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WUSB (FM)
Encyclopedia
WUSB is the State University of New York at Stony Brook
's radio station
. A non-commercial station located in Stony Brook
, New York
broadcasting on 90.1 MHz on the FM dial, the station is staffed by more than 150 volunteers who devote their time and energy for the love of music and free-form radio. WUSB is a Freeform
radio station.
The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC). Its antenna is located on Bald Hill
in Farmingville
, New York, broadcasting at 3600 watts at 604 feet above sea level, covering most of Long Island (Nassau
and Suffolk
counties), parts of Southern Connecticut
, Westchester County and even some of the easternmost parts of Queens in New York City.
The station has been broadcasting on the FM band since June 27, 1977, and from its current location in Bald Hill since 1995. From 1977 to 1995, the station's transmitter and antenna were located on campus, atop the Graduate Chemistry building. Prior to 1977, the station broadcast only to the Stony Brook University campus via carrier current
on 820 kHz on the AM
band. Studios have remained in Stony Brook University's Student Union building. WUSB is partially listener-supported.
station, broadcasting only within the confines of the then-new Stony Brook campus on 820 kHz on the AM
band. The station was, at the time, an integral part of Stony Brook University's once lively concert scene, which brought such bands and acts as Simon and Garfunkel
, Thelonious Monk
, The Grateful Dead (in their first-ever East Coast concert appearance), Jimi Hendrix
, The Doors
, Jefferson Airplane
, Arlo Guthrie
, Joni Mitchell
, Janis Joplin
, the Allman Brothers Band, Pink Floyd
, Van Morrison
, The Who
, Jethro Tull
, Cat Stevens
, Hot Tuna
, Santana
, Stony Brook's own Blue Öyster Cult
, the Beach Boys, Frank Zappa
, Billy Joel
, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Jerry Garcia
and more. Many of these musicians paid a visit to the station as well. In its earliest days, the studios were located in a "hole in the ground" in the Pritchard Gymnasium, before relocating to another cramped space in the basement of one of the dormitories, James College. In 1975, the studios then moved to the Student Union, Room 240, where they remain to this day.
In 1965, SUNY
mandated that all of its campus radio stations across the state make the transition to FM
, as part of its master plan for the university system. Since it was up to each individual school to obtain a license on its own, WUSB began a long battle to get a spot on the increasingly crowded FM dial. Efforts to get the station on FM began in 1970, originally with an attempt to purchase a plot of land near campus to build a transmitter. SUNY regulations, however, prevented that from happening. Ultimately, construction began on a tower at the top of the Graduate Chemistry building, which, at the time, was the tallest building on the Stony Brook campus, and approval for the construction of the new station was received from the State University Board of Trustees in 1973.
However, WUSB's construction permit
was challenged by Adelphi University
, whose station, WBAU
, which at the time broadcast on the first-adjacent frequency, 90.3, out of Garden City
on Long Island (but which is no longer on the air), objected to the proposed station, citing potential interference to their signal. However, the FCC overruled WBAU's objections in 1976, and granted WUSB a license to begin broadcasting in 1977.
At the time, WUSB was Long Island's most powerful non-commercial
radio station, putting out 4000 watts of power, primarily covering central Suffolk County. The station signed on as an FM station for the first time on June 27, 1977, at 5:30 in the afternoon.
The station's first General Manager was Norm Prusslin, a University alumnus, employee, adjunct professor and advisor. He held this position continuously until his retirement in early 2006. He was later succeeded as General Manager by Isobel Breheny Schafer. Many of the station's original volunteers, including its Chief Engineer, Frank Burgert, were students in 1977. Many alumni of Stony Brook remain to this day as WUSB volunteers. Rich Koch was the station's first Program Director
when the station began broadcasting on the FM dial, and he also remains as an active WUSB staffer.
The initial location of WUSB's antenna provided excellent coverage to the campus and much of Long Island's North Shore
, but the high wattage of the station began to have adverse effects on experiments conducted in laboratories of the Chemistry building, as well as those in the nearby Physics building. In the mid-1980s, it was determined that, to eliminate interference, the antenna would either have to be moved or have its power drastically reduced. It was decided to move the antenna to a new off campus location.
