WGHR - Programming

Programming

Not much is known about what the station sounded like back in the AM days. When it went to FM, the first song played was Barry Manilow's "Looks Like We Made It", and it continued playing top 40. It gradually went to a "college rock" format during the 1980s, and diversified during the early 1990s, which it has continued since.

Early on, empty time slots were filled by going off the air, because the FCC at the time required a licensed human attendant at all times. When this requirement was later dropped, the station purchased a multi-cassette tape player, like might be used in a department store. It had four replaceable decks which alternated playing one after the other, and had no controls except for eject buttons. Because it already received so much wear and tear, the station still went off the air during the prolonged breaks between academic quarters. During the 1980s, the station would remain on air during morning/afternoon academic hours, going off air in the evening and weekends unless DJs were willing to volunteer. The station at the time was not a high priority among student activities and volunteer participation was often sparse.

This changed when the 1996 Summer Olympics came to town. After a DJ went to Canada and heard CBC Radio running the World Radio Network overnight instead of going off-air, the amateur radio club helped revive the satellite dish atop the building. The station then started broadcasting international news from WRN at night, on weekends, and during breaks. A simple broadcast automation system SPSU students put together now runs the station 24/7 when nobody is there.