WECS (90.1 FM) is a college radio station based in Windham,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, on the campus of

Eastern Connecticut State University Eastern Connecticut State University (Eastern, Eastern Connecticut, Eastern Connecticut State, or ECSU) is a public university in Willimantic, Connecticut. Founded in 1889, it is the second-oldest campus in the Connecticut State University Syste ...

. The station broadcasts on 90.1 MHz with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 430 watts at a height above average terrain (HAAT) of 116 meters. WECS began in the 1970s as a turntable mounted in a 3x4' square of plywood which sat atop a work sink in a janitor's closet in an old dormitory. This was not a licensed station. It ran at approximately 10 watts and was a pirate broadcaster. At the time, Eastern Connecticut State University was not yet accredited as a university. In the late 1970s, a movement was afoot to get a legitimate radio station for the communications department. This was orchestrated by former WCBS announcer Prof. John Zatowski. By 1982, test broadcasts had begun, and by 1984, WECS-FM was on air. In the succeeding decades, a number of long-time DJs have come and gone: Joe Standby, Bash, Robbo Retro, Alf ("The Alternative Xperience"), Mark E. Ramone, Beechnut, James 'DJ Ras J' McGurk, Gabriel Silverman and others. Marko, Hack, and Jeffrey Nash remain. Despite the stations relatively minor stature, a good number of its staff have moved on to work in the media industry. At present, WECS is a

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

affiliate and John Zatowski the general manager. In July 2008, WECS moved into its new air studio.

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20170609172838/http://www.wecsfm.com/schedule/ * Eastern Connecticut State University Willimantic, Connecticut ECS Windham County, Connecticut ECS NPR member stations Radio stations established in 1982 1982 establishments in Connecticut {{Connecticut-radio-station-stub

See also

External links