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WRFL, Lexington (Radio Free Lexington) is a 7900-watt
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 that broadcasts live, 24 hours a day, from the
University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...
campus in
Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...
. The station has broadcast at 88.1 MHz on the FM radio band since 1988 and prior to COVID-19, without automation. WRFL is operated at all times by volunteer deejays, consisting largely of University of Kentucky students and also of some Lexington community members. A large portion of its programming is left up to the deejays, who plan their own shows in either a general or genre-specific format. Music played on WRFL is strictly "
alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (Kamen Rider), Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * Alternative comics, or independent comics are an altern ...
," here defined as material which cannot be heard on other radio stations or through traditional, commercial outlets. This requirement is not only part of the station's culture and character, but is also mandated by the station's educational
U.S. 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 ju ...
license. WRFL also has a commitment to public affairs and the community, featuring student-produced news programs, student-produced sports programs, and broadcasting the syndicated progressive news program ''
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 ...
'' five days a week. The station has a strong connection with the Lexington music scene and highlights underground and local artists weekly through its live music program, WRFL-Live, as well as on many of the stations other shows. The
Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The ...
listed WRFL in the top 2% of college radio stations in the nation. Current slogans of the station include "All the way to the left," and "The only alternative left."


History

Broadcasting began in 1988 using a 250-watt tower. In 2007, the FCC approved the station for an upgrade to 7,900 watts, which increased its terrestrial broadcast considerably. To finance the cost of a new tower and transmitter, various managerial administrations campaigned under the title, "Build the Tower, Boost the Power". In May 2010, the old 250-watt tower was dismantled and the new 7900-watt tower was installed in its current place atop the Patterson Office Tower on June 1, 2010. The station has ties to the
noise music Noise music is a genre of music that is characterised by the expressive use of noise. This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical sound. Noise music include ...
community as several of its current and former DJs are members of bands such as Hair Police and
Wolf Eyes __NOTOC__ Wolf Eyes is an American experimental music group from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1996 by Nate Young. Currently a duo, Wolf Eyes are a prominent act within contemporary noise music. They have collaborated with a variety of artists fro ...
. The station is thanked in the liner notes of recent Apples in Stereo albums, and has ties to the Elephant Six Collective. An extensive
oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information from people, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people who pa ...
of WRFL has been catalogued and is publicly available via the University of Kentucky's Oral History Library. WRFL has used many slogans throughout its history, many of which allude to its broadcast frequency on the leftmost portion of the dial and its unofficial social and political tendencies. Examples include: * Revolutions don't happen between commercial breaks * All the way to the left * The only alternative left


See also

* Boomslang (music festival) *
Campus 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 ...
*
List of college radio stations in the United States Following are radio stations in the United States of America affiliated with colleges and universities that are regarded as college (student-run) stations. The listings include links to Wikipedia pages on the stations, their parent institution ...


References


External links

* {{Kentucky college radio 1988 establishments in Kentucky Freeform radio stations RFL University of Kentucky