WPSU-FM
Encyclopedia
WPSU is a National Public Radio member radio station
owned by Pennsylvania State University
as a part of Penn State Public Broadcasting. It reaches some 500,000 households in central Pennsylvania and southern New York, as well as a few households in western Pennsylvania. The station is rebroadcast on WPSX 90.1 FM in Kane
. Both the 91.5 and 90.1 signals transmit in HD.
Its production facilities are located along Innovation Park Boulevard outside of State College.
With transmitters located throughout the region, WPSU-FM now serves over 500,000 listeners http://www.wpsu.org/about/index.html in 12 central counties of the Commonwealth, 24 hours a day.
Through nationally- and locally-produced news, features and music programs, WPSU-FM offers a variety of programming for a widely diverse listening audience.
when doing so was not widely deemed acceptable. In the early days of WDFM, jazz and classical music were played, but Zimmerman staged call-ins and requests to allow a wider variety of music to be featured. The primary goal of WDFM was to provide a hands-on learning experience for students interested in radio communications, but it also strove to serve the community with unique programming.
WDFM was open not only to student membership, but also to faculty and staff of the university. Through the years, and particularly in the 1980s, faculty membership increased gradually. Student-specific programming was also cut back little by little, with such programs eventually relegated to weekend nights.
In 1985, the station picked up the WPSU call letters after the radio station at Penn State Wilkes-Barre
retired them. WPSU became a part of Penn State Public Broadcasting under the university's Department of Continuing and Distance Education as opposed to being affiliated with the College of Communications. This period of time also marked a dramatic rise in the involvement of non-students on the staff, no longer necessarily serving the goals of the original station endowed by the Class of 1951. As faculty and academic involvement increased, student involvement began to wane. The radio station endowed by former students to serve their best interests was being turned into a faculty-run operation.
Because the faculty was now mostly (though not yet solely) responsible for providing programming for the station, WPSU began syndicating NPR shows to an area where NPR hadn't previously been available. Such programming increased gradually through the 1980s, but more markedly from the late 1980s through the early 1990s. Finally, by 1992, WPSU was a full-fledged NPR affiliate.
Relationship with WKPS
When it signed on in December 1953, WPSU-FM was the student station for Penn State under the call letters WDFM. In the mid 1990s, with more and more national programming from NPR taking up more time on the "student" station, a new station and signal was created -- WKPS -- that became the full-time student station. They operate independently from WPSU-FM.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
owned by Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
as a part of Penn State Public Broadcasting. It reaches some 500,000 households in central Pennsylvania and southern New York, as well as a few households in western Pennsylvania. The station is rebroadcast on WPSX 90.1 FM in Kane
Kane, Pennsylvania
Kane is a borough in McKean County, Pennsylvania, east by south of Erie. It was founded in 1863 by Civil War general Thomas L. Kane at an elevated site 2210 feet above sea level. In the early part of the twentieth century, Kane had large glassworks, bottle works, lumber mills, and manufactures of...
. Both the 91.5 and 90.1 signals transmit in HD.
Its production facilities are located along Innovation Park Boulevard outside of State College.
With transmitters located throughout the region, WPSU-FM now serves over 500,000 listeners http://www.wpsu.org/about/index.html in 12 central counties of the Commonwealth, 24 hours a day.
Through nationally- and locally-produced news, features and music programs, WPSU-FM offers a variety of programming for a widely diverse listening audience.
History
The station went on the air December 6, 1953 as WDFM. It was first conceived by the Class of 1951 and given to the University as a class gift. A faculty member from the College of Communications served as a hands-on manager and full-time adviser. The radio station enjoyed quite a bit of popularity (and even controversy) in its early days, with certain DJs (including future faculty adviser Robert Zimmerman) opting to play cutting-edge artists such as Elvis PresleyElvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
when doing so was not widely deemed acceptable. In the early days of WDFM, jazz and classical music were played, but Zimmerman staged call-ins and requests to allow a wider variety of music to be featured. The primary goal of WDFM was to provide a hands-on learning experience for students interested in radio communications, but it also strove to serve the community with unique programming.
WDFM was open not only to student membership, but also to faculty and staff of the university. Through the years, and particularly in the 1980s, faculty membership increased gradually. Student-specific programming was also cut back little by little, with such programs eventually relegated to weekend nights.
In 1985, the station picked up the WPSU call letters after the radio station at Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Penn State Wilkes-Barre is a commonwealth campus of the Pennsylvania State University. It is located in Back Mountain, Pennsylvania.The Wilkes-Barre Campus can trace its history to 1915 when two top engineers, who were affiliated with Penn State and worked in the coal industry, released a study on...
retired them. WPSU became a part of Penn State Public Broadcasting under the university's Department of Continuing and Distance Education as opposed to being affiliated with the College of Communications. This period of time also marked a dramatic rise in the involvement of non-students on the staff, no longer necessarily serving the goals of the original station endowed by the Class of 1951. As faculty and academic involvement increased, student involvement began to wane. The radio station endowed by former students to serve their best interests was being turned into a faculty-run operation.
Because the faculty was now mostly (though not yet solely) responsible for providing programming for the station, WPSU began syndicating NPR shows to an area where NPR hadn't previously been available. Such programming increased gradually through the 1980s, but more markedly from the late 1980s through the early 1990s. Finally, by 1992, WPSU was a full-fledged NPR affiliate.
Live streaming
WPSU-FM's signal is streamed across the Internet 24-hours a day. http://www.wpsu.org/ondemand/index.htmlPodcasts
WPSU-FM also has podcasts of the following programs:- WPSU Morning News
- WPSU Weekly Features
- BookMark
- Penn State Forum
- Take Note Radio
- StoryCorps
Relationship with WKPSWKPSWKPS is a college radio station owned by Penn State University. The station runs on a full-time, multi-format schedule featuring a wide variety of programming. "The Lion 90.7 FM" transmits to a potential audience of over 125,000 from its studio in the HUB-Robeson Center...
When it signed on in December 1953, WPSU-FM was the student station for Penn State under the call letters WDFM. In the mid 1990s, with more and more national programming from NPR taking up more time on the "student" station, a new station and signal was created -- WKPS -- that became the full-time student station. They operate independently from WPSU-FM.See also
- WPSU-TVWPSU-TVWPSU-TV is the Public Broadcasting Service member Public television station for the Allegheny area of Pennsylvania that is licensed to Clearfield. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 15 from its transmitter located seven miles north of Clearfield on McGeorge Road in...
- a PBS TV station - WKPSWKPSWKPS is a college radio station owned by Penn State University. The station runs on a full-time, multi-format schedule featuring a wide variety of programming. "The Lion 90.7 FM" transmits to a potential audience of over 125,000 from its studio in the HUB-Robeson Center...
- The Lion 90.7FM - Penn State Student Radio - WPSEWPSEWPSE is a commercial radio station licensed to serve the community of Erie, Pennsylvania. The station's programming format is business news and talk. WPSE is owned and operated by Penn State Behrend....
- Penn State Erie's Money Station