WGRE Now Reaches the World

February 2, 2001

February 2, 2001, Greencastle, Ind. - America's best college radio station and the nation's first 10-watt FM educational radio station, DePauw University's WGRE (91.5 FM), is celebrating another milestone. Effective Feb. 2, 2001, WGRE broadcasts can be heard over the Internet, 24 hours a day, at www.wgre.org/.

The nationally acclaimed, student managed and operated station recently purchased equipment allowing the station's signal to be put online via streaming audio. "We are delighted to be able to deliver our programming to various DePauw stakeholders around the world -- students studying off campus, DePauw parents, alums and even prospective DePauw students," said Jeffrey M. McCall, professor of communication arts and sciences and general manager of WGRE.

WGRE's storied history began on April 25, 1949, when, under the guidance of DePauw communications professors Elizabeth J. Turnell and Herold Ross, the station signed on with 10-watts of power. Over the years, WGRE has delivered music, news, live coverage of DePauw athletic events, convocations and other programming to car radios and living units on the DePauw campus and throughout Putnam County.

Among the many prominent American broadcasters and public figures whose roots can be traced to WGRE are: ABC News correspondent Jack McWethy '69; CNBC financial analyst Tim Tindall '89; Bayard "Bud" Walters '63, president of The Cromwell Group of broadcast stations; Indiana Secretary of State, Sue Anne Gilroy '70; Erik Sorenson '77, vice-president and general manager of MSNBC; WLS-TV Chicago news anchor Rob Johnson '90; and former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle '69.

In recent years, WGRE's signal has been increased to approximately 800 watts, making it possible to tune the station in as far away as Plainfield. The addition of an online component now means that people anywhere in the world can hear a DePauw football game live, be updated on the latest campus news or sample the eclectic musical tastes of today's DePauw student deejays. The Princeton Review ranks WGRE as the "number one college radio station in America." The DePauw station has also been a finalist for the National Association of Broadcasters Crystal Award three times. From its beginnings, WGRE has been completely student-run, with a student board of directors overseeing the operations. Today, about 200 DePauw students work at the radio station.

Dr. McCall, who serves as the station's faculty adviser and is an alumnus of the operation (and 1976 DePauw graduate), sums it up by saying,  "WGRE's success demonstrates the great things that can happen when students are empowered to use their own collective voice to entertain and inform an audience. The dedication of WGRE's student staff over the years has been amazing."

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