WRPI

WRPI has served as RPI's campus radio station since 1957. Known legally as WRPI Troy, they broadcast on frequency 91.5 FM at 10,000 watts. The station can be heard within a 75 mile radius of campus (covering all of Troy, Albany, and Schenectady), as well as online through the station's webstream.

Operations

WRPI operates out of the DCC. The station includes a spacious lounge (open to the public), a large vinyl library, broadcast studios, and a large studio for live performances and recordings.

Shows on the station are produced by a mix of student and community DJs, though only students are allowed to be board members. Live broadcasts of RPI Engineers football and hockey games can be heard on the station.

History

WRPI was not the first radio station on campus. WHAZ-AM began operations in 1922, using antennas built on top of Russell Sage Laboratory sponsored by the Roebling Family. Eventually, this station was sold off.

The FCC granted WRPI permission to begin broadcasts on December 4, 1957. For the first few years of its existence, the station was located inside the 15th Street Lounge (currently the Players' Playhouse), with a small antenna on the roof. Following the construction of the Darrin Communications Center, WRPI moved to a purpose-built section of the first floor, where it resides today. WTEN-TV donated a large antenna in North Greenbush to the station, which is the one currently in use by the station (and is still there).