| Station History |
About WRSU-FM
WRSU-FM is celebrating its 61st year as Rutgers Original Alternative, one of the first college radio stations in the nation. Since its inception in 1948 as WRSU-AM, the station has evolved from commercial-style Top 40 through its transition in the 1980s to the alternative rock sounds it is renowned for today. WRSU personalities range from first-semester Rutgers freshmen to longtime alumni, and all are engaged in the long-standing radio tradition of designing their own playlists. Evenings and weekends at WRSU brings a cornucopia of specialty programming, with Sunday devoted exclusively to community affairs programming. The station broadcasts all Rutgers football and basketball games from around the country, and is the flagship radio station of the Rutgers Womens' Basketball team. WRSU news broadcasts a variety of news updates and issues talk shows, sending its reporters into the streets for original stories.
WRSU-FM went on the air on Jan 27, 1974 at 88.7 Mhz with an effective radiated power of 1350 watts. WRSU-AM and FM were broadcast simultaneously with different programming until 1976. WRSU can be heard about 15 to 20 miles north and over 20 miles south of New Brunswick, licensed 24 hours a day.
WRSU-AM went on the air on April 26, 1948 as an AM carrier current station that eventually settled on 680 AM. Initially, WRSU could only be projected to the dorms or very close to the College Avenue and Douglass campuses. Our first permanent studios were located at 12 College Avenue in a building that currently serves as the Bildner Center on Jewish Life. WRSU finally moved to its current facilities in 1971 at 126 College Avenue when the Rutgers Student Center was completed.
The station is student-managed under the guidance of a faculty broadcast administrator. Station management is governed by the WRSU Radio Council, an oversight board consisting of station members, professors, alumni, and local broadcast professionals.
