Happy National Radio Day! A few days ago, I got a request for information about college radio history and it is a reminder that the story of college radio in the United States is not well documented. The truth is that college radio stretches back to the earliest days of radio in the U.S., with experiments taking place on college campuses near the turn of the 20th century. The first licensed U.S. college radio stations launched in the early 1920s, with students leading the charge on some campuses.
Students at my alma mater, Haverford College, built and launched AM station WABQ in 1923, which was one of the most powerful stations in Pennsylvania at the time, rumored to be reaching listeners a thousand miles in every direction. In an article that I wrote about its history, I also go into detail about the flurry of college radio stations during this era. As licensed AM stations faced increasing competition and regulations, the number of licensed AM college radio stations dwindled as the 1920s drew to a close.
Carrier Current Radio a Boon for Campus-Only Radio
By the late 1930s, enterprising students figured out how to craft low power AM carrier current radio stations using elements of the campus infrastructure as antennas. These “gas pipe networks” were campus-only radio stations that often used electrical wires and pipes in order to transmit to a very localized area, for instance a dorm. By the 1940s, campus-only carrier current stations were organizing, holding regular conferences, and even selling ads since they were unlicensed and unregulated by the FCC.
College Radio Expands with FM and the Internet
College radio hopefuls who wished to reach beyond campus had increasing opportunities to do so with the emergence of FM radio, particularly following the FCC’s set-aside of a special class of non-commercial educational licenses largely on the left end of the dial. Unlicensed carrier current radio stations continued to broadcast and even found new audiences beyond campus thanks to partnerships with cable television operators. Carrier current stations were active through the 1980s and some lingered even longer. By the 1990s, the internet brought another option for college broadcasters, with some carrier current stations shifting to streaming-only status. I should note that the first radio station streams were launched by college radio stations WREK and WXYC; a testament to the pioneering nature of many student-focused college radio stations.
College Radio Today
Today, I view college radio as an overarching category, that includes licensed AM, FM, LPFM and HD stations, as well as unlicensed low power campus-only stations, cable radio stations, streaming stations, app-based stations, podcast-only stations, and more. As a chronicler of the college radio scene, I’m fascinated by not only what these stations are up to today, but also care deeply about the roots of college radio and the important contributions that student radio participants have made to the wider culture of radio.
College Radio History on Radio Survivor
At Radio Survivor, we cover college radio history with regularity on both the radio show/podcast and on the website, surfacing stories about the history of specific radio stations, offering tips for archiving and preservation, and making connections about the histories of specific genres, including hip-hop. In honor of National Radio Day, we invite you to dig in to the rich history of college radio.
Radio Survivor Show on College Radio Stations Coast-to-Coast
On a personal note, I’m thrilled that our latest Radio Survivor show affiliate is college radio station KZSU 90.1 FM at Stanford University. Tune in on Thursdays at 11am Pacific Time to catch the program. It is exciting to hear the show over the terrestrial airwaves in the San Francisco Bay Area where I live. On the east coast, the show can be heard on another college radio station WGMU at George Mason University on Tuesdays at 3pm Eastern time. See the full list of stations airing Radio Survivor here.
More College Radio News
Station Profiles
Better Know a College Radio Station: Georgia Tech’s WREK (Bandcamp Daily)
Peterborough’s Funkiest Radio Station, Trent Radio, Gives a Space for Anyone to Share Their Voice (MyKawartha)
Radio Documentary a Fascinating Tale (Welland Tribune)
Partnerships, Collaborations
How Two Stations Became Sisters (Radio Ink)
Awards and Accolades
Arizona State University Radio Station Cracks Top 5 Best-of-College List (KTAR.com)
Cal Poly Journalism Department Announces 2018 Hall of Fame Inductees (Cal Poly News)
College Radio App
RadioFX App Brings College Radio to Music Fans (AllAccess)
Station Returns to Air
WPRK is Finally Back on the Air (Orlando Weekly)
Rollins College’s WPRK 91.5 FM back on the air after Hurricane Irma Damage (Orlando Sentinel)
Personnel
Judge Rules in Favor of Free Press, RRC in Radio Suit (Winnipeg Free Press)
