N.C. State student radio dates back to 1922, when WLAC at North Carolina State College became the first radio station in eastern North Carolina and the second to be licensed in the entire state. The 2,000 watt AM station was founded by students and faculty of the communications department with a studio in Winston Hall. WLAC’s first broadcast was on Oct. 16, 1922. Guest speaker for the evening was Josephus Daniels, former secretary of the U.S. Navy and owner of the Raleigh News & Observer. Daniels made the ironic prediction: “Nobody now fears that a Japanese fleet could deal an unexpected blow on our Pacific possessions…radio makes surprises impossible.” In the book Education’s Own Stations, S. E. Frost reports “as there was no appropriation available to care for the expenses of the station, only intermittent broadcasts of a more or less experimental nature were possible.” No application for renewal was filed and the station went off the air in 1923.
More than 20 years after WLAC fell silent, a couple of aerospace and electrical engineering students brought radio back to the university with an experimental station unofficially called WOLF in 1944. WOLF was financed entirely by these two students and only reached a few of the student dormitories as a carrier-current station. In 1945, WOLF became WNCS and the station was admitted into the Student Publication Authority (now known as Student Media), given a budget of $1,100 and a more permanent location in the 1911 Building. A March 29, 1946 Technician article proclaimed, “Adopting a strict ban on soap-box operas, hill-billy music, and transcribed ditties extolling the various products on the American market, State students have established their own radio station and are broadcasting a variety of programs, including complete world news coverage, to an increasing audience of campus dwellers.”
Charles Turner and Robert Blackwelder in the WVWP control room. Photo from Agromeck (1957).
The next changed occurred in 1947 as WNCS became WVWP, “VOICE of the WOLFPACK,” and made its first attempt at out-of-town sports coverage with a broadcast of the State v. Davidson football game. In 1948, WVWP carried all home Wolfpack basketball games from Frank Thompson Gymnasium. The 1948 Agromeck yearbook praised the station: “In its first year of full time operation, the Campus Radio Station, WVWP, continued to bring the students programs that were unavailable in other places. Highlights were the broadcasts of football and basketball games not heard in Raleigh.” The station was shut down by the FCC on April 31, 1952 for over-radiation of its signal, and remained off the air until September 1952 while engineering staff made improvements on the transmitter.
In 1958 came yet another change in call letters, this time to WKNC 580 AM. The following year, WKNC became the first college radio station in the southeast to cover two independent campuses when a satellite transmitter was installed at Peace College. This partnership continued until 1965. Feeling the need to expand their coverage of NCSU and beyond, WKNC made plans to go to FM in the mid-1960s. As a carrier-current AM station, WKNC could only be heard in Lee, Sullivan and Bragaw residence halls.
In October 1966 WKNC 88.1 FM was born, marking the end of WKNC-AM. With a 10-watt transmitter, WKNC-FM could reach most of Raleigh. However, after a poll showed only about half of students had an FM radio, WPAK 600 AM was established as a carrier current station in 1968 alongside WKNC-FM to serve those students still without FM radios. WPAK also featured a more mainstream Top 40 format as a contrast to WKNC’s mix of folk, jazz and classical music. WPAK was on the air until 1971.
The 1970s saw some major developments for WKNC. In 1972, the station moved into new studios in the University Student Center, since named the Talley Student Center. The studios, built almost entirely by student volunteers, included some unique design features to better accommodate the air staff. A 30-foot antenna tower was also built on top of D.H. Hill Library. WKNC increased its power from 10 to 1,000 watts in 1974 and began to tailor its format towards a progressive rock sound while continuing to feature jazz, Top 40 and soul.
Photo by David Turner from Agromeck (1981).
Another increase in power came in 1984, from 1,000 to 3,000 watts, taking the signal about 40 miles outside of Raleigh. With a growing staff, audience, and power output – as well as improvements in format – WKNC became recognized as one of the top college radio stations in the country. “For the first time WKNC-FM … began to compete seriously within the Raleigh listening area,” read the 1982 Agromeck.
