| Broadcast area | Rockford College Campus |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 640 kHz |
| First air date | March 17, 1963 |
| Format | Freeform |
| Callsign meaning | Rockford College Radio |
| Affiliations | Intercollegiate Broadcasting System |
| Owner | Rockford College Student Government |
| Website | wrcr.radiohistory.net |
WRCR was a carrier current college radio station at Rockford College, Rockford, Illinois. It was conceived by a group of students in the fall of 1962.[1] On December 20, 1962, the establishment of a radio station on campus was approved by Rockford College Board of Trustees.[2] The Executive Board of Rockford College Student Government recognized WRCR as a communications medium on February 5, 1963, and WRCR began regular carrier current broadcasting on March 17, 1963, from room 206 in Nelson Hall.[3]
In the Fall of 1964, WRCR moved to a larger space on the first floor of Burpee Center.[4] Then in the Fall of 1970 the station moved to custom designed studios in the lower level of the new Burpee Center addition.[5][6] In 1985 the college needed the space in lower Burpee and WRCR was again on the move. The new location was three rooms in the former Lang Infirmary.[7] By 1993 as the college population changed from primarily residential to half-commuter student body, it became more and more difficult to staff the radio station. WRCR ceased broadcasting in the Spring of 1995.[8]
Among the students broadcasting on WRCR in the 1960s was Henry "Bart" Bartholomay.[9]
On January 21, 2011, broadcasting returned to the Rockford College Campus via a Live365 stream of Rockford College Radio.[10]
