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WUSO
Simulcast of WDPR Dayton, Ohio
Frequency89.1 MHz
BrandingDayton Public Radio
Programming
FormatClassical music
AffiliationsWDPR
Ownership
OwnerDayton Public Radio, Inc.
History
First air date
February 20, 1966 (1966-02-20)
Call sign meaning
Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID65468
ClassA
ERP100 watts
HAAT26 meters (85 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
39°56′9.00″N 83°48′41.00″W / 39.9358333°N 83.8113889°W / 39.9358333; -83.8113889
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
WebsiteOfficial website

WUSO (89.1 FM) is a radio station in Springfield, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Dayton Public Radio, Inc. and rebroadcasts the classical music programming of WDPR in Dayton on a full-time basis from its transmitter atop Tower Hall on the Wittenberg University campus.

From 1966 to 2019, WUSO was Wittenberg's student-run college radio station, with studios in Firestine Hall on the campus.

History

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Radio returns to Wittenberg

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Wittenberg University (WU) received a construction permit from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to build a new 10-watt radio station on the campus on October 11, 1965.[3] Organization on campus for a new station had dated to 1961, when a radio club was formed with 35 students.[4] Two years later, a student committee was formed to analyze the idea,[5] and the university appropriated funds to purchase equipment.[6] On February 20, 1966, WUSO began broadcasting.[1] The station represented the return of broadcasting to the university, which had shown an interest in radio transmissions beginning in 1896.[7] Signing on in 1922,[8] station WCSO[a]—the university being Wittenberg College at the time—operated until 1930,[9] when it was shuttered as part of a consolidation that formed WGAR, a new station in Cleveland.[10][11]

WUSO initially broadcast for six hours a day;[12] by 1971, it was on for three hours in the morning and then 11 hours in the evening.[13] The station survived a 1977 funding cut by the WU student government (SGA) that nearly threatened it with closure because it suggested relocating the facility without considering the technical and legal implications of such a move.[14] Pressure from SGA forced cutbacks, such as the elimination of a news wire, as well as internal reforms.[15] Studios were in the basement of Alumni House before relocating to Sprecher Hall in 1979.[16] The move required major changes and left the station off the air for a year and a half,[17] and it also saw the station convert to stereo broadcasting.[18]

Over time, WUSO began operating with a freeform format, a contrast to the Top 40-heavy FM dial in the area.[19] Programs ranged from Christian rock to jazz; in 1986, station manager Krista May did on-air shifts hosting a punk rock show under the name "Chrystal Meth".[20] However, despite a series of efforts over the years, WUSO remained a 10-watt outlet. By 1986, the original transmitter was out of service for six weeks during the winter term.[21] Even with 10 watts, the station attracted substantial interest on campus: there were 120 DJs in 1990.[22] The station narrowly survived another financial challenge again in 1996 when the student senate made a grant to allow the station to purchase Emergency Alert System equipment that it needed in order to meet requirements for the new service.[23][24] The station abandoned Sprecher Hall in 1998 as part of its demolition, moving into the basement of Firestine Hall and replacing much of its equipment in the process.[25]

Upgrade to 120 watts

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As a Class D station operating on the same 10-watt basis as in 1966, WUSO was vulnerable. In the late 1970s, the FCC encouraged many stations to upgrade to Class A status—100 watts minimum—and left Class D stations a secondary service, vulnerable to being bumped by other stations. Furthermore, even though the transmitter was atop Tower Hall, students living there sometimes had trouble receiving the station.[26] WUSO had twice solicited power increases, first in 1971[27] and then in 1986.[28] However, such changes also would have come with needed upgrades to professionalize even as FCC restrictions tightened the ability of Class D stations to upgrade.[29] Alongside moving to Firestine, the station mounted a third effort at a power increase, hoping to avoid the paperwork-related problems that had plagued past pushes.[30] The proposed increase turned into a years-long legal battle in the wake of two related applications from Christian groups, the American Family Association and Life Radio Ministries.[31] This conflict was lengthened because the FCC overhauled the process by which it compared applications for non-commercial educational radio stations, leaving the three applications—WUSO's improvement and the two new Christian radio stations, one for Urbana and one for Delaware—in a mutually exclusive group.[32] The three parties then filed a universal settlement, granting WUSO's improvement and the Delaware new station application, which was granted on April 25, 2003.[33]

In November 2004, WUSO upgraded from 10 watts to 120, improving its coverage area and signal strength in the Springfield area.[34] In December 2003, Wittenberg athletics moved to WUSO from commercial station WULM; the move came in the middle of the basketball season after WULM refused to produce and carry broadcasts of Wittenberg women's basketball games.[35] WUSO also initiated online streaming in 2006.[36] WUSO's studios in the basement of Firestine Hall were flooded when a water pipe burst on April 8, 2012. Four feet of water inundated the facilities, and the studio equipment was a total loss.[37] The station was off the air for nearly a year; the studios were rebuilt with increased space for live bands to play and an expanded lobby.[38] By 2018, the station had 18 student-produced shows on its lineup.[39]

Sale to Dayton Public Radio

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In August 2017, WUSO entered into a partnership with WDPR Dayton Public Radio to rebroadcast its classical music programming from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays. As WDPR's signal does not reach Springfield, this expanded the service's coverage.[40] In March 2019, WUSO began rebroadcasting WDPR on a full-time basis,[41] and WU filed in December 2022 to sell the station outright to DPR for $94,580.[42] The sale was consummated on March 13, 2023.

