WPSA (New York)
| |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 98.3 MHz |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Paul Smith's College of Arts and Sciences |
| History | |
First air date | January 12, 1973 |
Last air date | 2011 |
Former frequencies | 89.1 MHz |
Call sign meaning | From "Paul Smith's College of Arts and Sciences" |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 51928 |
| Class | D |
| ERP | 10 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 44°26′6″N 74°15′5″W / 44.43500°N 74.25139°W |
WPSA was the student-run radio station at Paul Smith's College in Paul Smiths, New York. The station operated from 1973 to 2011.
History
[edit]On February 22, 1972, Paul Smiths applied for a construction permit to build a 10-watt non-commercial educational FM station on 89.1 MHz at the college, which was granted by the Federal Communications Commission on June 27.[1] WPSA signed on for the first time on January 12, 1973;[2] the station initially operated from the basement of Cooler Dorm, a campus dormitory that was a former meat market.[3] By 1980, the station's operations had relocated to the student council room in Rec Hall.[4] The early 1980s saw the station almost be shut down because of prior mismanagement, resulting in new managers and the radio club instituting a more professional station environment.[5] In 1982, the radio station was described as "the most active club on campus", broadcasting 18 hours a day, seven days a week.[6] For 1986, the station moved again to the Buxton Annex; it now only broadcast on weekdays for two hours in the morning and then from 2 p.m. to midnight, plus 14 hours a day on weekends.[7]
The station was approved to move to 98.3 MHz in 1991.[8] WPSA's license was cancelled and its call letters deleted in 1999 for failure to file a late renewal; the college filed a petition for reconsideration from the FCC, which was granted in 2001.[9] The station was later assessed a $7,000 fine, reduced to $250 per its Class D station status, for the failure to file the renewal.[10] WPSA ceased broadcasting at the end of the fall 2011 semester and surrendered the license to the FCC for cancellation that December.[10] Reasons for the cessation of operations included a lack of interest from students[10] and a potential FCC fine for failure to broadcast the minimum number of hours stipulated by its license.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ FCC History Cards for WPSA
- ^ "WPSA". St. Regian. 1973. p. 200. Retrieved September 26, 2019. (1972 is a misprint)
- ^ "WPSA On The Air". Alumni News. March 1973. p. 3. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ Lawson, F. Scott (May 26, 1980). "WPSA: Past, Present, and Future". Post Script. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ "Radio: New Wave Hits P.S.C." Post Script. March 26, 1981. p. 7. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ "WPSA". Post Script. September 17, 1982. p. 4. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ Herzog, Walter (March 1, 1986). "WPSA". Post Script. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 4, 1991. p. 50. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ Fybush, Scott (December 24, 2001). "North East RadioWatch: December 24, 2001". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ a b c Waits, Jennifer (January 26, 2012). "Paul Smith's College Radio Station WPSA Turns License Back to FCC". RadioSurvivor. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ "Students Move to Revive PSC Radio, Online". The Apollos. October 1, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2019.