WMTS-FM (88.3 FM) is a student-run

college radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student 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 created or produced ...

station licensed to

Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropo ...

. The station is currently owned by

Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as well as a college of Postgr ...

(MTSU). It is the fourth attempt by students at MTSU to organize a student-run radio station. A student group, led by Reza Baktar, worked to achieve enough interest and authorization from the Student Government Association. WMTS went on-air in March 1992 on

cable TV Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

Channel 38, the Housing and Residential Life Channel, from 8 PM to midnight. The station's name was initially WNAR, for We Need a Radio or We Need a Reza. In the fall of 1992, the signal was moved to MTSU Channel 8 on the local cable system. WMTS worked to obtain

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 jurisd ...

(FCC) approval for an FM license and construction permit during this time. With the donation of tower space and a transmitter from

WMOT WMOT is a public radio station serving the metropolitan Nashville, Tennessee market. Licensed to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, it is owned by the Middle Tennessee State University, located in nearby Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and it broadcasts an ...

, WMTS hit the FM band on 88.3 MHz in the summer of 1995. The WNAR call sign was changed to WMTS that fall. 810 WMTS (now WAPB) in Murfreesboro donated the call letters. In August 1995, WMTS began normal operation at 200 watts and broadcast in

monaural Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction (often shortened to mono) is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or ''stereo'', which uses two separate audio channels to reproduc ...

. During the 1996 Christmas break, WMTS went into

stereo Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...

with processing which increased potential signal coverage and enabled it to sound like other FM stations in the area. It also began constantly broadcasting with a mix of automation and live personalities. WMTS now broadcasts with 680 watts. WMTS is now also broadcast on WMOT's HD3 sub-channel.

Founders

* Reza Baktar * James Dibble * Doug Jones

References

External links

88.3 WMTS
{{Nashville Radio MTS-FM MTS-FM Radio stations established in 1995 Middle Tennessee State University