After many potential locations were examined across Suffolk County, an agreement was reached with the owners of a new tower being constructed at Bald Hill in Farmingville
, one of the highest points on Long Island. WBLI
had already signed on as a tenant on the new tower, and WUSB leased space on the new tower as well. However, objections were raised again, with first-adjacent stations broadcasting on 89.9 and 90.3 FM on Long Island. WUSB ultimately was able to successfully overcome these objections, and since November, 1995, had broadcast from the top of the "Mile High" tower at Farmingville. The move also resulted in WUSB increasing its geographic coverage of Long Island (within its primary and secondary signal contours) by close to 100%, despite the fact that power was lowered to 3600 watts as part of the move. An unfortunate byproduct of the move was that reception on campus worsened, due to local topography and structures creating partial barriers between the University and Bald Hill.
During normal operations, WUSB's audio signal is sent from its studios to the transmitter site via a T1 line. However, the old antenna location, atop the Graduate Chemistry building, remains as an emergency alternative to the Farmingville transmitter site, as well as an emergency studio-transmitter link to the Farmingville tower.
In 2003, WUSB applied for two translators which (if approved by the FCC) will allow the station to rebroadcast its signal on other frequencies in the North Shore, improving signal strength in other areas such as the main campus where there are dead spots or interference from other stations. These applications are still pending.
WUSB has traditionally been funded by students through the Undergraduate Student Government
(formerly known as Polity). Since 1989, WUSB has held annual radiothons (originally once per year, now twice per year, in the fall and spring) to raise money from listeners to pay for the station's operating expenses. Much of the money raised goes to pay for the station's transmitter lease and fixed operating expenses.
In 2007, after a long period of planning and testing, WUSB launched "WUSB2," an online-only counterpart to the main WUSB signal. WUSB2 features programming from new student DJs along with a diverse rotation of new music from many genres. The WUSB2 service also carries regularly scheduled programming that has been pre-empted by special broadcasts on the main signal, such as Stony Brook Seawolves sports broadcasts.
and classical, to punk rock
, reggae
and world music, and many genres in between. Additionally, the station also aired a large variety of public affairs programs, ethnic programs, and programming of interest to students.
To this day, WUSB's programming remains consistently inconsistent! Many original volunteer staffers remain involved with WUSB, along with newer volunteers who range from undergraduate and graduate students, to alumni, university staff, and local community residents, as well as listeners who have become involved with the station.
Originally, the station broadcast from 7 a.m. (8 a.m. on the weekends) to 2:30 a.m. Over time, WUSB began to broadcast 24 hours per day, which it still does today with rare exceptions. Notable programming included The Early Morning Riser, hosted by General Manager Norm Prusslin, Turmoil, which became the longest-running punk rock radio program in the world before ending its run in 2004, Onda Nueva, featuring Salsa music
and public affairs programming geared to Long Island's Latino
community and which has been on the air since the late 1970s, and Saturday's a Party, which remains on the air to this day as the world's longest-running Reggae
music program on the radio.
Morning programming is usually dedicated to eclectic forms of music, ranging from contemporary to exotic to hiphop blues
. Jazz musician Sam Taylor hosted a live program (Sam Taylor's Blues) every Friday morning, until his death in 2009.
Midday and early afternoon programming features public affairs and political commentary. On weekday afternoons, between 2:30 to 5:00 p.m., WUSB has traditionally featured new music, ranging from punk to indie
to electronic music
to underground hip-hop. On weekday afternoons from 5 to 6 pm, WUSB rebroadcasts the nationally syndicated Democracy Now! (hosted by Amy Goodman
, of DCTV
).
Early evenings feature a variety of programming, ranging from "Seawolves Night Live" on Monday nights at 7 p.m., Emmanuel Goldstein's Off the Wall on Tuesdays, to programming featuring campus and student issues, the local music scene, folk music
, and more. Late evenings are almost exclusively dedicated to music, featuring such genres as rockabilly
, new wave
, global music, soul
, reggae, hip-hop
, industrial
, noise
, blues, Bluegrass
, classic rock
and more. On Friday nights, Destinies-The Voice of Science Fiction airs; the longest-running (since 1983), and possibly only science fiction radio program on college radio. The music continues into the overnight hours, where a mixture of first-time DJ's and long-time volunteers air a variety of genres, including some material which is only legally permitted by the FCC to be aired between the safe harbor
hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m..
Weekend programming features a lot of ethnic fare, including Onda Nueva, Polka
, and programming in Italian
, Korean
and Chinese
, as well as jazz, country music
, a cappella
, children's music, Celtic
and folk music, electronic music, political talk, and The Sports Section, Long Island's longest-running live sports call-in show.
WUSB also airs many Stony Brook University events, ceremonies and lectures, including numerous broadcasts of Stony Brook's NCAA
Division I WUSB SPORTS BLOG teams, the Stony Brook Seawolves
, as well as the university's winter and spring commencement ceremonies. Numerous public service announcements are also regularly aired.
