Boston public radio station WGBH’s recent acquisition of WCRB might be good news for classical music fans in Boston, but it leaves many Rhode Islanders who depend on WGBH for their classical programming out in the cold.

Classical music lovers have tuned to WGBH (89.7) for years, for concerts by the Boston Symphony and live programming from its Fraser Performance Studio. But this Tuesday the station will shift all its classical programming to WCRB (99.5), which it just bought for $14 million. That will mean around-the-clock classical — for those who can get the station. And that excludes most of Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts.

The problem is simple: WCRB’s 27,000-watt transmitter, in Lowell, Mass., is not nearly as powerful as WGBH, at 100,000 watts. So people who used to listen to clear programs of Mozart and Schubert on ’GBH now will hear static and a station that cuts in and out, if they can get it at all.

Longtime local radio personality Norm Jagolinzer said he can barely get WCRB at his home in Barrington. He said he was “stunned” when he learned of plans for WGBH to switch its classical programming to WCRB.

“A huge area south of Boston will be cut off,” said Jagolinzer. “That’s really amazing. Maybe they know what they’re doing, but it’s a disappointment to a lot of people.”

Richard Taylor, the retired minister of Beneficent Congregational Church in Providence, said he can’t get the WCRB signal at all in his home or car, and he has talked to friends who are in the same boat.

Jeanne Hopkins, a WGBH spokeswoman, said the situation is “unfortunate,” but said there are ways for listeners south of Boston to pick up WCRB. For one thing, the station will be streaming live broadcasts over the Internet beginning Dec. 1. She said there are also high-tech radios, such as high-definition and Internet radio, which can pick up the signal. The station will also be available over iPhones and other mobile devices.

There is an alternative to WCRB, however, at least in southern Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut, and that’s commercial classical station WCRI (95.9) in Exeter. The Newport Music Festival’s Mark Malkovich, who has a weekly show on WCRI, reports getting the station clearly at his home in Portsmouth. But the signal tends to fade north of East Greenwich. WCRI is also available online.

Taylor said he has a computer in a cramped third-floor study, but when he is up there working, it is for reasons other than listening to music.

WGBH, which currently airs classical music from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., will also be looking into ways to boost the WCRB signal, said Hopkins. But for those who just want to listen to the station in their cars, it will be a matter of putting up with a weak, static-filled signal, which can be just as annoying as traffic.

The new WGBH will focus more on news, but keep some entertainment shows, such as jazz, the popular “Celtic Sojourn” and “A Prairie Home Companion” with Garrison Keillor. It will be dropping blues and folk.

The new WCRB will try to combine the best of both stations, said Hopkins. WCRB has a more casual feel, often playing just excerpts of popular classics, while WGBH is known for more adventuresome programming and live musical broadcasts.

But some have questioned the move, saying Boston already has an outstanding public news radio station. “Aren’t the news people already listening to WBUR?” asked Taylor, the retired minister.

But WGBH looks at it another way. “Whoever bought it,” Hopkins said, “was not going to keep it classical and we thought it was important to keep it that way.” In effect, WGBH has rescued the station from something like a country or pop format. It was thought it was best to consolidate the classical programming on one station.

There was a time when Rhode Islanders could hear WCRB clearly, when it was at 102.5 on the FM dial. But the transmitter was switched to Lowell in 2006 and to frequency 99.5 when the station was sold.

Now WCRB will become a non-commercial, listener-sponsored station like WGBH, which means it will have to raise money to pay its way, an effort that is already underway.

“I heard them the other day on WGBH trying to raise money,” said Taylor, “saying give, give, give. I just think they want people to give before they pull the rug out from under them.”

But won’t so many disgruntled listeners affect fund-raising efforts?

“That’s a concern,” said Hopkins.