WTHS: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
mNo edit summary |
||
| Line 27: | Line 27: | ||
===WTAS-AM 610=== |
===WTAS-AM 610=== |
||
Regular programming began in 1957. [[WTAS]] originally meant "We're The Arkie Station," paying homage to the the Arcadian Fraternitity, to which Brockmeier and Hellriegel belonged. The next year the staff reconsidered it's campus-wide influence and officially became "The ANCHOR STATION, re-named for the Anchor, Hope's symbol and a reference to the Trinity. They initially operated the station from their rooms, transmitting a signal through the wiring of the then-new Kollen Hall residence hall. As reported in the April 26, 1957, issue of the student newspaper, the "Anchor," they had "realized the need of a new radio station to solve a problem which had arisen at the dorm. Due to modern construction methods of using reinforced steel and concrete, almost all outside signals are cut off from the radios. For over 25 years, the station operated from studios in the basement at the southwest corner of Kollen Hall. In 1981, [[WTAS]] began simulcasting at [[103.3 FM]] on a radio service then offered by local Continental Cablevision of Holland. This "[[FM cable]]" carried a number of Chicago and West Michigan [[FM]] stations. It was offered to cable television subscribers throughout the [[Holland]] and [[Zeeland]] communities, including some on-campus rooms. |
Regular programming began in 1957. [[WTAS]] originally meant "We're The Arkie Station," paying homage to the the Arcadian Fraternitity, to which Brockmeier and Hellriegel belonged. The next year the staff reconsidered it's campus-wide influence and officially became "The ANCHOR STATION, re-named for the Anchor, Hope's symbol and a reference to the Trinity. They initially operated the station from their rooms, transmitting a signal through the wiring of the then-new Kollen Hall residence hall. As reported in the April 26, 1957, issue of the student newspaper, the "Anchor," they had "realized the need of a new radio station to solve a problem which had arisen at the dorm. Due to modern construction methods of using reinforced steel and concrete, almost all outside signals are cut off from the radios. For over 25 years, the station operated from studios in the basement at the southwest corner of Kollen Hall. In 1981, [[WTAS]] began simulcasting at [[103.3 FM]] on a radio service then offered by local Continental Cablevision of Holland. This "[[FM cable]]" carried a number of Chicago and West Michigan [[FM]] stations. It was offered to cable television subscribers throughout the [[Holland]] and [[Zeeland]] communities, including some on-campus rooms. [[WTAS]] was the only station carried in mono. |
||
===WTHS-FM 89.9=== |
===WTHS-FM 89.9=== |
||
A student project |
A student project to replace the aging AM station was started in the fall of 1979 by freshman Richard Kennedy. Tentative approval to move forward on the project was passed by the Hope College Student Congress on November 24, 1980. Under the advice of WZZM-TV 13 Chief Engineer Dale Wolters in Grand Rapids (his father, Dr. Edward J. Wolters, taught Classics at Hope College for 40 years, retiring in 1966), E. Harold Munn and Associates of Coldwater, Michigan was retained to do an feasibility engineering study. The application to the Federal Communications Commission was tied up when a newly-founded Zeeland-based church attempted to secure the license for 89.9, thus delaying the actual official sign-on date until Friday, September 27, 1985. The call signs [[WLQX]] ("The Lakeshore's Alternative") and [[WMCH]] ("West Michigan's Alternative") we're proposed, but later it was decided to apply for [[WTHS]], as it was closer to the original [[WTAS]] call letters. [[WTAS-FM]] belonged to a station in Crete (Chicago), Illinois at that time. [[WTHS-FM 89.9]] ("We're The Hope Station") was licensed to operate with 1,000 watts (directional). New studios in the DeWitt Center were built adjacent to the theatre, designed by then WTAS General Manager Kennedy and Program Director Christopher Stagg. |
||
| ⚫ | |||
In 2006, the station moved to the newly built Martha Miller Center for Global Communication. The 199 foot tower (153 feet above average terrain) and transmitter remain at the DeWitt Center. A celebratory open house was held [[January 24]], 2007, dedicating the new studios and celebrating 50 years of broadcasting. |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
== Sources == |
== Sources == |
||
Revision as of 12:14, 24 November 2009
 | |
| Frequency | 89.9 MHz |
|---|---|
| Branding | Eighty Nine Nine |
| Programming | |
| Format | College |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Hope College |
| History | |
First air date | 1956 |
Former call signs | WTAS (unofficially 1956-12/14/84) |
Call sign meaning | We're The Hope College Station |
| Technical information | |
| Class | A |
| Power | 1,000 watts |
| Links | |
| Website | http://wths.hope.edu/ |
WTHS-FM 89.9 is a student operated radio station licensed to Hope College in Holland, Michigan.
History
Carrier Current
The station began as WTAS in 1956, when Hope student Richard Brockmeier, and his room mate Jack Hellriegel, transmitted a signal from their room through the wiring of the then-new Kollen Hall residence hall on the Hope College campus. Brockmeier joined Hope's faculty in 1966, teaching computer science and physics until his death in 1993.
WTAS-AM 610
Regular programming began in 1957. WTAS originally meant "We're The Arkie Station," paying homage to the the Arcadian Fraternitity, to which Brockmeier and Hellriegel belonged. The next year the staff reconsidered it's campus-wide influence and officially became "The ANCHOR STATION, re-named for the Anchor, Hope's symbol and a reference to the Trinity. They initially operated the station from their rooms, transmitting a signal through the wiring of the then-new Kollen Hall residence hall. As reported in the April 26, 1957, issue of the student newspaper, the "Anchor," they had "realized the need of a new radio station to solve a problem which had arisen at the dorm. Due to modern construction methods of using reinforced steel and concrete, almost all outside signals are cut off from the radios. For over 25 years, the station operated from studios in the basement at the southwest corner of Kollen Hall. In 1981, WTAS began simulcasting at 103.3 FM on a radio service then offered by local Continental Cablevision of Holland. This "FM cable" carried a number of Chicago and West Michigan FM stations. It was offered to cable television subscribers throughout the Holland and Zeeland communities, including some on-campus rooms. WTAS was the only station carried in mono.
WTHS-FM 89.9
A student project to replace the aging AM station was started in the fall of 1979 by freshman Richard Kennedy. Tentative approval to move forward on the project was passed by the Hope College Student Congress on November 24, 1980. Under the advice of WZZM-TV 13 Chief Engineer Dale Wolters in Grand Rapids (his father, Dr. Edward J. Wolters, taught Classics at Hope College for 40 years, retiring in 1966), E. Harold Munn and Associates of Coldwater, Michigan was retained to do an feasibility engineering study. The application to the Federal Communications Commission was tied up when a newly-founded Zeeland-based church attempted to secure the license for 89.9, thus delaying the actual official sign-on date until Friday, September 27, 1985. The call signs WLQX ("The Lakeshore's Alternative") and WMCH ("West Michigan's Alternative") we're proposed, but later it was decided to apply for WTHS, as it was closer to the original WTAS call letters. WTAS-FM belonged to a station in Crete (Chicago), Illinois at that time. WTHS-FM 89.9 ("We're The Hope Station") was licensed to operate with 1,000 watts (directional). New studios in the DeWitt Center were built adjacent to the theatre, designed by then WTAS General Manager Kennedy and Program Director Christopher Stagg.
WTHS continues to thrive as a modern/alternative rock station, operating 24 hours, 365 days a year, in analog/stereo.