WWSP is not an LPFM station, but it is certainly one of the most dynamic and interesting student/community stations, perhaps in the entire country.
In many places the college student station is a low power affair, sometimes even a closed circuit being piped into a student union or dorm. But not WWSP. They put out a strong 11,000 watt signal, soon to be upgraded to 38,000 watts according to some on air banter I heard there a few weeks ago. WWSP is received easily in my car radio as far north as Merrill. Of course it takes more than signal strength to make a good station. WWSP abounds with good radio.
Like any community station WWSP has a very eclectic mix of programming. Their schedule can be found here. Of course much of their programming includes alternative pop music that is generally considered "college" music, but the shows are certainly not limited to that. Weeknights feature jazz for several hours. Saturday mornings feature the "Fabulous Freak Show" which features the alternative hits from the 70's. Sunday morning features "Accoustic Revival" or alternative unplugged.
As you might guess, you will certainly hear students on the air, but also community members and I assume faculty also take their place as programmers and hosts. WWSP truly serves both the student community and the greater community of Stevens Point and Central Wisconsin.
You can listen to WWSP live on the web here. I was told via email that sometimes they have technical problems with the stream, so if you get a "stream not found" type of error, check back at a later time. WWSP's homepage is here.
I would be completely remiss if I did not mention WWSP's claim to national fame. They claim — and many people seem to agree — to run the world's largest trvia contest. I am certainly not one to argue with that. How many radio contests do you know of that have their own parade? How about being inducted into the Trivia Hall of Fame? For a history of the event (I won't vouch for the accuracy of this page) you can go here. This year's contest drew over 2,000 teams and some 8,000 people as contestants. And a good time was had by all. So next April you can sit glued to your radio like thousands of other people.
All in all, WWSP is a wonderful station with clever promotions and events and just oozes with personality. Unfortunately, the word is out that the faculty mentor of the station is leaving and that perhaps WWSP will get folded into the Wisconsin Public Radio network. If that does happen it will be a great loss to Central Wisconsin. WPR is a great network, but it is just that, a string of stations being programmed from Madison and Milwaukee. WWSP is a tremendous local voice and I hope they will continue as such. As their on-air tagline says they are Stevens Point's "Only Alternative."
And long may they be so!
