WRUC
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| City of license | Schenectady, New York |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Schenectady, Capital District |
| Frequency | 89.7 MHz |
| First air date | 1920 |
| Format | Freeform |
| Power | 100 W |
| ERP | 100 W |
| Class | A |
| Callsign meaning | Wireless Radio of Union College |
| Owner | Union College |
| Website | http://wruc.union.edu |
WRUC-FM (Independent Radio) is a college radio station owned by, and staffed by, the students of Union College in Schenectady, New York. The 100-watt station broadcasts on (89.7 FM) and streams on Internet radio at wruc.union.edu.. It is often referred to as "First Station in the Nation."
[edit] History
WRUC became the first student operated radio facility in the United States when it began broadcasting on October 14, 1920.[1] The station is widely recognized as America's first college radio station,[1]. The New York Times noted in its April 25, 1921 edition that a broadcast by the Union College radio club could be heard 1,000 miles away. The paper also detailed one month later an experiment in which a baby being pushed in a carriage through Schenectady was able to receive a radio broadcast.
In 1920, the station was called 2ADD, the personal call letters of one of the members of the club at the time. The club has gone through numerous call letters including, "2XQ," "WRL," "UBS," and "UCRS."[2]
The station previously aired on 640 AM and on 90.9 FM, before assuming its current dial position in the mid 1980s.
While some of these claims are disputed, station records indicate that it was the "first station in the nation", airing experimental content before Pittsburgh's KDKA. It is also believed to have aired one of the first sports broadcasts in the country.
The station currently operates regularly only when Union College is in session.
Among the station's most famous alumni is Dick Ferguson, the 2002 National Radio Award winner, as named by the National Association of Broadcasters.[2] Ferguson retired as the Executive Vice President of Cox Radio in 2006.
[edit] External links
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WRUC
- Radio-Locator information on WRUC
- Query Arbitron's FM station database for WRUC
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