WSAJ-FM
Encyclopedia
WSAJ-FM is a non-commercial college
radio station
located in Grove City, Pennsylvania
. The station is owned and operated by Grove City College
and carries syndicated classical
and jazz
music, as well as student programming and local sports coverage. The station is managed by an employee of the college, and its day-to-day operations are overseen by a staff of student volunteers when school is in session.
. The station was issued experimental call sign
8CO in 1914, and, after a brief period off the air during the war, returned under experimental callsign 8YV in 1920
. The first broadcast was made on 26 April 1920, when President Weir C. Ketler sent a message via the station to the New Castle Rotary Club
. The WSAJ call sign was issued in 1922
and the station began operating briefly on a frequency of 1310 kHz, then moving later to 1340 kHz
. WSAJ's studio and transmitter moved from the older lower campus, to the new upper campus in the 1930s.
Transmitting at 1340 kHz (AM), WSAJ operated using a longwire antenna, strung between two poles on the roof of the Rockwell Science Hall, operating at a power of 100 watts. Another radio station, WOYL
, signed on at this frequency from Oil City, Pennsylvania
in 1946. In order for these two stations to co-exist within only 40 miles of each other, the FCC
mandated WOYL to sign off for approximately 90 minutes twice a week in order to protect WSAJ's limited on-air schedule. In later years, the FCC determined that this "shared-time" restriction was no longer necessary because the stations did not create significant co-channel interference.
station at 89.5 MHz
was added under the same call sign in 1968
before moving to 91.1 MHz during the 1990s.
Student programming was a mainstay on WSAJ from its inception, with off-site satellite-delivered programming during non-student programs, until a power increase in 1995 resulted in the FM station's coverage area being significantly enlarged. At that time, student broadcasting on the FM station ceased and was moved to a current-carrier AM station on 530 kHz
, which could only be heard in the immediate vicinity of the college campus.
streaming
format, calling itself WGCC, even though this was not a legitimately-issued call sign. Because of WSAJ's limited signal and its short (three-hour per week) FCC authorized broadcast schedule, it was determined that the cost to replace the equipment was too great for the benefit to the college or listening community.
In 2004, newly-installed college president Richard G. Jewell
and chairman of the board
David Rathburn, himself a WSAJ alumnus
, instituted policy changes which allowed student broadcasting to return to the more powerful FM station. At that time the student programming rebranded itself as 91.1 The One and adopted a primarily indie rock
format. In early 2006 the operating license for WSAJ was allowed to expire while WSAJ-FM remained on the air. The original poles and longwire antenna for AM 1340, though no longer functional, remained atop Rockwell Science Hall for a year before being removed.
, and its analog signal area has greatly improved to the north and east especially, including areas such as Franklin, Pennsylvania, Oil City, Pennsylvania
and portions of Clarion County.
, originating at WFMT
in Chicago. It was decided to switch to classical music offerings from Public Radio International
, which also enabled the station to add news programming from the British Broadcasting Corporation. The station also added a variety of specialty classical, jazz, bluegrass, and folk music shows throughout the week. The WFMT syndicated program "Jazz with Bob Parlocha
" continues to air as well.
During the school year, students from a recognized campus organization fill each evening of the week with programming under the moniker "91-1 The One", featuring a main format of independent/alternative rock. Under this format, the station reports its spin counts to the College Media Journal. Some students also air specialty shows during the week. The organization appoints its executive staff that governs the student programming. The students also do regular remote broadcasts at the college's Homecoming and Parents' Weekend events.
WSAJ-FM also airs Grove City College
football and road basketball games and some area high school football games.
WSAJ-FM has future plans to add more local programming and news coverage to benefit the citizens of Grove City and the surrounding areas. Already, WSAJ-FM has aired brief reports from Grove City Borough Council meetings.
In 2007 the station became involved in controversy when the artist Caeser Pink and The Imperial Orgy
claimed that the station banned the CD titled All God's Children due to the political content of the lyrics. After initially broadcasting the CD for two weeks, WSAJ music director Alex Papalia told the group's record label that "The station's manager read up on what the band's about and told us we couldn’t play the CD anymore." In reaction to the CD's being banned on a large number of college radio stations Caeser Pink began a media campaign claiming that because the CD was being banned due to the political content of the lyrics that it was censorship of free speech.
