WUSO
{{Short description|Radio station in Springfield, Ohio, U.S.}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name = WUSO
| above = Simulcast of WDPR Dayton, Ohio
| logo =
| city = Springfield, Ohio
| country = US
| area =
| branding = Dayton Public Radio
| frequency = {{frequency|89.1|MHz}}
| airdate = {{Start date|1966|2|20}}
| format = Classical music
| licensing_authority = FCC
| erp = 100 watts
| haat = {{convert|26|m|ft|sp=us}}
| class = A
| facility_id = 65468
| coordinates = {{coord|39|56|9.00|N| 83|48|41.00|W|region:US_type:city}}
| callsign_meaning = Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio{{r|Spri660220}}
| former_callsigns =
| affiliations = WDPR
| owner = Dayton Public Radio, Inc.
| webcast = {{listen live|http://www.discoverclassical.org/listen-live.asp}}
| website = {{official website|http://www.discoverclassical.org}}
}}
WUSO (89.1 FM) is a radio station in Springfield, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Dayton Public Radio, Inc. and rebroadcasts the classical music programming of WDPR in Dayton on a full-time basis from its transmitter atop Tower Hall on the Wittenberg University campus.
From 1966 to 2019, WUSO was Wittenberg's student-run college radio station, with studios in Firestine Hall on the campus.
History
=Radio returns to Wittenberg=
Wittenberg University (WU) received a construction permit from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to build a new 10-watt radio station on the campus on October 11, 1965.{{Cite web|url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/attachment/de871ac4-7a24-cd76-5ecd-571c6f8902b8|title=FCC History Cards for WUSO|publisher=FCC}} Organization on campus for a new station had dated to 1961, when a radio club was formed with 35 students.{{cite news|page=2|title=Group organizes for radio station|work=The Wittenberg Torch|date=May 5, 1961}} Two years later, a student committee was formed to analyze the idea,{{Cite news|page=1|title=Creation of FM station planned by students|work=The Wittenberg Torch|date=November 15, 1963}} and the university appropriated funds to purchase equipment.{{cite news|date=October 24, 1964|title=WU will get radio station|page=6|work=The Wittenberg Torch}} On February 20, 1966, WUSO began broadcasting.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115874667/wittenberg-to-open-fm-broadcasting/|date=February 20, 1966|page=2B|title=Wittenberg To Open FM Broadcasting|newspaper=Springfield News-Sun|location=|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 6, 2023|archive-date=January 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106023743/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115874667/wittenberg-to-open-fm-broadcasting/|url-status=live}} The station represented the return of broadcasting to the university, which had shown an interest in radio transmissions beginning in 1896.{{r|wittenberg}} Signing on in 1922,{{Cite news |date=November 1, 1922 |title=New Stations |page=3 |work=Radio Service Bulletin |publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce |issue=67 |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3221816&view=1up&seq=745&skin=2021 |url-status=live |access-date=August 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712202340/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3221816&view=1up&seq=745 |archive-date=July 12, 2021 |via=HathiTrust}} station WCSO{{Efn|Preceded earlier in the year by experimental 8XAK, this station was originally assigned the WNAP call letters, which were changed to WCSO on March 6, 1925.{{Cite book | last=Frost | first=S. E. Jr. |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/History/Education%27s-Own-Stations-Frost-1937-HOB.pdf |title=Education's Own Stations |publisher=Arno Press, Inc. |year=1971 |isbn=0-405-03555-1 |location=New York, New York |pages=475–478 |orig-date=1937 |via=World Radio History |access-date=August 4, 2022 |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929132558/https://worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/History/Education%27s-Own-Stations-Frost-1937-HOB.pdf |url-status=live }}}}—the university being Wittenberg College at the time—operated until 1930,{{Cite news |date=October 12, 1930 |title=Last Program is Broadcast |page=35 |newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer |agency=Associated Press |location=Cincinnati, Ohio |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83342043/last-program-is-broadcast/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813053228/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83342043/last-program-is-broadcast/ |archive-date=August 13, 2021}} when it was shuttered as part of a consolidation that formed WGAR, a new station in Cleveland.{{Cite news |date=October 31, 1930 |title=Radio Station WCSO Stops Broadcasting |page=25 |newspaper=Akron Beacon Journal |location=Akron, Ohio |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83342185/radio-station-wcso-stops-broadcasting/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813053220/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83342185/radio-station-wcso-stops-broadcasting/ |archive-date=August 13, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news|date=March 4, 1966|title=Announcer racalls WCSO radio|first=Kathy|last=Garstang|page=6|work=The Wittenberg Torch}}
