WHRW FM 90.5

A non-profit, student-run, free-format radio station licensed and owned by Binghamton University, broadcasting at 90.5 FM. The station transmits using a 2 kW transmitter located in the Glenn G. Bartle Library Tower, with operational facilities in the SUNY Binghamton Student Union. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, serving both the university community and interested members of the greater Binghamton area. The station traces its origins to the 1950s, when Binghamton University was known as Harpur College. A loose organization called The Radio Workshop of Harpur College formed in 1954, aiming to connect students with local commercial radio stations for production experience. In October 1961, Workshop members began constructing an AM transmitter, with the first self-broadcasts commencing in May 1962 as WRAF, transmitted via carrier-current through the power lines of two residence halls. Staff consists of volunteers who join by apprenticing under a current member for a programming season and passing a Clearance Exam. Since 1996, members have participated in a Station Service program through which they accumulate hours by completing tasks that support station operations; these hours determine slotting priority when requesting a show. Programming spans a wide range of formats, including rock, pop, public affairs, news, poetry, and religious panels, with named shows hosted by student DJs throughout the week.