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WRCT (88.3 FM) is a non-commercial freeform
radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio st ...
based in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsyl ...
. The volunteer-run station has a studio in the basement of
Carnegie Mellon Carnegie may refer to: People * Carnegie (surname), including a list of people with the name * Clan Carnegie, a lowland Scottish clan Institutions Named for Andrew Carnegie * Carnegie Building (Troy, New York), on the campus of Rensselaer Poly ...
's University Center. WRCT broadcasts throughout the city with an ERP of 1.75 kW, from atop Warner Hall. WRCT Radio, Inc. holds the station's license.


History

WRCT or Radio Carnegie Tech started as an experimental radio station at
Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...
(now
Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technolog ...
) in 1949 by engineering students. The students used electrical wiring to broadcast a weak AM signal to a few academic buildings for several hours each day. In 1950, WRCT became an official student organization and covered half the buildings on campus.McCoy, Adrian.
WYEP, WRCT plan anniversary specials
" Post-Gazette.com. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10 Apr. 2009. Web. 2 Feb. 2012.
WRCT started as a carrier current AM radio station on 900 kHz, but moved to 88.3 FM on March 1,
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of President of the United States, United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom K ...
, with a power of 10 watts. This extended its signal across campus and to nearby areas. In the late 1980s, the power increased to 100 watts. In 1994, WRCT received permission to increase power to 1,750 watts in the north, south, and west and 680 watts in the east, allowing it to be heard up to fifteen miles away. The station also streams audio on the Internet through the station's website.Cullen, Rob.
The Eclectic and Eccentric WRCT FM
." Pittsburgh News for Tech, Arts, Hiring –
Pop City ''Pop City'' was a weekly online magazine whose content focused on news and features about Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The content focused on talent, innovation, diversity, and environment. The magazine was published between 2006 and 2015. History ...
. 12 November 2008. Accessed 3 February 2012. via Wayback Machine
Volunteers from the Carnegie Mellon campus and the community run the station, serving as disc jockeys, producers, engineers, and support staff.


Programming

WRCT's mission is to present its listening audience with freeform, original programming not found on the other radio stations in Pittsburgh.


Music

The on-air DJs select the station's varied musical programming. WRCT's record library includes almost 70,000 records and CDs. Musical genres commonly in rotation include
alternative country Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...
,
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
, electronic,
experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...
, hip hop, heavy metal,
indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produ ...
,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
,
musical theater Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...
, and world music. Programmers also play locally produced music, including creative beats, conscious lyrics, and new artists.


Public affairs

WRCT's public affairs programming emphasizes news and issues from the Pittsburgh community. The station's original programming includes: *''Barrio Latino: The Latin American Radio Hour –'' the latest news from
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...
and the Pittsburgh
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties form ...
community *''Brazilian Radio Hour'' or ''Cantinho Brasileiro no Radio –'' Brazilian music and news broadcast in English and Portuguese *''History for the Future –'' interviews with academics and journalists to explore the history behind contemporary social issues *'' Rustbelt Radio –'' the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly round-up of grassroots news *'' The Saturday Light Brigade –'' one of the longest-running
public radio Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financi ...
shows in the country


Pacifica radio

WRCT is Pittsburgh's Pacifica Radio Network affiliate station, airing the following public affairs programs: *''
Democracy Now! ''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long American TV, radio, and Internet news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live each weekday a ...
'' *'' Feature Story News'' *'' Law and Disorder''


Awards

''Brazilian Radio Hour'' won the 2013 Brazilian International Press Award.


Notable people

Electronic music Electronic music is a Music genre, genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or electronics, circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromech ...
artist, DJ, and record producer Yaeji was a member of WRCT and debuted some of her first sets on the station while studying at Carnegie Mellon.


See also

*
List of community radio stations in the United States This is a list of FCC-licensed community radio stations in the United States. See also List of Pacifica Radio stations and affiliates References {{reflist C ...


References

{{Authority control RCT Freeform radio stations RCT Carnegie Mellon University Radio stations established in 1949 Community radio stations in the United States 1949 establishments in Pennsylvania