WUSO initially broadcast for six hours a day;{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115875530/license-renewed-wuso-fm-to-resume-broad/|date=October 8, 1967|page=7C|title=License Renewed: WUSO-FM To Resume Broadcasts Sunday|newspaper=Springfield News-Sun|location=|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 6, 2023|archive-date=January 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110060541/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115875530/license-renewed-wuso-fm-to-resume/|url-status=live}} by 1971, it was on for three hours in the morning and then 11 hours in the evening.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115878117/wuso-resumes-broadcasting-tuesday/|date=September 19, 1971|page=4B|title=WUSO Resumes Broadcasting Tuesday|newspaper=Springfield News-Sun|location=|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 6, 2023|archive-date=January 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106032913/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115878117/wuso-resumes-broadcasting-tuesday/|url-status=live}} The station survived a 1977 funding cut by the WU student government (SGA) that nearly threatened it with closure because it suggested relocating the facility without considering the technical and legal implications of such a move.{{cite news|first=Karen|last=Schnorf|date=May 26, 1977|pages=1, 6|title=WUSO threatened with shut down|work=The Wittenberg Torch}} Pressure from SGA forced cutbacks, such as the elimination of a news wire, as well as internal reforms.{{Cite news|first=David G.|last=Jennings|title=WUSO aims for quality|date=November 11, 1977|page=6|work=The Wittenberg Torch}} Studios were in the basement of Alumni House before relocating to Sprecher Hall in 1979.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115878279/major-changes-coming-on-wittenberg-campu/|date=July 16, 1978|page=1B|first=David|last=Wecker|title=Major Changes Coming On Wittenberg Campus|newspaper=Springfield News-Sun|location=|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 6, 2023|archive-date=January 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110060548/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115878279/major-changes-coming-on-wittenberg/|url-status=live}} The move required major changes and left the station off the air for a year and a half,{{Cite news|title=WUSO begins campus broadcast|first=Paula|last=Edmiston|date=November 9, 1979}} and it also saw the station convert to stereo broadcasting.{{Cite news|page=8|date=February 3, 1984|title=WUSO: Genesis of Campus Waves|first=Andy|last=Irick|work=The Wittenberg Torch}}
Over time, WUSO began operating with a freeform format, a contrast to the Top 40-heavy FM dial in the area.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115878490/out-and-about/|date=October 17, 1985|page=9|title=Out and about|newspaper=Springfield News-Sun|location=|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 6, 2023|archive-date=January 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106032911/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115878490/out-and-about/|url-status=live}} Programs ranged from Christian rock to jazz; in 1986, station manager Krista May did on-air shifts hosting a punk rock show under the name "Chrystal Meth".{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115878408/tuned-in-to-springfield/|date=January 26, 1986|page=1B, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115878627/tuned/ 2B]|first=Dan|last=Hughes|title=Tuned in to Springfield|newspaper=Springfield News-Sun|location=Springfield, Ohio|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 6, 2023|archive-date=January 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106032908/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115878408/tuned-in-to-springfield/|url-status=live}} However, despite a series of efforts over the years, WUSO remained a 10-watt outlet. By 1986, the original transmitter was out of service for six weeks during the winter term.