WMPH

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WMPH radio (Super 91.7) is Delaware's first high school radio station, located in Wilmington. The Brandywine School District Board of Education owns the license granted by the FCC. The call letters WMPH stand for Mount Pleasant High and offers a Dance format.

[edit] History

Broadcasting at 91.7 FM since 1969, when station was founded by a group of Mt. Pleasant High School students including Ron Krauss. In the 1970s it was known at "The non-commercial Rock". Originally began broadcasting with 1.52 watts effective radiated power from a tower atop the school. In 1975 the station upped its output to 28.2 watts ERP. WMPH reaches over a half million potential listeners in Wilmington and surrounding communities. Located at Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington, WMPH serves as part of the Broadcast Learning Center of the Brandywine School District.

In the station's heyday in the 1970s it was known as "The Non-Commercial Rock" with a format including Top 40 hits and Progressive Rock. The station was entirely operated by Mount Pleasant High School students many of which went on to careers in the radio broadcasting industry. Original studios were in the basement of the high school. The station kept broadcasting hours before the school day with announcers such as "The Dutchman" Guy Vanderlek and "Big Al" Ingalls. After the school day the station would sign back on at 3 PM with more student announcers including Joy Vanderlek (now an air talent at Conneticut Radio Network), Bruce Weiner, Steve Streiker, David Mackenzie, Steve Balick, Leigh Jacobs, Mike Schwartz (to name a very few. Well known Broadway actor John Dossett was an announcer (1972-1976) while a student at Mt. Pleasant.

After the 1970s the station went off the air for a period of years after student interest waned. In the early 1990s after the Brandywine School District was reorganized due to Federal Court action to enact a desegregation plan the station restarted operations with a paid professional mananger. The station was moved to new studios in the space formerly occupied by the Mt. Pleasant School District on the first level of the Mt. Pleasant High School building at the intersection of Washington Street Extension and Marsh Road in the Brandywine Hundred area of Wilmington, Delaware.

During the last 40 years the station has been a training ground for many aspiring broadcasters. Alumni include WSTW's Mike Rossi and Clear Channel Radio executive Leigh Jacobs.

WMPH is also one of two non-commercial stations owned by school districts in the United States that programs a continuous Dance music format, KNHC/Seattle, Washington is the other.