WTSR
Encyclopedia
WTSR is a non-commercial radio station
broadcasting from The College of New Jersey
(formerly Trenton State College), servicing Mercer County and Bucks County, Pennsylvania as well as broadcasting over the internet.
WTSR can stake claim to the first all ska music radio program in the World as far back as 1982 with host DJ Randy "Now" Ellis. The show was entitled "One Step Beyond" and aired Wednesday evenings. The show started as a one hour program but expanded to two hours weekly, and towards the end of the programs run around 1992 the show went back to a 60 minuite program. Every major ska artist from the Jamaican Ska bands from the 1960's thru the British "Two Tone" Invasion artists and into the "Third Wave" of ska of the 90's all were interviewed live via phone conversations. The show featured ticket give aways to the numerous ska artists and live concerts performing at City Gardens Night Club in Trenton, NJ which "Now" was also the promoter for the live events. By the late 1980's, it can be said without a doubt every college radio station in The United States had at least one ska radio program on the air. The ska music morphed into more of a punk fueled genre labeled "ska-core" and then this new genre was accepted into the musical main stream, which was the main reason for Randy "Now" Ellis to end his "One Step Beyond" all ska radio show. The show's theme song was "One Step Beyond" as performed by Prince Buster from the 1960's.
, and specialty programming. Its official music format is "new alternative variety". Between 8:00AM and 6:00PM the station features its "Dayside" programming, which is designed to help promote up-and-coming artists as well as provide a home to bands not often heard on commercial radio. The introduction of the "Dayside" format in 1996 helped bring the station notoriety amongst the college radio community and establish it as one of the more influential stations in the college radio ranks.
Between 6:00PM and 3:00AM the station offers a variety of specialty programming that consists of shows featuring folk/world, synth-pop, modern rock, metal, reggae, oldies, gospel, and many more.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting from The College of New Jersey
The College of New Jersey
The College of New Jersey, abbreviated TCNJ, is a public, coeducational university located in Ewing Township, New Jersey, a suburb of Trenton....
(formerly Trenton State College), servicing Mercer County and Bucks County, Pennsylvania as well as broadcasting over the internet.
History
WTSR first went on the air in September 1966. Originally broadcasting on 89.7 FM at a power of 10 watts, the frequency was changed to 91.3 in 1972 when the station was granted an increase in power by the FCC to broadcast at 1500 watts. During the mid 1980s the station was part of the WWDE or 2WD Family until another split helped move it to its current place. This upgrade in power has provided the station with a 30 mile broadcast radius and the capability to reach a potential audience of 750,000-800,000 listeners. WTSR moved into brand new facilities inside Kendall Hall at the beginning of the 1993-94 academic year, which were made possible by the efforts of former faculty adviser Dr. David Rogosky. In late February 2007 the station began broadcasting over the internet.WTSR can stake claim to the first all ska music radio program in the World as far back as 1982 with host DJ Randy "Now" Ellis. The show was entitled "One Step Beyond" and aired Wednesday evenings. The show started as a one hour program but expanded to two hours weekly, and towards the end of the programs run around 1992 the show went back to a 60 minuite program. Every major ska artist from the Jamaican Ska bands from the 1960's thru the British "Two Tone" Invasion artists and into the "Third Wave" of ska of the 90's all were interviewed live via phone conversations. The show featured ticket give aways to the numerous ska artists and live concerts performing at City Gardens Night Club in Trenton, NJ which "Now" was also the promoter for the live events. By the late 1980's, it can be said without a doubt every college radio station in The United States had at least one ska radio program on the air. The ska music morphed into more of a punk fueled genre labeled "ska-core" and then this new genre was accepted into the musical main stream, which was the main reason for Randy "Now" Ellis to end his "One Step Beyond" all ska radio show. The show's theme song was "One Step Beyond" as performed by Prince Buster from the 1960's.
Programming
The station features a mix of indie music, rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, and specialty programming. Its official music format is "new alternative variety". Between 8:00AM and 6:00PM the station features its "Dayside" programming, which is designed to help promote up-and-coming artists as well as provide a home to bands not often heard on commercial radio. The introduction of the "Dayside" format in 1996 helped bring the station notoriety amongst the college radio community and establish it as one of the more influential stations in the college radio ranks.
Between 6:00PM and 3:00AM the station offers a variety of specialty programming that consists of shows featuring folk/world, synth-pop, modern rock, metal, reggae, oldies, gospel, and many more.