WWRM's Renaissance at Randolph College

In spite of all of the gloom and doom stories about radio these days, my optimism for college radio remains strong. This week's Lynchburg News Advance story about Randolph College station WWRM is a nice reminder that college radio perseveres. Like many stations, WWRM (aka "The Worm") has been through its highs and lows over the years, but seems to be on an upswing. According to the article:

"Shows on the censorship-free station run the gamut from indie rock and zombie music to sports talk and poetry readings. Students can talk about whatever they want, as long as they do not slander members of the Randolph College community. And any music is fine, as long as it’s not pirated...

This fall, WWRM experienced a renaissance, growing from a handful of inconsistent shows to 47 deejays putting on 28 live shows a week...

'Radio definitely is a dying art, but I think that’s part of the appeal maybe on this campus,' [student manager Sarah] Kreiger said...

The studio dates back to when the station was founded in the 1960s. The musty brown rug and a collection of about 2,000 vinyl records have survived the decades..."

According to WWRM's website, the online-only station originally broadcast over AM carrier-current, then through cable TV at Randolph-Macon Woman's College. The complete history of the station is a bit of a mystery, although it looks like campus radio dates back to at least the 1950s. A 1950s station with the call letters WAVA was based at the college, but, somewhere around 1957 the call letters and some equipment was sold off, perhaps evolving into WWRM.