WUSB is a member of many organizations, including the National Association of Broadcasters
, the Press Club of Long Island, and the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System
(IBS). For the past several years, WUSB has served as the host station for IBS's national conference, held in New York City each March.
State University of New York at Stony Brook
The State University of New York at Stony Brook, also known as Stony Brook University, is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, about east of Manhattan....
's radio station
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...
. A non-commercial station located in Stony Brook
Stony Brook, New York
Stony Brook is a hamlet located in the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, which is on the North Shore of Long Island...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
broadcasting on 90.1 MHz on the FM dial, the station is staffed by more than 150 volunteers who devote their time and energy for the love of music and free-form radio. WUSB is a Freeform
Freeform (radio format)
Freeform, or freeform radio, is a radio station programming format in which the disc jockey is given total control over what music to play, regardless of music genre or commercial interests. Freeform radio stands in contrast to most commercial radio stations, in which DJs have little or no...
radio station.
The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC). Its antenna is located on Bald Hill
Bald Hill (Farmingville, New York)
Bald Hill, located in the hamlet of Farmingville, New York, part of the Town of Brookhaven, is one of the highest areas of elevation on Long Island. The highest elevation in the Bald Hill area is . Though local residents often claim it to be the highest point on Long Island, that honor actually...
in Farmingville
Farmingville, New York
Farmingville is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 16,458 at the 2000 census.Farmingville is in the Town of Brookhaven...
, New York, broadcasting at 3600 watts at 604 feet above sea level, covering most of Long Island (Nassau
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
and Suffolk
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
counties), parts of Southern Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Westchester County and even some of the easternmost parts of Queens in New York City.
The station has been broadcasting on the FM band since June 27, 1977, and from its current location in Bald Hill since 1995. From 1977 to 1995, the station's transmitter and antenna were located on campus, atop the Graduate Chemistry building. Prior to 1977, the station broadcast only to the Stony Brook University campus via carrier current
Carrier current
Carrier current is a method of low power AM radio transmission that uses the AC electrical system of a building to propagate a medium frequency, AM signal to a relatively small area, such as a building or a group of buildings...
on 820 kHz on the AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
band. Studios have remained in Stony Brook University's Student Union building. WUSB is partially listener-supported.
History
The station began in 1962 as a carrier currentCarrier current
Carrier current is a method of low power AM radio transmission that uses the AC electrical system of a building to propagate a medium frequency, AM signal to a relatively small area, such as a building or a group of buildings...
station, broadcasting only within the confines of the then-new Stony Brook campus on 820 kHz on the AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
band. The station was, at the time, an integral part of Stony Brook University's once lively concert scene, which brought such bands and acts as Simon and Garfunkel
Simon and Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
, Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
, The Grateful Dead (in their first-ever East Coast concert appearance), Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
, Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
, Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
, Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
, the Allman Brothers Band, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
, Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
, Hot Tuna
Hot Tuna
Hot Tuna is an American blues-rock band formed by bassist Jack Casady and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen as a spin-off of Jefferson Airplane. It plays acoustic and electric versions of original and traditional blues songs.- Jefferson Airplane side project :...
, Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
, Stony Brook's own Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
, the Beach Boys, Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
, Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
and more. Many of these musicians paid a visit to the station as well. In its earliest days, the studios were located in a "hole in the ground" in the Pritchard Gymnasium, before relocating to another cramped space in the basement of one of the dormitories, James College. In 1975, the studios then moved to the Student Union, Room 240, where they remain to this day.
In 1965, SUNY
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
mandated that all of its campus radio stations across the state make the transition to FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
, as part of its master plan for the university system. Since it was up to each individual school to obtain a license on its own, WUSB began a long battle to get a spot on the increasingly crowded FM dial. Efforts to get the station on FM began in 1970, originally with an attempt to purchase a plot of land near campus to build a transmitter. SUNY regulations, however, prevented that from happening. Ultimately, construction began on a tower at the top of the Graduate Chemistry building, which, at the time, was the tallest building on the Stony Brook campus, and approval for the construction of the new station was received from the State University Board of Trustees in 1973.
However, WUSB's construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
was challenged by Adelphi University
Adelphi University
Adelphi University is a private, nonsectarian university located in Garden City, in Nassau County, New York, United States. It is the oldest institution of higher education on Long Island. For the sixth year, Adelphi University has been named a “Best Buy” in higher education by the Fiske Guide to...
, whose station, WBAU
WBAU
WBAU is the now-deleted call sign of the student-operated radio station located at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York. The new web-based radio station is PAWS Web Radio....
