WBSD

WBSD (89.1 FM) is a high school radio station licensed to serve Burlington, Wisconsin, US. The station is owned by the Burlington Area School District and operated by the staff and students of Burlington High School.^[1] The station's studios are on the current Burlington High School campus but the transmitter site is at Karcher Middle School which is housed in the former Burlington High School building.^[2] The current General Manager, Thomas Gilding, began managing the station in mid-2009 becoming only the third General Manager in the station's history after Arlo Ketchpaw and the station's founder, Wisconsin Broadcasters' Association Hall of Fame Member, Terry Havel.

WBSD

Burlington, Wisconsin
Frequency	89.1 MHz
Branding	89 WBSD
Programming
Format	High School/AAA
Ownership
Owner	Burlington Area School District
History
First air date	April 7, 1975
Call sign meaning	Burlington School District
Technical information
Facility ID	7837
Class	A
ERP	210 watts
HAAT	28 meters (92 feet)
Transmitter coordinates	42°40′14″N 88°16′18″W
Links
Webcast	WBSD Webstream
Website	WBSD Online

Programming

WBSD broadcasts a community-oriented adult album alternative (aka "Triple A") music format.^[3][4] The station broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.^[1] In addition to its usual music programming, WBSD airs live play-by-play broadcasts of Burlington High School sporting events.

Student involvement

Burlington High School offers a number of classes to help familiarize students with radio station operations, FCC regulations, and broadcasting best practices. The "Broadcasting 1" class allows students to get licensed by the Federal Communications Commission and gives them their first chance of being on the air. The "Broadcasting 2" class gives students experience in recording and producing radio shows. The advanced "Broadcast Seminar" class teaches students more advanced radio skills and puts students in charge of the day-to-day operation of WBSD.

History

WBSD first broadcast on April 7, 1975, under the direction of general manager and broadcasting teacher Terry Havel.^[5] In 2008, shortly after stepping down as general manager of WBSD, Havel was recognized with induction into the Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame for his work at WBSD and across Wisconsin.^[6]

More than four dozen WBSD alumni have gone on to careers in commercial broadcasting, including disc jockeys in Milwaukee and across the country, station management, and Kelly Kahl who is the Senior Executive Vice President of Programming Operations for CBS Television.^[6][7]

See also

• List of community radio stations in the United States

References

1. Sweeney, Nicole (July 23, 2004). "Junior DJs: Burlington High students calling the tunes for more than school". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
2. Dowd, Helena (June 11, 2000). "High school is set for a new home, new attitude". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
3. "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
4. Dudek, Duane (May 7, 1993). "When it comes to good music, local stations find alternatives". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
5. Killackey, Brent (April 17, 2005). "High school radio station has a remarkable first 30 years". Wisconsin State Journal. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012.
6. "Hall of Fame: Terry Havel". Wisconsin Broadcasters Association. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
7. Hoehne, Mary Rita (April 11, 1999). "Station alumni work all over the country". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

External links

• 89 WBSD Online
• Facility details for Facility ID 7837 (WBSD) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WBSD in Nielsen Audio's FM station database