WKAR Radio Broadcasting records

Record Group

Identifier: UA-3.3.5.3

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The records of WKAR Radio Broadcasting include production logs (1945-1946), radio scripts (1942-1952, undated), radio scrapbook poems (1948-1953), Special Courses by Radio schedules, Radio School of Biology materials, reports, news releases, audience surveys, and brochures. There is also a cassette of the seminar “Adventures in World Understanding” in which foreign students discuss their perceptions of international relationships. This collection also includes photographs. The bulk of the collection consists of audio recordings of programming that aired on WKAR from the 1930s to the early 2000s.

Dates

Creation: 1926 - 2009

Creator

Michigan State University. Broadcasting Services (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

Historical Note

Radio broadcasting began as an experiment by students in 1922. Using the call sign 8YG, they aired weather and market reports. The first college sponsored broadcast was president David Friday's "Founder's Day" speech on May 13, 1922. The radio station was officially licensed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on August 18, 1922, and given the randomly assigned call letters WKAR. J. B. Hasselman, the college's director of publications, became the station's first director in 1923, with Forest I. Phippeny serving as technical director. In June 1947, WKAR was granted a permit by the Federal Communications Commission for a non-commercial FM radio station, broadcasting at 90.5 megahertz. WKAR-FM began broadcasting on October 4, 1948. It was the first FM radio station in Michigan, outside of Detroit.

WKAR is a National Public Radio member station. Its offices and studios are located in the Communication Arts and Sciences Building.