WFAL Falcon Radio is a commercial internet radio station run by students of

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

Bowling Green, Ohio Bowling Green is a city in Wood County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 30,808 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, it is part of the Toledo metropolitan area and ...

, broadcasting exclusively online. WFA
Falcon Radio
is overseen by faculty from Bowling Green State University's School of Mass Communications. In addition to being available online, the station is simulcast via

cable radio Cable radio is radio broadcasting into homes and businesses via a cable. This can be a coaxial cable used for television, or a telephone line. It is generally used for the same reason as cable TV was in its early days when it was "community ante ...

throughout Northwestern Ohio on

Spectrum Cable Spectrum is the trade name of Charter Communications. The name is widely used by both market consumers and commercial businesses. Services that Spectrum offers include cable television, internet access, internet security, managed services, mob ...

channel 21. While operating as a commercial entity since 2008, the station is not licensed by the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

(FCC) and has roots in a now-defunct unlicensed

carrier current Carrier current transmission, originally called wired wireless, employs guided low-power Radio frequency, radio-frequency signals, which are transmitted along electrical conductors. The transmissions are picked up by receivers that are either conne ...

AM station that launched in 1970, from which the unofficial "WFAL"

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...

was derived. Unlike licensed station WBGU (88.1 FM), which is also owned and operated by the university, WFAL Falcon Radio is primarily used for students wishing to pursue jobs in the radio and communications industry.

History

What is today WFAL Falcon Radio had its origins as a

pirate radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...

station in a BGSU dorm in the late 1960s. The university soon decided to make it a school-sponsored station and "WFAL" officially began broadcasting in 1970. Over the next 20 years, the station was operated as a

outlet, where a low power transmitter broadcast the signal via the campus telephone system's wiring, accessible on AM/FM radios within residence halls (and occasionally nearby) on the frequency AM 680. It reached its heyday during the mid 1980's following the relocation of the School of Mass Communications from South Hall to West Hall. In the 1990s, the station became one of the top three college radio stations in the US and was awarded two awards by the National Association of College Broadcasters WFAL recording studio

In 2008, BGSU increased funding for telecommunications, the station rebuilt the studio to make the station fully digital and add the latest equipment. The transformation included a new name and image and the station was renamed WFAL Falcon Radio. WFAL was previously known as WFAL 1610 AM until 2008 when, after problems with the transmitter being unable to broadcast at a legal range, it was decided for this station to become internet and cable TV only.

Format

The station has gone through a variety of format changes including

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

, AOR (album-oriented rock).http://media.www.bgnews.com/media/storage/paper883/news/2006/08/18/Pulse/Campus.Radio.Stations.Look.To.Hire.New.Students-2221490.shtml The newest format consists of 5 genres departments:

modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. ...

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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

Talk Talk may refer to: Communication * Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people * Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people * Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...

and

. The station has numerous shows during the day and also carries BGSU and local high school sporting events.

References

External links

* {{Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University FAL FAL Radio stations established in 1970 Wood County, Ohio Former pirate radio stations 1970 establishments in Ohio