WFSU FM 88.9

A public radio station operating at 88.9 FM, owned and operated by Florida State University and serving northern Florida with a news, talk, and public affairs format. The station is a member of National Public Radio (NPR) and carries numerous NPR programs throughout the broadcast day, supplemented by BBC World Service programming during overnight hours. It is the flagship radio property of the FSU public broadcasting operation, which also encompasses classical music station WFSQ (91.5 FM) and Panama City outlet WFSW (89.1 FM). The station traces its origins to January 21, 1949, when Florida State entered radio broadcasting through a student-run AM operation at 660 kHz. Operating under license restrictions that confined its signal to the campus, the station broadcast for three hours each weekday evening before being forced off the air in April 1953 due to signal leakage complaints. It returned as an FM station at 91.5 MHz in July 1954 and subsequently joined the National Association of Educational Broadcasters, gaining access to BBC World Service and Radio France programming. The station also began carrying Florida State Seminoles football games during this period, as no commercial station in Tallahassee would carry them. In 1970, the station became a charter member of NPR and was among the 90 stations to carry the inaugural broadcast of All Things Considered. Through the 1970s, programming shifted toward classical music. In December 2009, the station rebranded as Boston's Local NPR—a news-and-information format—dropping most culture-related programming in favor of nationally syndicated NPR, PRI, and APM content. Recent news coverage includes Florida state legislative matters, regional environmental issues, and national affairs.