on WGMS. (WETA had carried classical music and NPR programming until February 2005, when it switched exclusively to a news-and-talk format.) On January 22, 2007, at 3 p.m. EST, WGMS ceased operations. The final classical selection played on the station was the closing chorus, "With Tears of Grief," from Bach's St. Matthew Passion. Longtime program director Jim Allison made the announcement of the station's ceasing, but also announced at the same time that Bonneville had reached a deal with WETA that returned the latter station to a classical format. WETA assumed the classical format just five hours later, at 8 p.m. EST. WETA hired Jim Allison as its new program director, and Bonneville donated its 15,000-disc WGMS music library to WETA. Bonneville also gave WETA the right to use the WGMS callsign; WETA adopted it for its repeater station in Hagerstown, Maryland, previously known as WETH. The two stations struck an unusual public/commercial cross-promotion agreement, under which WETA would promote Bonneville's news/talk stations WTOP-FM and WTWP, and Bonneville's stations would, in turn, promote classical programming on WETA. The on-air talent of WGMS was terminated, while WETA released several talk show hosts and longtime Saturday-night folk music host Mary Cliff. The Washington Post reported that some of the displaced hosts from each station might be hired by either WETA or Bonneville. On January 30, WETA reported that WGMS afternoon announcer John Chester was hired for the 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. shift. The programming changes meant that WETA converted to a format consisting of classical music 24 hours per day and seven days per week, dropping all long-form NPR and BBC programming such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and A Prairie Home Companion in the process. (Most of the cancelled programming already aired on, or moved to, WAMU.) Hourly NPR newscasts remain during the daytime, as well as a simulcast of WETA-TV-produced The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer in the 7 p.m. hour, broadcast on radio for the benefit of commuters unable to arrive home in time to view the television airing. Bonneville switched the 104.1 MHz frequency to an "adult hits" format under the callsign WXGG, known on air as George 104.1 (now WPRS-FM, a gospel format). Digital radio programing In addition to its regular FM signal, WGMS used digital subchannels of 104.1 and 103.9 to carry "Viva La Voce," an all-vocal classical music station, as well as a high-definition