Mission Statement "Providence student and community radio that serves the curious listener"
Goals
1) to teach people interested in producing radio how to do so
2) to further interactions between Brown students and the greater Providence community
3) to cultivate a thoughtful and dedicated listenership
Values
Localism - We love our city and state!
Education - Spread knowledge and ideas!
Diversity - Different is great!
Entertainment - Have fun and a sense of humor!
Public Participation - Get into it! Get involved!
History of BSR, WBRU, and The Brown Network "The Brown Network" began in 1936 as the first student-run radio station in the country. It was a carrier-current AM station broadcasting to Brown dorms. Eventually the station's name was changed to "WBRU-AM." In 1966, some of the station's members secured a loan from the University and founded the radio station WBRU-FM (95.5), while others continued the student-oriented AM tradition. WBRU-FM became a commercial corporation, financially and legally separate from Brown University, while WBRU-AM continued to operate for the Brown community and surrounding areas in the college radio tradition. The AM signal in time became virtually inaudible. During the mid-1990s, a few students worked to find a new, more audible outlet for those still broadcasting in the older, experimental, student tradition. In 1997, WBRU-AM became "Brown Student Radio" (BSR) and started broadcasting on WELH-FM (88.1). BSR is still broadcasting on WELH, but we have been searching for a license to call our own. We applied for a low-power FM license in 2000, and have been working on the application, as well as exploring other options, ever since. There is more info on our license situation below. The name "WBSR" has been used as a nickname on occasion, but the FCC prohibits us from using that name until we have been granted a license with those call letters.
License Information
BSR currently broadcasts on 88.1FM, WELH in Providence, RI. The signal is 150 watts at 100 ft AAT, and is owned by the Wheeler School in Providence. The tower itself lives in Seekonk, MA. BSR is on the air from 7PM-5AM, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We share the WELH airwaves with Spanish-language programming in the mornings (Exitos 88.1), the Wheeler School's jazz and soul music programming in the afternoons, and New England Tech's broadcasting school's programming on Sunday mornings. This all makes for a very different listening experience depending on when you turn your radio on.
BSR has been looking for a new home on the radio dial almost since it began broadcasting. We applied for a Low-Power FM (LPFM) license on 96.5FM in Providence in 2000 along with many other applicants. We are still working through that process. To read more about LPFM and why it's important for radio, check out the Prometheus Radio Project. We are also always exploring other possibilities for having our own 24-hour a day license.