Campus radio
Campus 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 by students, or may include programmers from the wider community in which the radio station is based...
radio station
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...
located in Grove City, Pennsylvania
Grove City, Pennsylvania
Grove City is a borough in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, approximately north of Pittsburgh. It is the home of Grove City College, a private conservative Christian liberal arts college; General Electric; Instron; USIS; George G. Howe Co.; and a number of small businesses. It is also the home to...
. The station is owned and operated by Grove City College
Grove City College
Grove City College is a Christian liberal arts college in Grove City, Pennsylvania, about north of Pittsburgh. According to the College Bulletin, its stated three-fold mission is to provide an excellent education at an affordable price in a thoroughly Christian environment...
and carries syndicated classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
music, as well as student programming and local sports coverage. The station is managed by an employee of the college, and its day-to-day operations are overseen by a staff of student volunteers when school is in session.
Beginnings in AM
Experiments in radio broadcasting began at Grove City College under Professor Herbert W. Harmon shortly before World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The station was issued experimental call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
8CO in 1914, and, after a brief period off the air during the war, returned under experimental callsign 8YV in 1920
1920 in radio
The year 1920 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.- Events :* In January the first informal and spasmodic broadcasts in Great Britain are made by the Marconi Company from Chelmsford...
. The first broadcast was made on 26 April 1920, when President Weir C. Ketler sent a message via the station to the New Castle Rotary Club
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
. The WSAJ call sign was issued in 1922
1922 in radio
The year 1922 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*8 February: President of the United States, Warren G. Harding introduces the first radio in the White House....
and the station began operating briefly on a frequency of 1310 kHz, then moving later to 1340 kHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
. WSAJ's studio and transmitter moved from the older lower campus, to the new upper campus in the 1930s.
Transmitting at 1340 kHz (AM), WSAJ operated using a longwire antenna, strung between two poles on the roof of the Rockwell Science Hall, operating at a power of 100 watts. Another radio station, WOYL
WOYL
WOYL was an American radio station, licensed to the community of Oil City, Pennsylvania. WOYL operated at the assigned frequency of 1340 kHz and a fulltime output power of a thousand watts...
, signed on at this frequency from Oil City, Pennsylvania
Oil City, Pennsylvania
Oil City is a city in Venango County, Pennsylvania that is known in the initial exploration and development of the petroleum industry. After the first oil wells were drilled nearby in the 1850s, Oil City became central in the petroleum industry while hosting headquarters for the Pennzoil, Quaker...
in 1946. In order for these two stations to co-exist within only 40 miles of each other, the FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
mandated WOYL to sign off for approximately 90 minutes twice a week in order to protect WSAJ's limited on-air schedule. In later years, the FCC determined that this "shared-time" restriction was no longer necessary because the stations did not create significant co-channel interference.
WSAJ-FM
An FMFM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
station at 89.5 MHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
was added under the same call sign in 1968
1968 in radio
The year 1968 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:* 1 February: WABX Detroit drops classical music to air progressive rock/freeform full-time....
before moving to 91.1 MHz during the 1990s.
Student programming was a mainstay on WSAJ from its inception, with off-site satellite-delivered programming during non-student programs, until a power increase in 1995 resulted in the FM station's coverage area being significantly enlarged. At that time, student broadcasting on the FM station ceased and was moved to a current-carrier AM station on 530 kHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
, which could only be heard in the immediate vicinity of the college campus.
WSAJ/1340 signs off
Over the next few years, the AM broadcasting equipment deteriorated until it was no longer functional. Student programming subsequently moved to a carrier-current station and later to an intranetIntranet
An intranet is a computer network that uses Internet Protocol technology to securely share any part of an organization's information or network operating system within that organization. The term is used in contrast to internet, a network between organizations, and instead refers to a network...
streaming
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
format, calling itself WGCC, even though this was not a legitimately-issued call sign. Because of WSAJ's limited signal and its short (three-hour per week) FCC authorized broadcast schedule, it was determined that the cost to replace the equipment was too great for the benefit to the college or listening community.
In 2004, newly-installed college president Richard G. Jewell
Richard G. Jewell
Richard G. Jewell is the eighth president of Grove City College, a Christian liberal arts college in Grove City, Pennsylvania. The 1967 Grove City graduate assumed the presidency in fall of 2003 after a successful career in law and business...
and chairman of the board
Chairman of the Board
The Chairman of the Board is a seat of office in an organization, especially of corporations.Chairman of the Board may also refer to:*Chairman of the Board , a 1998 film*Chairmen of the Board , a 1970s American soul music group...