, which at the time broadcast on the first-adjacent frequency, 90.3, out of Garden City
Garden City, New York
Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...
on Long Island (but which is no longer on the air), objected to the proposed station, citing potential interference to their signal. However, the FCC overruled WBAU's objections in 1976, and granted WUSB a license to begin broadcasting in 1977.
At the time, WUSB was Long Island's most powerful non-commercial
Non-commercial
Non-commercial refers to an activity or entity that does not in some sense involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis...
radio station, putting out 4000 watts of power, primarily covering central Suffolk County. The station signed on as an FM station for the first time on June 27, 1977, at 5:30 in the afternoon.
The station's first General Manager was Norm Prusslin, a University alumnus, employee, adjunct professor and advisor. He held this position continuously until his retirement in early 2006. He was later succeeded as General Manager by Isobel Breheny Schafer. Many of the station's original volunteers, including its Chief Engineer, Frank Burgert, were students in 1977. Many alumni of Stony Brook remain to this day as WUSB volunteers. Rich Koch was the station's first Program Director
Program director
In service industries, such as education, a program director or programme director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services...
when the station began broadcasting on the FM dial, and he also remains as an active WUSB staffer.
The initial location of WUSB's antenna provided excellent coverage to the campus and much of Long Island's North Shore
North Shore (Long Island)
The North Shore of Long Island is the area along Long Island's northern coast, bordering Long Island Sound. The region has long been the most affluent on Long Island, as well as the most affluent in the New York metropolitan area, which has earned it the nickname "the Gold Coast." Though some...
, but the high wattage of the station began to have adverse effects on experiments conducted in laboratories of the Chemistry building, as well as those in the nearby Physics building. In the mid-1980s, it was determined that, to eliminate interference, the antenna would either have to be moved or have its power drastically reduced. It was decided to move the antenna to a new off campus location.
After many potential locations were examined across Suffolk County, an agreement was reached with the owners of a new tower being constructed at Bald Hill in Farmingville
Farmingville, New York
Farmingville is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 16,458 at the 2000 census.Farmingville is in the Town of Brookhaven...
, one of the highest points on Long Island. WBLI
WBLI
WBLI is a Top 40 music formatted radio station which mainly serves Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island. It can also be heard in the Hudson Valley, the South Shore of Connecticut, and the Jersey Shore...
had already signed on as a tenant on the new tower, and WUSB leased space on the new tower as well. However, objections were raised again, with first-adjacent stations broadcasting on 89.9 and 90.3 FM on Long Island. WUSB ultimately was able to successfully overcome these objections, and since November, 1995, had broadcast from the top of the "Mile High" tower at Farmingville. The move also resulted in WUSB increasing its geographic coverage of Long Island (within its primary and secondary signal contours) by close to 100%, despite the fact that power was lowered to 3600 watts as part of the move. An unfortunate byproduct of the move was that reception on campus worsened, due to local topography and structures creating partial barriers between the University and Bald Hill.
During normal operations, WUSB's audio signal is sent from its studios to the transmitter site via a T1 line. However, the old antenna location, atop the Graduate Chemistry building, remains as an emergency alternative to the Farmingville transmitter site, as well as an emergency studio-transmitter link to the Farmingville tower.
In 2003, WUSB applied for two translators which (if approved by the FCC) will allow the station to rebroadcast its signal on other frequencies in the North Shore, improving signal strength in other areas such as the main campus where there are dead spots or interference from other stations. These applications are still pending.
WUSB has traditionally been funded by students through the Undergraduate Student Government
Undergraduate Student Government at Stony Brook University
The Undergraduate Student Government at Stony Brook University is a governing body representing the undergraduate students of Stony Brook University. As with most student governments in the United States, one of USG's main functions is to recognize, fund and regulate student organizations. The USG...
(formerly known as Polity). Since 1989, WUSB has held annual radiothons (originally once per year, now twice per year, in the fall and spring) to raise money from listeners to pay for the station's operating expenses. Much of the money raised goes to pay for the station's transmitter lease and fixed operating expenses.
In 2007, after a long period of planning and testing, WUSB launched "WUSB2," an online-only counterpart to the main WUSB signal. WUSB2 features programming from new student DJs along with a diverse rotation of new music from many genres. The WUSB2 service also carries regularly scheduled programming that has been pre-empted by special broadcasts on the main signal, such as Stony Brook Seawolves sports broadcasts.
Programming
Since its inception, WUSB has provided free-form programming, encompassing a variety of different styles and genres, ranging from jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and classical, to punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and world music, and many genres in between. Additionally, the station also aired a large variety of public affairs programs, ethnic programs, and programming of interest to students.
