Branding The Pulse | First air date 1967 | |
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City Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania Broadcast area Sunbury-Selinsgrove-Lewisburg, PA Slogan "The Broadcast Voice of Susquehanna University" Frequency 88.9 MHz (also on HD Radio) | ||
WQSU (88.9 FM, "The Pulse") is a college FM radio station licensed to serve Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. The station is owned and operated by Susquehanna University and is staffed by students and faculty of the university as well as community volunteers. The station is run under the supervision of the university's Department of Communications, having been developed as an educational facility. At 12,000 watts, WQSU is the most powerful student-run college FM radio station in Pennsylvania, and as such it serves approximately one-third of the state with a variety of music, news, information, public affairs and sports programming 365 days a year.
The operation of WQSU-FM serves two separate and distinct purposes. The first is to serve the public interest as mandated by the Federal Communications Commission, and the second is to serve Susquehanna University in its educational mission by training students in various forms of broadcasting principles and operations, serving as a media outlet for Susquehanna University.
Programming from Monday to Friday consists of modern and alternative rock, although there are specialty shows of many other genres including classic rock. Saturday programming consists of country and bluegrass. Sundays have a variety of specialty programming including blues, techno, classical, the Grateful Dead and Susquehanna University's church service. WQSU also regularly airs a wide variety of news and sports coverage.
During the school year, the station is on-air from 9 A.M. until 2 A.M. During school breaks, including the summer, the station is on-air from noon until 2 A.M. When the station is not programming live from its studios, it rebroadcasts WVIA-FM programming, which includes classical music and some National Public Radio shows including Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Car Talk, as well as A Prairie Home Companion from American Public Media.
History
WQSU first went on the air on May 14, 1967 at 91.5 MHz FM with a 10-watt transmitter.
On March 20, 1975, WQSU increased its broadcast power from 10 watts to 5600 watts and changed frequencies from 91.5 MHz to its current frequency of 88.9 MHz.
On February 1, 1980, WQSU began broadcasting in stereo.
In January 1983, WQSU increased its broadcast power from 5600 watts to its current 12,000 watts.
On March 15, 1985, WQSU moved from its original home at 530 University Avenue to the Degenstein Campus Center at Susquehanna University.
On November 22, 2013 at 10 AM, WQSU began broadcasting in HD. WQSU was the 76th radio station in Pennsylvania to begin broadcasting in HD, and the 5th college radio station in Pennsylvania to begin broadcasting in HD.