With the support of Dr. Anthony Maltese, who served as chairperson of the Communication Department, Dr. Maltese introduced the radio and television programs to William Paterson and served as an advisor to WPSC.
WPSC-FM Wayne, 88-7, Brave New Radio is the non-commercial, student-run radio of William Paterson University.
History
Encouraged by independent study and extra credit opportunities, several speech communication majors took the creation of a radio station on campus as a challenge.
The earliest form of WPSC began in Fall of 1965
At the time William Paterson University was known as William Patterson State College, and the call letters WPSC, that are still in use today, were established to represent the name of the institution.
1960s
In the Fall of 1965, students carried a record player and about two dozen records to the Snack Bar. It was a place centrally located on campus where students and faculty frequently gathered for sandwiches, coffee, soda, and conversation.
These humble beginnings set the stage for decades of radio broadcasting from William Paterson.
The initial effort of broadcasting in the Snack Bar was enhanced by mid-semester. In the latter part of fall 1965, students set up a make shift radio studio. Using two permanently mounted turntables, they could cross fade and incorporate a much better microphone system in their broadcasts.
College-wide interest in developing a radio station was awakening across the campus.
The students and staff began to make inquiries to the FCC for an FM license and no frequencies were available.
The lack of an FM license, however, did not deter student and staff interest. The next step was to investigate the formation of a carrier current station, a method of low-power AM radio transmission to a small area.
That summer, in 1966, with initial start-up funds from a faculty member, Paterson State’s carrier current radio station, WPSC, began its operations. The voice of Paterson State College was heard on 590 AM.
Three professional turntables, an audio mixing board, microphones, and modest furniture were purchased immediately.
The station broadened its programming, setting up departments of music, news, sports, publicity and public information, and business. Students who wanted on-air assignments had to take and pass voice tests.
While music remained the major thrust of programming, news and especially sports gained in interest. On-site radio for basketball instilled interest in sports reporting.
Throughout the early years, the station became an important source for news and information about the college community.
During the 1970s, an arrangement was made with United Artists Columbia, a cable television franchiser serving a large portion of New Jersey.
WPSC became the first college radio station in New Jersey to link up with the UA Columbia channel. The college’s music and information programming could be heard by the network system that included more than nineteen thousand subscribers in the Northern New Jersey area.
In the early 1980s, the FCC changed its rules concerning non-commercial 10-watt stations.
These broadcast stations had to upgrade to a minimum of 100 watts or their license would not be protected. If the upgrade was not accomplished, anyone could apply for the license.
The Franklin Lakes Board of Education did not upgrade the license for Ramapo High School’s station at 88.7 FM, and WPSC decided to apply for this frequency in 1982.
The license was approved by the FCC and granted to William Paterson College in 1983 as 88.7, WPSC-FM.
The first format broadcast on WPSC's new FM frequency, as Laser Hits 89 PSC, was predominantly a Top 40 format with specialty and non-format programming running during late nights and weekends only. In 1991, the station’s format moved toward Alternative Rock, and the station was known as The Only Alternative.
In the Summer of 1993, the station became Hit Radio 88.7 WPSC. The format was the Top 30 hits, along with local news, sports, and community affairs.
In June 1998, WPSC-FM became New Jersey’s Independent Rock, with an Alternative and College Rock format.
WPSC-FM was rebranded in 2008 as WP 88.7 Brave New Radio, and the Alternative Rock format continued
In August 2021, WPSC-FM was relaunched as 88-7 Brave New Radio Jersey’s Home for Alt Hip-Hop.
In November 2024, WPSC-FM 88-7 Brave New Radio switched to Indie Music, its current format. In addition, there’s live play-by-play coverage of William Paterson Pioneers sports and sports talk programs, as well as specialty programming in the evenings and weekends.
Over the years, WPSC-FM has had some notable accomplishments.
In 2018, WPSC-FM won its first Marconi Award for College Radio Station of the Year and its second Marconi in 2021 and won for the third time in 2024.
WPSC-FM is the four-time winner (2012, 2013, 2017, and 2018) of the award for Best College Radio Station from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS).
WPSC-FM is also the founding station of the first College Radio Day in 2011. Dr. Rob Quicke founded College Radio Day, an annual holiday to raise awareness of the many college and high school radio stations in North America. With nearly 600 radio stations in 30 countries participating, this annual, worldwide celebration raises awareness of the importance of college radio.