David Rathburn, himself a WSAJ alumnus
Alumnus
An alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...
, instituted policy changes which allowed student broadcasting to return to the more powerful FM station. At that time the student programming rebranded itself as 91.1 The One and adopted a primarily indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
format. In early 2006 the operating license for WSAJ was allowed to expire while WSAJ-FM remained on the air. The original poles and longwire antenna for AM 1340, though no longer functional, remained atop Rockwell Science Hall for a year before being removed.
Upgrade to HD radio and signal increase
In 2007 WSAJ-FM applied for a construction permit to increase its signal across more of western Pennsylvania through a move to a new tower and a power increase from 1,600 to 2,700 watts. WSAJ-FM moved to its new tower in the southwest corner of Venango County and filed its license to cover in March 2011. The new transmitter broadcasts in HD RadioHD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
, and its analog signal area has greatly improved to the north and east especially, including areas such as Franklin, Pennsylvania, Oil City, Pennsylvania
Oil City, Pennsylvania
Oil City is a city in Venango County, Pennsylvania that is known in the initial exploration and development of the petroleum industry. After the first oil wells were drilled nearby in the 1850s, Oil City became central in the petroleum industry while hosting headquarters for the Pennzoil, Quaker...
and portions of Clarion County.
Programming
In March 2007 WSAJ-FM made significant changes to its syndicated programming lineup. For years, the station had carried classical music programming during the daytime from the Beethoven Satellite NetworkPeter Van de Graaff
Peter Van de Graaff is an American musician. He is best known as the host of the Beethoven Satellite Network overnight classical music service, which is carried over approximately 150 radio stations nationwide.-Biography:...
, originating at WFMT
WFMT
WFMT is an FM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, featuring a format of fine arts, classical music programming, and shows exploring such genres as folk and jazz). The station is managed by Window To The World Communications, Inc., owner of WTTW, one of Chicago's two Public Broadcasting Service ...
in Chicago. It was decided to switch to classical music offerings from Public Radio International
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
, which also enabled the station to add news programming from the British Broadcasting Corporation. The station also added a variety of specialty classical, jazz, bluegrass, and folk music shows throughout the week. The WFMT syndicated program "Jazz with Bob Parlocha
Bob Parlocha
Robert "Bob" Parlocha is an American jazz expert who, for many years, is best known as a radio host and programmer. He is also a professional saxophone player.-Local journey to success:...
" continues to air as well.
During the school year, students from a recognized campus organization fill each evening of the week with programming under the moniker "91-1 The One", featuring a main format of independent/alternative rock. Under this format, the station reports its spin counts to the College Media Journal. Some students also air specialty shows during the week. The organization appoints its executive staff that governs the student programming. The students also do regular remote broadcasts at the college's Homecoming and Parents' Weekend events.
WSAJ-FM also airs Grove City College
Grove City College
Grove City College is a Christian liberal arts college in Grove City, Pennsylvania, about north of Pittsburgh. According to the College Bulletin, its stated three-fold mission is to provide an excellent education at an affordable price in a thoroughly Christian environment...
football and road basketball games and some area high school football games.
WSAJ-FM has future plans to add more local programming and news coverage to benefit the citizens of Grove City and the surrounding areas. Already, WSAJ-FM has aired brief reports from Grove City Borough Council meetings.
In 2007 the station became involved in controversy when the artist Caeser Pink and The Imperial Orgy
The Imperial Orgy
The Imperial Orgy is an artist collective founded in 1993 by artist Caeser Pink. Known primarily for their multimedia performances, music recordings, and film works, the group's creative work expresses an underlying philosophy of personal, spiritual, and political liberation based on independent...
claimed that the station banned the CD titled All God's Children due to the political content of the lyrics. After initially broadcasting the CD for two weeks, WSAJ music director Alex Papalia told the group's record label that "The station's manager read up on what the band's about and told us we couldn’t play the CD anymore." In reaction to the CD's being banned on a large number of college radio stations Caeser Pink began a media campaign claiming that because the CD was being banned due to the political content of the lyrics that it was censorship of free speech.