Entering 1991 and to celebrate its 25th Anniversary as an FM station, WKNC moved into a new studio in the Student Center Annex, later named the Witherspoon Student Center. On Saturday, March 9, 1991 WKNC 88.1 FM signed on the air from its new facilities. The station remains on the third floor of Witherspoon with the rest of N.C. State Student Media, nestled between Student Government and the African American Cultural Center.
In 1994, WKNC attempted to increase its power from 3,000 to 25,000 watts. At the same time, three other stations attempted to increase their power which created confusion due to signal interference. In 2001, the FCC approved WKNC’s construction permit. In October 2003, WKNC began broadcasting at 25,000 watts. Another milestone for WKNC came in 2006 with the hiring of a full-time staff adviser. Since that time the station has applied for license to broadcast as an HD radio station, increased its revenue and decreased its reliance on student fee funding.
Timeline
1922 – WLAC first broadcast on Oct. 16 in Winston Hall
1923 – Financial difficulty forces WLAC off the air
1944 – WOLF, funded by two students, starts as a carrier-current station
1945 – WOLF changes to WNCS; admitted to Student Publication Authority; university gives financial support and space in 1911 building
1947 – WNCS becomes WVWP “Voice of Wolfpack”; carries all home basketball games
1952 – FCC shuts down WVWP for over-radiation
1954 – WVWP broadcasts first ACC basketball tournament at Reynolds
1958 – Call letters change to WKNC 580 AM
1966 – WKNC 88.1 FM on air with 10-watt transmitter
1972 – WKNC moves to new studios in University Student Center; antenna tower built on top of D.H. Hill
1974 – Power increases to 1,000 watts
1984 – Power increases again to 3,000 watts
1991 – WKNC moves to Student Center Annex (now called Witherspoon Student Center)
1997 – WKNC begins streaming audio on the Internet at wknc.org
2003 – WKNC begins broadcasting at 25,000 watts in October
2004 – The first Double Barrel Benefit is held
2007 – WKNC and Technician offer their first podcast, “88.1 Seconds of Technician”
Past General Managers
WOLF/WNCS
1944-1946 Harrison Wroton
WNCS/WVWP
1946-1947 Wesley Jones
WVWP-AM
1947-1948 Peter Swanson
1948-1949 Ralph Young
1949-1950 Wade DuBose
1950-1951 Paul Miller
1951-1952 Joel Heim
1952-1953 Philip Turvey
1953-1956 Sam Harrell
1956-1957 Jerry Rasor
1957-1958 Bill Bradley
WKNC-AM
1958-1959 Ed Finch
1959-1961 Kent Watson
1961-1962 Ray McCrary
1962-1963 Lewis Nelson
1963-1964 George Heeden
1964-1965 Bill Powell
1965-1966 Don Grigg
WKNC-FM
1966-1967 Don Grigg
1967-1969 David Brown
1969-1970 John Davis
1970-1971 Fred Plunkett
1972-1973 Don Grady
1973-1974 Don Byrnes
1974-1975 Michael Gray
1975-1976 Michael Upchurch
1977-1978 Sam Taylor
1978-1979 Susan Shaw
1981-1982 Bill Booth
1984-1985 Chrystal Bartlett
1986-1987 Charlie Helms
1987-1988 Divakar Shukla
1988-1989 Mark Zenow
1989-1990 Elbert Alexander Jr.
1990-1992 Christopher Newton
1992-1993 Rebecca Reising
1993-1994 Paul Williams
1994-1996 Christopher Phillips
1996-1997 Charles Coulter
1997-1999 Alan Watkins
1999-2000 Chris Overby and Duke Rodgers
2000-2001 Joe Ovies
2001-2003 Arielle Menges
2003-2005 Jamie Proctor
2005-2006 Dave Nourse
2006-2007 Brian Ware
2007-2008 Steve McCreery
2008-2009 Kyle Robb
2009-2010 Mike Alston
2010-2011 Tommy Anderson
2011-2012 Molly Matty