoned, unhurried feel that commercial radio rarely offers.
What You Will Hear
The mix is roughly a third Christian programming and the rest secular, with music that ranges across adult standards, classical, folk and country, plus interviews and informational shows on subjects like gardening and consumer advice. It is the sort of schedule where a hymn, a big band record and a chat about the growing season can share the same afternoon.
Tune In
More than a century after a church started sending its services over the air, VOWR is still the Voice of Wesley Radio. Stream it free on Radio Shuffle to hear it live.