{{cite news|title=WUSO In Need Of New Transmitter|page=5|first=Lori|last=Simpson|work=The Wittenberg Torch|date=May 30, 1986}} Even with 10 watts, the station attracted substantial interest on campus: there were 120 DJs in 1990.{{Cite news|page=3|work=The Wittenberg Torch|title=WUSO offers variety and entertainment|first=Nicole|last=Dye|date=January 12, 1990}} The station narrowly survived another financial challenge again in 1996 when the student senate made a grant to allow the station to purchase Emergency Alert System equipment that it needed in order to meet requirements for the new service.{{Cite news|pages=1, 2|date=October 1, 1996|title=WUSO faces shutdown; lacks equipment funds|first=Amy|last=Neff|work=The Wittenberg Torch}}{{Cite news|title=Senate rescues WUSO, approves pep band|pages=1, 4|first=Amy|last=Neff|date=October 8, 1996|work=The Wittenberg Torch}} The station abandoned Sprecher Hall in 1998 as part of its demolition, moving into the basement of Firestine Hall and replacing much of its equipment in the process.{{Cite news|title=WUSO move to Firestine in progress|pages=1, 11|work=The Wittenberg Torch|first=Jared|last=Harding|date=April 7, 1998}}
=Upgrade to 120 watts=
As a Class D station operating on the same 10-watt basis as in 1966, WUSO was vulnerable. In the late 1970s, the FCC encouraged many stations to upgrade to Class A status—100 watts minimum—and left Class D stations a secondary service, vulnerable to being bumped by other stations. Furthermore, even though the transmitter was atop Tower Hall, students living there sometimes had trouble receiving the station.{{Cite news|title=Student radio station makes upgrades|first=Lara|last=Bachelder|work=The Wittenberg Torch|date=February 3, 2005|page=1}} WUSO had twice solicited power increases, first in 1971{{Cite news|title=WUSO, the basement radio station increases output to 500 watts|page=6|date=April 15, 1971|work=The Wittenberg Torch}} and then in 1986.{{cite news|title=WUSO Striving for Professionalism|date=October 3, 1986|page=18|first=Charlotte|last=Johnson|work=The Wittenberg Torch}} However, such changes also would have come with needed upgrades to professionalize even as FCC restrictions tightened the ability of Class D stations to upgrade.{{Cite news|first=Ted|last=Stiles|title=WUSO Hopes To Attract More Listeners|date=October 14, 1988|work=The Wittenberg Torch|page=3}} Alongside moving to Firestine, the station mounted a third effort at a power increase, hoping to avoid the paperwork-related problems that had plagued past pushes.{{Cite news|title=Senate may support WUSO with fee raise|first=Jennifer|last=Jackson|page=2|work=The Wittenberg Torch|date=February 10, 1998}} The proposed increase turned into a years-long legal battle in the wake of two related applications from Christian groups, the American Family Association and Life Radio Ministries.{{cite news|pages=1, 10|title=WUSO broadcast license threatened due to frequency|first=Alysa|last=Remsburg|date=March 23, 1999|work=The Wittenberg Torch}} This conflict was lengthened because the FCC overhauled the process by which it compared applications for non-commercial educational radio stations, leaving the three applications—WUSO's improvement and the two new Christian radio stations, one for Urbana and one for Delaware—in a mutually exclusive group.{{Cite web|url=https://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/Orders/2001/fcc01064.pdf|page=38|date=February 15, 2001|title=Memorandum Opinion and Order, In the Matter of Reexamination of the Comparative Standards for Noncommercial Educational Applicants (FCC 01-64)|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}} The three parties then filed a universal settlement, granting WUSO's improvement and the Delaware new station application, which was granted on April 25, 2003.{{Cite web|url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/comment.pl?Application_id=623331&File_number=BPED-19980602MA|title=Public Notice Comment|website=Consolidated Database System|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|date=April 25, 2003}}
