WSRN-FM
WSRN-FM (91.5 FM, The "Worldwide Swarthmore Radio Network") is Swarthmore College's official campus radio station. It broadcasts out of the suburban Philadelphia borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.
City | Swarthmore, Pennsylvania |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Philadelphia, PA/Swarthmore, PA |
Frequency | 91.5 (MHz) |
Branding | FM Swarthmore |
Slogan | "fiercely independent radio" |
Programming | |
Format | College Radio |
Ownership | |
Owner | Swarthmore College |
History | |
First air date | October 15, 1972 (on FM) |
Call sign meaning | Worldwide Swarthmore Radio Network |
Technical information | |
Facility ID | 64289 |
Class | A |
ERP | 110 watts |
HAAT | 43 meters |
Links | |
Website | http://www.wsrnfm.org/ |
Prior to the 1970s, WSRN operated as a carrier signal broadcast to the campus of Swarthmore College only. The station went on the air with 10 watts on October 15, 1972.[1] Following efforts by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to encourage as many Class D stations as possible to increase power, a campaign was raised by the students of the college, and in the late 1970s, the FCC granted a license for a 110-watt, directional, transmission. Programming has been eclectic from the 1970s on. Station programming is diverse; music spans "world," hip hop, blues, folk, rock, pop, R & B, and classical. Talk and comedy programs comprise much of the weekend line-up. Notably "Funk" which ran from fall 2012 to spring 2014 Friday mornings from midnight to 2AM.
In 1986, the main on-air studio was completely refurbished, with a new control panel, turntables, microphones, and wiring installed. 1998 saw the rewiring and modernization of the production studio and the construction of an acoustically isolated sound studio connected to the production studio.
Students have always manned the soundboard, and so, during most summers, the station is dark.
References
- "Collegiate station wins FM status quest". Delaware County Daily Times. October 4, 1972. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
External links
- WSRN 91.5 official website
- WSRN in the FCC's FM station database
- WSRN on Radio-Locator
- WSRN in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- FCC History Cards for WSRN-FM