WIUX

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WIUX (100.3 FM) is a 22 watt student operated low power FM radio station in Bloomington, Indiana, in southeastern Indiana. The station licensee, Indiana University Student Broadcasting is authorized by the Federal Communications Commission.

Contents

1 Mission
2 Music Format
3 History
4 External Links

Mission

WIUX strives to accomplish two goals. The first and most important is to provide Indiana University students with the opportunity to broadcast, get hands on experience, and assist in maintaining a radio station. We are entirely student run from top to bottom and this is what defines us the most. The second goal is to provide Indiana University and Bloomington with a radio station with a focus on highlighting local and lesser known bands.

Music Format

WIUX is an indie formatted station. However, we still adhere to the greatness of some of the majors (Radiohead) and the post-indie (Modest Mouse). Our goal is to highlight and focus on lesser known bands and local bands that won't get airplay at normal radio stations. Some of our specialty shows, however, span genres including jazz, hip-hop, funk, punk, ska, techno/rpm, and the list continues.

History

1962 - WQAD, a carrier current AM radio station was founded in Wright Quad at Indiana University in Bloomington. The studios were originally in Todd House (through the odd entryway on the south side of Todd) and later in Elliott House (in the basement storage area, off the lounge area). As a note, at the time of WQAD, Wright housed only men.

October 10, 1972 - On the first day of National Fire Prevention Week -- a fire caused WIUS to move to its present site two blocks down at 815 East 8th Street.

1973 to 1993 - WQAX "Quacks" was a college/community access radio station at 100.3 Mhz (non-broadcast) on the local cable TV system in Bloomington, Indiana. The station was free-form and volunteer-driven. It offered Indiana University students, wanna-be DJs, music maniacs, and local eccentrics a way to learn about radio. And it added, for a defined period of time, a yet-to-be duplicated brand of insanity to the local landscape.

1974 - WIUS added cable television access to service residents of Bloomington while remaining carrier-current for the dorms. It wasn't until the late 1980's that the dorms would be wired for cable; as soon as they were, WIUS became exclusively cable-accessible.

1985 - A group of students dedicated to IU radio formed a committee to search out money for WIUS -- and with the university's help they provided funding to help improve the station. This funding lasted until the end of the decade.

1993 - WQAX was forced to close for want of money (or, some have maintained, taken an extended hiatus). Most of its music library and equipment were dispersed. Its members, who over the years numbered in the hundreds, likewise scattered.

1994 - WIUS was allowed a portion of the student activity fee for each of the following two school years. This funding allowed WIUS to further its evolution.

1998 - WIUS stayed with the information technology boom by adding a Real Audio server to their existing website. This served as a new way for alumni and parents, as well as other people outside of the Bloomington area to listen to WIUS. The amount of increased interest allowed WIUS to make a partnership with Nibblebox.com to help broaden the server and increase the amount of users to the Real Audio link.

2004 – An application for a student-operated FM radio license is submitted to the FCC. The FCC delays granting a low-power FM license to WIUS because of another application in the Bloomington area.

March 2005 - After settling the debate in court, the FCC grants the permit to WIUS and assigns the operating frequency of 100.3 MHz, identical to the former WQAX cable access station. The move to an FCC licensed broadcast FM station, however means that the station will need to change its call letters. Since 1981, WIUS-FM has operated as the FCC licensed student-operated FM station at Western Illinois University. The selection of WIUX as the new callsign (usage of the "X") is a small tribute to the former WQAX, its Indiana student staff (now alumni), and the Bloomington area that it served.

2006 - WIUX is born and signs on at 100.3 FM, operated and programmed by IU students,

External Links

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