WCVE Public Radio experienced transmitter problems on Friday night (2/3/12) and was off-the-air for an extended period. Engineers were able to restore the signal, but at a greatly reduced power setting. Accordingly, many listeners are experiencing a very weak signal or in some cases, no signal at all.

The needed repair parts are custom made and have been ordered. The manufacturer is configuring them now and will ship them as soon as possible. In the meantime, our engineers are working on our current equipment trying to find a way to increase power to the signal.

Article By: Jim Babb, For VirginiaFIRST Robotics - On their kitchen calendar, Liz and Paul Elkovich have circled Saturday, January 7, 2012 in bright red.  They’re gearing-up for another year of mentoring a high school robotics team and January 7th is when they’ll learn the technical challenge their team faces in the upcoming season of the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC).

In a survey of parents of 2- to 10-year-olds, PBS KIDS found that nearly a quarter of parents will find a second life for their personal tech devices this holiday season, passing their used mobile phones and computers to their kids when they get new ones for themselves. Computers (54 percent) and mobile devices (38 percent) will be the most passed down. Sharing technology can provide great learning opportunities for children through mobile apps and online games and there are simple steps parents can take to make their hand-me-down phones and computers kid-ready.

'Tis the season for gift giving - and, to make your lives easier, we thought we'd share some gift ideas and wish lists from our station insiders here at the Community Idea Stations.

We hope you've been enjoying the gift ideas we've shared so far for the lucky recipients on your list. So far, we've shared ideas for the gardener(s) in your life here and here, as well as ideas for your beloved fan(s) of world music here.

Of course, no holiday gift list from the Community Idea Stations would be complete without selections from our Music Director Bobbie Barajas. There's Beethoven for those who share Bobbie's fascination with Ludwig van, as well as some other selections for the holidays and beyond.