WPTS-FM (92.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

is a non-commercial

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 radi ...

owned by the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

, and offers a mix of student-run programming, ranging from music programming to news and sports coverage. The station operates with an ERP of 16

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...

s, and is licensed to

Pittsburgh 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 Pennsylva ...

. Its transmitter is located on the top of the university's

Cathedral of Learning The Cathedral of Learning is a 42-story skyscraper that serves as the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh's (Pitt) main campus in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Standing at , the 42-story Late Gothic Revival Cat ...

in Pittsburgh.

History

WPTS-FM originally evolved from WPGH, an AM carrier current station that broadcast to the Pitt Student Union and dormitories. WPGH was started in the fall of 1957 by 12 students, including

Adrian Cronauer Adrian Joseph Cronauer (September 8, 1938 – July 18, 2018) was a United States Air Force SergeantRobin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

in the movie ''

Good Morning, Vietnam ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' is a 1987 American war comedy film written by Mitch Markowitz and directed by Barry Levinson. Set in Saigon in 1965, during the Vietnam War, the film stars Robin Williams as a radio DJ on Armed Forces Radio Service, wh ...

''. Since then, WPGH is now the call letters of the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

TV station in Pittsburgh. The push to get an

FM station FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM). Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is capa ...

began in the fall of 1977 when Pitt requested a space on the commercial FM broadcast band. Because the

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

was concerned that the move of WPTS to FM might set an unfavorable precedent for other non-commercial stations seeking to make a similar move, Pitt had to reassure the FCC that WPTS-FM was a unique case. As a result, WPTS-FM was granted a class D license with a radiating power of 10 Watts in the fall of 1984, the last 10-Watt station to be licensed by the FCC. The station was originally at 98.5 until 1994, when it moved to the current frequency. After a reduction in power to two watts in May 2005 at the request of the FCC, WPTS acquired a new directional antenna in the summer of 2006 to reduce interference with WKPL, a commercial station to the northwest. In 2009, 2012, 2013, and 2015 WPTS was nominated as one of the five to ten finalists for the

mtvU MTVU (formerly stylized as MtvU and mtvU) is an American digital cable TV channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group, a unit of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel was first known as VH1 Uno from 2000 to ...

Woodie Award CheddarU is an American closed-circuit network available on 600 U.S. college campuses owned by Cheddar, as part of internally originated cable systems that are a part of on-campus housing or college closed-circuit television systems. In 2018 ...

for best college radio station in the United States. WPTS was awarded the Woodie Award in 2015. In 2018, WPTS placed 2nd in the College Broadcasters, Inc. National Student Production Award for “Best Station Imaging.” CBI would award WPTS the first place position for “Best Podcast” in 2020 for the station’s “Impeachment Podcast,” based on the 2019 impeachment proceedings of President Donald J. Trump.

Promotions

WPTS-FM has conducted a variety of promotions. The "Moustache Challenge" was a group collaborative effort created by a number of WPTS-FM station staff in 2006 with the idea to see who might grow the most impressive moustache over the month of November. The idea is based on

Jay Della Valle Jay Della Valle (born August 19, 1979) best known for his documentary '' The Glorious Mustache Challenge'', and for his role as Sue in the Independent Feature Film, " Mount Joy"- is an American filmmaker, recording artist, singer and songwriter. ...

The Glorious Mustache Challenge ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

and the competition was open to anyone at the

. The promotion won the 2007 College Broadcasters, Inc. National Student Production Award for "Best Station Promotion". This contest followed the 2005 "

Egg Hunt An egg hunt is an Eastertide game during which decorated eggs or Easter eggs are hidden for children to find. Real hard-boiled eggs, which are typically dyed or painted, artificial eggs made of plastic filled with chocolate or candies, or foil- ...

" contest, which won the 2006 College Broadcasters, Inc. National Student Production Award for "Best Station Promotion". As part of its promotional efforts, WPTS-FM typically hosts a national touring band in both the fall and spring. Past bands that have played at WPTS-FM include

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

Matt & Kim Matt and Kim (sometimes stylized MATT and KIM) are an American indie electronic duo from Brooklyn, New York City. The group formed in 2004 and consist of Matt Johnson (vocals/keyboards) and Kim Schifino (drums). The duo is known for its upbeat d ...

Mates of State Mates of State are an American indie pop duo, active since 1997. The group is the husband-and-wife team of Kori Gardner (born June 16, 1974) (vocals, organ, synthesizer, piano, electric piano, and occasional guitar and drums) and Jason Hammel ...

Man Man Man Man is an American experimental rock band from Philadelphia currently based in Los Angeles. Their multi-instrumental style is centered on the piano playing of lead singer, songwriter, and lyricist Honus (Ryan Kattner). Honus is accompanied ...

Cloud Nothings Cloud Nothings is an American indie rock band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States, founded by singer-songwriter Dylan Baldi. It currently consists of lead singer and guitarist Dylan Baldi, drummer Jayson Gerycz, bassist Noah Depew, and guitarist ...

No Age No Age is an American noise rock duo consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Allen Spunt. The band is based in Los Angeles, California, and was signed to Sub Pop records from 2008 to 2013. No Age's fourth studio album, '' ...

, Of Montreal,

Jens Lekman Jens Martin Lekman (; born 6 February 1981) is a Swedish musician. His music is guitar-based pop with heavy use of samples and strings, with lyrics that are often witty, romantic, and melancholic. His work is heavily influenced by Jonathan Ri ...

, Girl Talk, Why?,

Real Estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

, Woods,

Waxahatchee Waxahatchee is an American indie music project, formed in 2010 by American singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield (born 4 January 1989), previously a member of P.S. Eliot. The band is named after Waxahatchee Creek, in Alabama, where Crutchfield g ...

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (SSLYBY) is an American indie pop band from Springfield, Missouri. They are named after Boris Yeltsin, the first President of Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Their first full-length album, ''Br ...

, and many others.

References

External links

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Playlists for The Eighties At SevenPlaylists for Almost the Weekend with The Reverend
* {{coord, 40.4442, N, 79.9531, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title PTS-FM PTS-FM University of Pittsburgh