WSIE FM 88.7

A public radio station owned and operated by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, licensed by the Federal Communications Commission in January 1969. Operating at 88.7 megahertz with 50,000 watts of effective radiated power, it serves as the primary jazz station for the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. Rebranded as "The Sound" in August 2016, the station broadcasts a programming mix of jazz, smooth jazz, blues, and rhythm and blues. It also serves as the anchor station for the SIUE Cougar Network, carrying intercollegiate sports coverage. The station's studios are housed in Dunham Hall on the SIUE campus, with the transmitter and a 420-foot tower located near the Supporting Services Building. A longtime member of National Public Radio, the station ceased carrying NPR programming and shifted to locally produced music content. WSIE functions as a training ground for students enrolled in the SIUE Mass Communications Department. Notable alumni who received broadcast training there include Frank O Pinion, KMOX personalities Megan Lynch, Ralph Graczak, and Tom Calhoun, and MLB play-by-play commentator Dewayne Staats. In 2016, the station faced potential elimination of state appropriation funding during the Illinois state budget crisis. The SIUE administration subsequently required the station to achieve financial self-sufficiency by 2017. The station now operates entirely on underwriting revenue and listener donations, receiving no state funding. It also streams its programming online.