ABOUT

“The Brown Network” began in 1936 as the first student-run radio station in the country. It was a carrier-current AM station broadcasting to Brown dorms. Eventually the station’s name was changed to “WBRU-AM.” In 1966, some of the station’s members secured a loan from the University and founded the radio station WBRU-FM (95.5), while others continued the student-oriented AM tradition. WBRU-FM became a commercial corporation, financially and legally separate from Brown University, while WBRU-AM continued to operate for the Brown community and surrounding areas in the college radio tradition. The AM signal in time became virtually inaudible.

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During the mid-1990s, a few students worked to find a new, more audible outlet for those still broadcasting in the older, experimental, student tradition. In 1997, WBRU-AM became “Brown Student Radio” (BSR) and started broadcasting on WELH-FM (88.1). WELH-FM, owned by the Wheeler School, was sold to another organization in 2010, leaving BSR to broadcast solely on bsrlive.com.

 

In 2018, BSR obtained a low-power FM license. As WBRU-FM had sold their signal the year prior, BSR obtained the call signal WBRU-LP. BSR is now broadcasting on 101.1 FM, online, and through an upcoming mobile app.​​ Today, we are the only FM radio station on campus, staying true to our roots in traditional freeform college radio. Students, faculty, and community members all host cross-genre music shows, podcasts, and talk shows, allowing for a truly free creative outlet for the Providence community. We are officially partnered with PCR and AS220.