WPRK 91.5 FM

A non-commercial college radio station operating at 91.5 FM, owned and operated by Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. The station's signal covers most of the Orlando metropolitan area, broadcasting at 1,300 watts effective radiated power. WPRK began broadcasting on December 8, 1952, with a dedication address delivered by then President-Elect Dwight D. Eisenhower. The station originally operated at 88.1 MHz with 10 watts of power before relocating to 91.5 MHz. During its first decade, programming ran approximately five hours each evening, featuring classical music, interview programs, quiz shows, and occasional live broadcasts of campus concerts and events. Through the mid-1970s the station typically ran from noon to midnight, with classical music during the day and student-selected formats at night, as well as live sports coverage of Rollins soccer and basketball games. In 1989, students were granted greater authority over station programming and operations; by 1991 WPRK was described as completely student-run. Classical music allocations were reduced as the broadcast day expanded, and consistent 24-hour programming began in the mid-1990s. In 2000, Community Communications proposed a partnership to take over operations, but a listener and student advocacy group organized as SaveWPRK.com successfully opposed the merger. Rollins College announced its decision to retain control in February 2001. Current programming spans a wide range of mainstream and non-mainstream genres, with named shows covering genres including polka, disco, show tunes, fuzzed-out rock, progressive rock tracks of six minutes or longer, and community-oriented programming. The station operates as a training ground for student broadcasters and a platform for eclectic programming not found on commercial radio.