WRCT (88.3 FM) is a non-commercial freeform

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting 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 rad ...

based in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. The volunteer-run station has a studio in the basement of

Carnegie Mellon Carnegie may refer to: People *Carnegie (surname), including a list of people with the name **Andrew Carnegie, Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist * Clan Carnegie, a lowland Scottish clan Institutions Named for Andrew Carnegie * ...

's University Center. WRCT broadcasts throughout the city with an ERP of 1.75 kW, from atop Warner Hall. WRCT Radio, Inc. holds the station's license.

History

WRCT or Radio Carnegie Tech started as an experimental radio station at

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

(now

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

) in 1949 by engineering students. The students used electrical wiring to broadcast a weak AM signal to a few academic buildings for several hours each day. In 1950, WRCT became an official student organization and covered half the buildings on campus.McCoy, Adrian.
WYEP, WRCT plan anniversary specials
" Post-Gazette.com. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10 Apr. 2009. Web. 2 Feb. 2012. WRCT started as a

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 radio station on 900 kHz, but moved to 88.3 FM on March 1,

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

, with a power of 10 watts. This extended its signal across campus and to nearby areas. In the late 1980s, the power increased to 100 watts. In 1994, WRCT received permission to increase power to 1,750 watts in the north, south, and west and 680 watts in the east, allowing it to be heard up to fifteen miles away. The station also streams audio on the Internet through the station's website.Cullen, Rob.
The Eclectic and Eccentric WRCT FM
." Pittsburgh News for Tech, Arts, Hiring – Pop City. 12 November 2008. Accessed 3 February 2012. via Wayback Machine Volunteers from the Carnegie Mellon campus and the community run the station, serving as disc jockeys, producers, engineers, and support staff.

Programming

WRCT's mission is to present its listening audience with freeform, original programming not found on the other radio stations in Pittsburgh.

Music

The on-air DJs select the station's varied musical programming. WRCT's record library includes almost 70,000 records and CDs. Musical genres commonly in rotation include

alternative country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

, electronic,

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

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. Hip- ...

, heavy metal,

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

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 ...

musical theater Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, moveme ...

, and

world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

. Programmers also play locally produced music, including creative beats, conscious lyrics, and new artists.

Public affairs

WRCT's public affairs programming emphasizes news and issues from the Pittsburgh community. The station's original programming includes: *''Barrio Latino: The Latin American Radio Hour –'' the latest news from

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

and the Pittsburgh

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

community *''Brazilian Radio Hour'' or ''Cantinho Brasileiro no Radio –'' Brazilian music and news broadcast in English and Portuguese *''History for the Future –'' interviews with academics and journalists to explore the history behind contemporary social issues *''

Rustbelt Radio Rustbelt Radio is the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly radio program which introduces itself as "news from the grassroots, news overlooked by the corporate media". Production Rustbelt Radio is produced by a volunteer collective wo ...

–'' the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly round-up of grassroots news *'' The Saturday Light Brigade –'' one of the longest-running

public radio Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...

shows in the country

Pacifica radio

WRCT is Pittsburgh's Pacifica Radio Network affiliate station, airing the following public affairs programs: *''

Democracy Now! ''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long TV, radio, and Internet news program based in Manhattan and hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live ...

'' *''Feature Story News'' *'' Law and Disorder''

Awards

''Brazilian Radio Hour'' won the 2013 Brazilian International Press Award. In 2023, WRCT was recognized in the Greater Pittsburgh Community Media Awards for Community Radio.

Notable people

Electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

artist, DJ, and record producer Yaeji was a member of WRCT and debuted some of her first sets on the station while studying at Carnegie Mellon.

References

{{Authority control RCT Freeform radio stations RCT Carnegie Mellon University Radio stations established in 1949 Community radio stations in the United States 1949 establishments in Pennsylvania