In November 2004, WUSO upgraded from 10 watts to 120, improving its coverage area and signal strength in the Springfield area.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115875649/reaching-out-radio-tower-allows-witt-st/|date=November 28, 2004|page=1B|first=Kelly|last=Baker|title=Reaching out: Radio tower allows Witt station to broadcast to most of the county|newspaper=Springfield News-Sun|location=|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 6, 2023|archive-date=January 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110060539/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115875649/reaching-out-radio-tower-allows-witt/|url-status=live}} In December 2003, Wittenberg athletics moved to WUSO from commercial station WULM; the move came in the middle of the basketball season after WULM refused to produce and carry broadcasts of Wittenberg women's basketball games.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115878758/witt-sports-to-be-broadcast-on-wuso/|date=December 21, 2003|page=7C|first=Keith|last=Walther|title=Witt sports to be broadcast on WUSO|newspaper=Springfield News-Sun|location=|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 6, 2023|archive-date=January 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106032910/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115878758/witt-sports-to-be-broadcast-on-wuso/|url-status=live}} WUSO also initiated online streaming in 2006.{{Cite news|url=https://www6.wittenberg.edu/lib/witt_pubs/torch/archive/?file=Improved.Sounds.At.Witt.Wuso.To.Go.Online-2277973.shtml|work=Wittenberg Torch|first=Alyssa|last=Fry|date=September 14, 2006|title=Improved sounds at Witt: WUSO to go online|access-date=January 6, 2023|archive-date=January 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106040124/https://www6.wittenberg.edu/lib/witt_pubs/torch/archive/?file=Improved.Sounds.At.Witt.Wuso.To.Go.Online-2277973.shtml|url-status=live}} WUSO's studios in the basement of Firestine Hall were flooded when a water pipe burst on April 8, 2012. Four feet of water inundated the facilities, and the studio equipment was a total loss.{{cite news|url=https://www.wittprojects.net/torcharchive/?p=5931|work=Wittenberg Torch|first=Elizabeth|last=Doll|title=Rebuilding and Renovating WUSO|date=September 5, 2012|access-date=January 6, 2023|archive-date=January 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106023749/https://www.wittprojects.net/torcharchive/?p=5931|url-status=live}} The station was off the air for nearly a year; the studios were rebuilt with increased space for live bands to play and an expanded lobby.{{cite news|url=https://www.wittprojects.net/torcharchive/?p=8649|title=WUSO's birthday: Celebrating 46 years of good music|date=February 27, 2013|work=Wittenberg Torch|access-date=January 6, 2023|archive-date=January 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106023745/https://www.wittprojects.net/torcharchive/?p=8649|url-status=live}} By 2018, the station had 18 student-produced shows on its lineup.{{Cite news|url=https://wittenbergtorch.com/2018/09/02/wuso/|work=The Wittenberg Torch|title=Campus Radio Station WUSO Kicks Off Semester|date=September 2, 2018}}
=Sale to Dayton Public Radio=
In August 2017, WUSO entered into a partnership with WDPR Dayton Public Radio to rebroadcast its classical music programming from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays. As WDPR's signal does not reach Springfield, this expanded the service's coverage.{{cite news|url=https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/local/springfield-college-radio-station-partners-with-classical-station/2cTOOBKIiAfI0NJDn8a0eO/|work=Springfield News-Sun|first=Brett|last=Turner|date=September 3, 2017|title=Springfield college radio station partners with classical station|access-date=January 6, 2023|archive-date=January 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106023747/https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/local/springfield-college-radio-station-partners-with-classical-station/2cTOOBKIiAfI0NJDn8a0eO/|url-status=live}} In March 2019, WUSO began rebroadcasting WDPR on a full-time basis,{{Cite web|date=May 29, 2020|title=Statement re: Issues/Programs Lists|url=https://publicfiles.fcc.gov/api/manager/download/64f8e565-3665-34c5-9395-5e999a245824/6a2b6df0-beca-4fcd-9e29-3886c7fd8622.pdf|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|website=WUSO Public Inspection File}} and WU filed in December 2022 to sell the station outright to DPR for $94,580.{{cite news|url=https://www.insideradio.com/features/deal_digest/deal-digest---january-5-2023/article_5c656340-8cbf-11ed-9f53-875e3aeffdc0.html|work=Inside Radio|date=January 5, 2023|title=Deal Digest - January 5, 2023|access-date=January 6, 2023|archive-date=January 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106023743/https://www.insideradio.com/features/deal_digest/deal-digest---january-5-2023/article_5c656340-8cbf-11ed-9f53-875e3aeffdc0.html|url-status=live}} The sale was consummated on March 13, 2023.
Notes
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References
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