Notes

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  1. ^ Preceded earlier in the year by experimental 8XAK, this station was originally assigned the WNAP call letters, which were changed to WCSO on March 6, 1925.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Wittenberg To Open FM Broadcasting". Springfield News-Sun. February 20, 1966. p. 2B. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WUSO". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "FCC History Cards for WUSO". FCC.
  4. ^ "Group organizes for radio station". The Wittenberg Torch. May 5, 1961. p. 2.
  5. ^ "Creation of FM station planned by students". The Wittenberg Torch. November 15, 1963. p. 1.
  6. ^ "WU will get radio station". The Wittenberg Torch. October 24, 1964. p. 6.
  7. ^ a b Frost, S. E. Jr. (1971) [1937]. Education's Own Stations (PDF). New York, New York: Arno Press, Inc. pp. 475–478. ISBN 0-405-03555-1. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  8. ^ "New Stations". Radio Service Bulletin. No. 67. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce. November 1, 1922. p. 3. Archived from the original on July 12, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2022 – via HathiTrust.
  9. ^ "Last Program is Broadcast". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Associated Press. October 12, 1930. p. 35. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "Radio Station WCSO Stops Broadcasting". Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. October 31, 1930. p. 25. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Garstang, Kathy (March 4, 1966). "Announcer racalls WCSO radio". The Wittenberg Torch. p. 6.
  12. ^ "License Renewed: WUSO-FM To Resume Broadcasts Sunday". Springfield News-Sun. October 8, 1967. p. 7C. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "WUSO Resumes Broadcasting Tuesday". Springfield News-Sun. September 19, 1971. p. 4B. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Schnorf, Karen (May 26, 1977). "WUSO threatened with shut down". The Wittenberg Torch. pp. 1, 6.
  15. ^ Jennings, David G. (November 11, 1977). "WUSO aims for quality". The Wittenberg Torch. p. 6.
  16. ^ Wecker, David (July 16, 1978). "Major Changes Coming On Wittenberg Campus". Springfield News-Sun. p. 1B. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Edmiston, Paula (November 9, 1979). "WUSO begins campus broadcast".
  18. ^ Irick, Andy (February 3, 1984). "WUSO: Genesis of Campus Waves". The Wittenberg Torch. p. 8.
  19. ^ "Out and about". Springfield News-Sun. October 17, 1985. p. 9. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Hughes, Dan (January 26, 1986). "Tuned in to Springfield". Springfield News-Sun. Springfield, Ohio. p. 1B, 2B. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Simpson, Lori (May 30, 1986). "WUSO In Need Of New Transmitter". The Wittenberg Torch. p. 5.
  22. ^ Dye, Nicole (January 12, 1990). "WUSO offers variety and entertainment". The Wittenberg Torch. p. 3.
  23. ^ Neff, Amy (October 1, 1996). "WUSO faces shutdown; lacks equipment funds". The Wittenberg Torch. pp. 1, 2.
  24. ^ Neff, Amy (October 8, 1996). "Senate rescues WUSO, approves pep band". The Wittenberg Torch. pp. 1, 4.
  25. ^ Harding, Jared (April 7, 1998). "WUSO move to Firestine in progress". The Wittenberg Torch. pp. 1, 11.
  26. ^ Bachelder, Lara (February 3, 2005). "Student radio station makes upgrades". The Wittenberg Torch. p. 1.
  27. ^ "WUSO, the basement radio station increases output to 500 watts". The Wittenberg Torch. April 15, 1971. p. 6.
  28. ^ Johnson, Charlotte (October 3, 1986). "WUSO Striving for Professionalism". The Wittenberg Torch. p. 18.
  29. ^ Stiles, Ted (October 14, 1988). "WUSO Hopes To Attract More Listeners". The Wittenberg Torch. p. 3.
  30. ^ Jackson, Jennifer (February 10, 1998). "Senate may support WUSO with fee raise". The Wittenberg Torch. p. 2.
  31. ^ Remsburg, Alysa (March 23, 1999). "WUSO broadcast license threatened due to frequency". The Wittenberg Torch. pp. 1, 10.
  32. ^ "Memorandum Opinion and Order, In the Matter of Reexamination of the Comparative Standards for Noncommercial Educational Applicants (FCC 01-64)" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. February 15, 2001. p. 38.
  33. ^ "Public Notice Comment". Consolidated Database System. Federal Communications Commission. April 25, 2003.
  34. ^ Baker, Kelly (November 28, 2004). "Reaching out: Radio tower allows Witt station to broadcast to most of the county". Springfield News-Sun. p. 1B. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ Walther, Keith (December 21, 2003). "Witt sports to be broadcast on WUSO". Springfield News-Sun. p. 7C. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ Fry, Alyssa (September 14, 2006). "Improved sounds at Witt: WUSO to go online". Wittenberg Torch. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  37. ^ Doll, Elizabeth (September 5, 2012). "Rebuilding and Renovating WUSO". Wittenberg Torch. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  38. ^ "WUSO's birthday: Celebrating 46 years of good music". Wittenberg Torch. February 27, 2013. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  39. ^ "Campus Radio Station WUSO Kicks Off Semester". The Wittenberg Torch. September 2, 2018.
  40. ^ Turner, Brett (September 3, 2017). "Springfield college radio station partners with classical station". Springfield News-Sun. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  41. ^ "Statement re: Issues/Programs Lists" (PDF). WUSO Public Inspection File. Federal Communications Commission. May 29, 2020.
  42. ^ "Deal Digest - January 5, 2023". Inside Radio. January 5, 2023. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
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