WSIA
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| 88.9 WSIA Staten Island | |
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| Broadcast area | Staten Island, New York |
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| Slogan | "Staten Island's Only Alternative" |
| Frequency | 88.9 (MHz) |
| First air date | 1980 |
| Format | Modern Active Rock |
| ERP | 11 Watts |
| HAAT | 192 meters |
| Class | D |
| Facility ID | 65557 |
| Owner | College of Staten Island |
| Website | www.wsia.fm |
WSIA is a college radio station in Staten Island, New York, broadcasting on 88.9 MHz FM. The station mainly airs modern rock music, and is owned by the College of Staten Island.
[edit] History
In the mid 1970s, a group of students interested in radio gathered in a broom closet in the C Building of The College of Staten Island to form radio station WSIA.
Some of the orginial members of WSIA station team were Ronald Resnick, Greg, Joe Mininni, Karen Cino and Diane T. They ran some wire to the cafeteria and started spinning records. These students worked with the College and applied for an FM license. They were granted a construction permit. Not much more progress was made until the late 1970s when a new group of students applied to the Student Government and Association for money to start construction. In 1980, a General Manager was hired to get the station on the air. It took a year to work out an agreement for an antenna site on Todt Hill (the tallest point on the East Coast), install phone lines to the site for the transmitter, and to complete construction of the studios in the basement of E building on the Sunnyside campus.
On August 31, 1981, WSIA began regularly scheduled programming. It was the culmination of a tremendous amount of hard work by members of the College and students. Yet, it was only the beginning. Since that time, a great number of students have been trained to become staff members. Some have gone on to careers in radio. Others look back on WSIA as an important part of their student life.
For the next 12 years, WSIA-FM languished somewhat invisibly in the E-building basement below the cafeteria at the Sunnyside campus. Few people at the college even knew the E-building had a basement or that CSI had a radio station. However, many people from outside the immediate College community had come to realize just what WSIA was doing. With the format in place, WSIA began gaining a reputation for playing music that nobody else on the overcrowded New York radio dial was. The audience soon grew into other parts of the City, and then Northern New Jersey as well.
[edit] WSIA Today
A number of changes have happened since 1981. The station's offices and studios have been enlarged and improved. The operating budget has increased from $8,800 to $100,000 per year. In 1985, the College showed its commitment by picking up the salary of the General Manager. Previously, this had been paid out of student fees.
Though the programming has undergone a number of changes over the years, the students have remained committed to two things: Using the facilities in new and innovative ways and serving the Staten Island community beyond the campus borders.
In 1993, the College of Staten Island moved its entire campus to a new, bigger, and better location, giving WSIA completely new state-of- the-art facilities. From its fully digital signal to its 64 track recording studios, WSIA now uses state-of-the-art equipment making it one of the most technologically impressive radio stations in the country. WSIA has become a staple for new, non-commercial music in the New York City area. WSIA is run by an all-student Board of Directors and also employs a full-time General Manager and full-time Chief Engineer. It is licensed by the FCC and transmits to all of Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, Manhattan and New Jersey. The new studios being equipped with the capacity to bring bands in to perform live on-the-air, the station has also introduced many local and unsigned bands to the listening public. WSIA has an eclectic music format, sports talk shows, news programming and public affairs discussions. The Sports Department also brings the Staten Island community many local sporting events such as college basketball, and high school football.
Participation at WSIA is open to any full- or part-time student of the College of Staten Island. No previous experience is necessary.
Finally, the WSIA studios are easy to spot, located in the Campus Center, right next to the Bookstore in Room 106 beneath a bright neon sign.
[edit] External links
- WSIA Staten Island, 88.9 FM
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WSIA
- Radio Locator information on WSIA
- Query Arbitron's FM station database for WSIA
- WSIA's page on StylusCity
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