To this day, WUSB's programming remains consistently inconsistent! Many original volunteer staffers remain involved with WUSB, along with newer volunteers who range from undergraduate and graduate students, to alumni, university staff, and local community residents, as well as listeners who have become involved with the station.
Originally, the station broadcast from 7 a.m. (8 a.m. on the weekends) to 2:30 a.m. Over time, WUSB began to broadcast 24 hours per day, which it still does today with rare exceptions. Notable programming included The Early Morning Riser, hosted by General Manager Norm Prusslin, Turmoil, which became the longest-running punk rock radio program in the world before ending its run in 2004, Onda Nueva, featuring Salsa music
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
and public affairs programming geared to Long Island's Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
community and which has been on the air since the late 1970s, and Saturday's a Party, which remains on the air to this day as the world's longest-running Reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
music program on the radio.
Morning programming is usually dedicated to eclectic forms of music, ranging from contemporary to exotic to hiphop blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
. Jazz musician Sam Taylor hosted a live program (Sam Taylor's Blues) every Friday morning, until his death in 2009.
Midday and early afternoon programming features public affairs and political commentary. On weekday afternoons, between 2:30 to 5:00 p.m., WUSB has traditionally featured new music, ranging from punk to indie
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
to electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
to underground hip-hop. On weekday afternoons from 5 to 6 pm, WUSB rebroadcasts the nationally syndicated Democracy Now! (hosted by Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman is an American progressive broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter and author. Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, an independent global news program broadcast daily on radio, television and the internet.-Early life:Goodman was born in Bay Shore, New York...
, of DCTV
Downtown Community Television Center
The Downtown Community Television Center or DCTV is a community media center located in Manhattan's Chinatown on Lafayette Street. It was founded in 1972 by documentary filmmaker Jon Alpert and his wife, Keiko Tsuno.-Mission:...
).
Early evenings feature a variety of programming, ranging from "Seawolves Night Live" on Monday nights at 7 p.m., Emmanuel Goldstein's Off the Wall on Tuesdays, to programming featuring campus and student issues, the local music scene, folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, and more. Late evenings are almost exclusively dedicated to music, featuring such genres as rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
, new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, global music, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, reggae, hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
, noise
Noise
In common use, the word noise means any unwanted sound. In both analog and digital electronics, noise is random unwanted perturbation to a wanted signal; it is called noise as a generalisation of the acoustic noise heard when listening to a weak radio transmission with significant electrical noise...
, blues, Bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
, classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
and more. On Friday nights, Destinies-The Voice of Science Fiction airs; the longest-running (since 1983), and possibly only science fiction radio program on college radio. The music continues into the overnight hours, where a mixture of first-time DJ's and long-time volunteers air a variety of genres, including some material which is only legally permitted by the FCC to be aired between the safe harbor
Safe harbor
The term safe harbor has several special usages, in an analogy with its literal meaning, that of a harbor or haven which provides safety from weather or attack.-Legal definition:...
hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m..
Weekend programming features a lot of ethnic fare, including Onda Nueva, Polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
, and programming in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
and Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, as well as jazz, country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
, children's music, Celtic
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
and folk music, electronic music, political talk, and The Sports Section, Long Island's longest-running live sports call-in show.
WUSB also airs many Stony Brook University events, ceremonies and lectures, including numerous broadcasts of Stony Brook's NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I WUSB SPORTS BLOG teams, the Stony Brook Seawolves
Stony Brook Seawolves
The Stony Brook Seawolves are the athletic teams of Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, NY, United States. The school is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and participates in the America East Conference for all sports except football in which they participate as...
, as well as the university's winter and spring commencement ceremonies. Numerous public service announcements are also regularly aired.
WUSB is a member of many organizations, including the National Association of Broadcasters
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
, the Press Club of Long Island, and the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System
Intercollegiate Broadcasting System
Intercollegiate Broadcasting System is an organization of over 1000 non-profit, education-affiliated radio stations .Founded in 1940, IBS is headquartered in New Windsor, New York, with a legal office in Washington, D.C., and frequently represents its members with FCC negotiations, copyright...
(IBS). For the past several years, WUSB has served as the host station for IBS's national conference, held in New York City each March.
Notable alumni
- Eric Corley, Editor and founder of 2600 Magazine
- Norman Prusslin, Former President, Intercollegiate Broadcasting System
- Sam Taylor, Blues and Jazz musician
- Angelo Cannella, Former Program Director and all around cool guy