WPRK 91.5 FM is a

non-commercial A non-commercial (also spelled noncommercial) activity is an activity that does not, in some sense, involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis. For example, advertising-free community ...

college radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...

station located in Winter Park,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States. It is owned and operated by

Rollins College Rollins College is a private college in Winter Park, Florida. It was founded in November 1885 and has about 30 undergraduate majors and several graduate programs. It is Florida's fourth oldest post-secondary institution. History Rollins Colle ...

. Its signal is audible in most of the Orlando metropolitan area. WPRK features programming from nearly every mainstream and non-mainstream

music genre A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. It is to be distinguished from ''musical form'' and musical style, although in practice these terms are some ...

History

WPRK began broadcasting on December 8, 1952, with a dedication address from then President-Elect

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

. The station originally operated on 88.1 MHz with 10 watts of power but eventually moved to 91.5 MHz and increased to 1,300 watts

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...

. During its first decade of broadcasting WPRK operated for approximately five hours every evening, transmitting a variety of material including classical music, interview programs, quiz shows, and occasional live broadcasts of concerts and speeches occurring on campus. The hours of operation gradually expanded. By the mid-1970s WPRK was typically on the air from noon to midnight, featuring classical music during the day, a variety of student-selected

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

s at night, and live play-by-play coverage of selected Rollins soccer and basketball games. In 1989 students were given more authority over the programming and operation of WPRK; by 1991 the station was described as "completely student-run." The amount of time allocated to classical music was reduced and the length of the broadcast day was expanded, with the station operating from 8 am to 2 am daily. Consistent 24-hour broadcasting began in the mid-1990s. In the summer of 2000, Community Communications, owner of WMFE-FM 90.7, offered to take over the operations of WPRK in a proposed partnership which greatly interested the college. Students, listeners and other supporters formed an organization called "SaveWPRK.com" to oppose the merger and find other sources of funding for the station. On February 1, 2001, the Rollins College administration announced its decision to retain control of WPRK. From January 17–21, 2005, the station launched its first WPRK Marathon, also known as the 110-Hour Marathon, a fundraiser in which DJ Dave Plotkin attempted to break the world record for longest consecutive on-air DJ session. Following Hurricane Irma on September 10, 2017, WPRK's antenna sustained serious damage that caused for the removal of the antenna. From September 2017 till August 2018, the station continued to offer their programming as a streaming service. In August 2018, WPRK went back on air and once again broadcast on FM. In January 2020 the station was moved to its current studio in the renovated Kathleen W. Rollins Hall.

Notable alumni DJs

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...

* Drew Garabo * Gen from the

Genitorturers The Genitorturers are an American industrial metal band with influences extending into the 1990s hardcore punk and electronic music. They proclaim themselves to be "The World's Sexiest Rock Band". History Originating in Orlando, Florida, the ...

* Q Burns Abstract Message * Chris "Mad Dog" Russo

References

External links

Official site
* * * {{coord, 28, 35, 41, N, 81, 20, 06, W, region:US-FL_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title Freeform radio stations Winter Park, Florida PRK Rollins College Radio stations established in 1952 1952 establishments in Florida