Station manager Michelle Rhinesmith came to the station last August.

Since joining public radio station WHQR last August, Michelle Rhinesmith has survived two pledge drives. Now the new station manager seems ready to make her mark.

"Up to now, we've just been tweaking the programming," Rhinesmith said earlier this week, taking a rest from on-air appeals.

But that's about to change. Starting in April, if all goes well, WHQR will acquire an additional translator at 96.7 FM, capable of carrying its Classical HQR signal to the Southport/St. James area, as well as Kure Beach.

Ever since 2014, when the local National Public Radio affiliate split its signals into WHQR News at 91.3 FM and Classical HQR at 92.7 FM, Brunswick residents had complained about the loss the classical coverage. The new translator, 96.7 FM should have an effective radiated power of 250 watts, Rhinesmith said, about the same as 92.7 FM. (The 91.3 signal is powered at 100,000 watts.)

The new translator will be WHQR's third, joining translators in Lumberton and Myrtle Beach, S.C. Work on the project had begun under Rhinesmith's predecessor, Cleve Callison.

Along with the boosted signal will come some programming changes, Rhinesmith said. Effective dates have not been determined, but after 96.7 goes on the air, Classical WHQR will pick up American Public Media's "Performance Today," the most-listened-to classical radio program in the country, with host Fred Child.

WHQR will also pick up "From the Top," the NPR series with host Christopher O'Reilly, which highlights young classical performers. The station had carried both "Performance Today" and "From the Top" in the past, but not for many years.

Rhinesmith also said the station is preparing for a number of equipment upgrades, many funded by its recent emPowering Our Future capital campaign. Among other things, she noted,  the station's Adobe editing system is 10 years old, ancient for software, and staffers have to put a microphone next to a computer speaker to pick up Emergency Alert System messages.

A New York state native who spent most of her working life in Florida, Rhinesmith said she was drawn to WHQR by its strong news and public affairs programming. "This really is your radio news source," she said. "I've spoken to lots of newcomers who say one big reason they moved to the area is, 'You have a public radio station here.' "

Rhinesmith also praised WHQR's community outreach. It's one of just two public radio stations in the United States that has its own public art gallery.

After spending her high school years in Port St. Lucie, Fla., Rhinesmith headed off to a TV and film school in Melbourne. "I wanted to be a roadie," she recalled. "My parents weren't too thrilled." Later she picked up an English degree from the University of Maryland.

One of her first jobs was as an intern at public radio station WQCS in Fort Pierce, Fla. She stayed on for 20 years with a succession of part-time and later full-time jobs, ending as acting station manager.

Later, she worked as fundraising producer for NPR affiliate WMFE in Orlando, Fla. One of Rhinesmith's biggest cheerleaders is WMFE news director Catherine Welch, who used to be news director at WHQR.

"Michelle is like a Swiss Army knife," Welch said. "She can do anything. She gets the big picture, and she can handle any job at a radio station."

In her spare time -- "What spare time?" she joked -- Rhinesmith is an inveterate theater buff who also haunts museums -- but she also roots for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the University of Miami Hurricanes.

Reporter Ben Steelman can be reached at 910-343-2208 or Ben.Steelman@StarNewsOnline.com.