I felt nostalgia for so many different eras of college radio during a visit to Sarah Lawrence College’s student-run radio station WSLC in Bronxville, New York. Located in beautiful Bates Hall, built in 1928 as one of the college’s first buildings, the station’s large windows afford DJs fresh air and a view of the lush campus. A black and white studio photo on the wall is a reminder of the station’s beginnings as carrier current station W-SLC launched by students over 640AM on February 4, 1946. At the time Sarah Lawrence was a women’s college, putting Radio Sarah Lawrence in the company of a small number of 1940s college radio stations led by women.
College Radio Station WSLC Launched by Students in 1946
An October 1945 article in The Campus talks about the origins of the station, writing, “A proposal for Sarah Lawrence to have its own radio station, presently known as Radio Sarah Lawrence, will come before the student body in the next all-student meeting. Alison Stacey and Leni Keir originated the idea and are seeking student support.” Apparently they encountered naysayers along the way, with, The Campus reporting in 1947 that Radio Sarah Lawrence “…was originally built because Harvard laughed at Sarah Lawrence and said ‘Sarah Lawrence couldn’t build or run a radio station, the students would be far too busy polishing their nails and meeting under the clock.'”
Radio Drifts Away and Returns in the Late 1990s
An active radio station that aired poetry, music, comedy, and even a rebroadcast of a campus talk by Eleanor Roosevelt (in 1951), WSLC seems to have drifted away within just a few years. Students made efforts to launch FM stations in the late 1970s and early 1980s and explored starting an AM station in the early 1990s. By 1998, students were honing in on the idea of doing a radiating cable station, along the lines of what college radio station WAKE FM at Wake Forest University was doing at the time. An early WSLC website from 1998 states that, “This system will allow us to broadcast to an area of about five hundred feet away from any on-campus building.”
And, then, by summer 1999, a new WSLC was built in the basement of Robinson and began broadcasting to the campus over 105.7 FM, radiating cable and then “through streaming audio,” according to a 2000 post on Sarah Lawrence’s early student-run server, Raptor. By January 2013, the station operated from the basement of the communications building (presumably Robinson) and was broadcasting online from 5pm to 2am. And, then, by fall 2013, WSLC had moved to the second floor of Bates, where the station remains today.
Peeking at WSLC through a Porthole in 2023
Decades later, the current iteration of WSLC broadcasts out of the same building where the station began 77 years ago. From the Bates hallway, one can peek through a small porthole window and spy Shaun Cassidy and Belle and Sebastian posters hanging on baby blue walls. The radio studio set-up is in full view, with a retro wooden-framed grayish blue dorm couch against one wall. Most dramatic of all is the bright, multicolored abstract patterned carpet that is so iconic that it inspired a WSLC sticker design.
Returning from COVID with Packed Schedule and Live Events
The streaming radio station airs 64 weekly shows, with an impressive roster of 74 DJs. WSLC Operations Manager Henry Burch said that the “packed schedule” during the 2022-2023 school year is a marked improvement from the prior year, which was still very much under the cloud of COVID-19 fears and restrictions. He explained that “COVID really crippled the station,” especially because people were forced to isolate from others. In turn, that made it more difficult to develop a sense of community at WSLC.
On an upswing, WSLC has been working hard since last spring to not only revamp the station, but to also do more events. Flyers were posted all over campus for a show happening the day after my visit. Connecticut queercore band Space Camp and New Jersey “weirdo hardcore” band Final Resting Pose played at the Black Squirrel (a former student hangout, but now a classroom) at Sarah Lawrence. Burch expressed excitement for the event and explained that WSLC is still figuring out which campus spaces work best for shows.
An event in February with “hyper pop” artist Gabby Start and Lux Deluxe was held in MacCracken Dance Studio. Flyers alerted attendees: “Shoes Off!,” in an attempt to protect the dance studio floor. Burch said that they’ve been doing around a show a month, with increasing success and “positive feedback.” He added that not only is it great to be able to see live music at Sarah Lawrence, but that these shows are also helping to build the WSLC community AND bring a feeling of community back to the campus at large.
Thriving College Radio Community in 2023
Meanwhile, inside the station, there are also signs of a thriving community. A WSLC log book sits on the desk, filled with handwritten playlists and doodles. An intentional tool to get DJs interacting with one another, its pages highlight the creativity and personality of WSLC participants. And it’s a big change from Burch’s first year at the station in the 2021-2022 school year, which he described as being a more “individual” experience. At the time he hosted the last show of the night, “Old World Underground,” and his only human interaction was with the DJ before him.
Appreciation for Physical Music at WSLC
In addition to working to build connections between DJs and the campus, WSLC has also made studio improvements. Expanding its library of physical music, the station has also revamped its equipment so that DJs can play vinyl records again (in addition to cassettes, CDs and digital music). The station’s small collection of LPs is on a shelf with plastic record dividers labeled “disco,” “soundtracks,” “jazz” and “80s synth pop bullshit.”
Black shelves house CDs, with more in boxes. Burch worked with WSLC’s General Manager Sam Wojcik to augment the collection. He said that maybe half of the DJs are using physical music, but noted that this has been steadily increasing. He pointed out that all the DJs have been trained on how to use physical media and that more have been getting comfortable with playing records and CDs.
Already a radio veteran when he arrived at Sarah Lawrence, Burch said, “I think physical music is an important part of the radio experience.” While in high school, he DJ’d at community radio station WXNA in Nashville, telling me that that’s where he “fell in love” with radio. That experience prompted him to join WSLC his first year of college. Whereas in high school he played a big variety of music on his shared show; at WSLC he’s tried to develop themes for each of his radio programs. Last year he showcased independent music, playing material that may not have been as familiar to listeners.
Variety of Shows at WSLC
Although Burch’s show last year leaned more indie, WSLC programs run the gamut. Burch said that they try to get DJs to play material that’s “more out there,” but that the schedule is “diverse,” with DJs playing “everything,” without many restrictions. Being a streaming radio station, they also have the freedom to play some material that FCC-regulated stations shy away from. Burch said that each DJ works to put forth a show that is unique and an extension of the host’s personality.
The current WSLC schedule includes shows playing “pop music from the left of center,” dark folk, country, heavy sounds, music by black artists, music made by women, “meteorological music,” shoegaze, music by Canadian artists, alternative and indie music by Latinx artists, and more. Show names are also reflective of the diversity and creativity of show hosts. “Eyebrows R Overrated,” “James Joyce was a Punk Rocker,” “Lady Bird Complex,” “The Radiation Exposure Surveillance NonForProfit (RESN)” (with DJ Leaking and Pooling & DJ Ooze), and “music to listen to anywhere but the airport” are a few of the highlights.
As I wrapped up my visit, Burch reflected on why WSLC is such a special place, telling me that he’d made some of his best friends there. “It feels so good to be part of a radio community,” he said, adding, “I feel like I’m supposed to be here.”
Thanks to WSLC + More Radio Station Tours
Thanks so much to Henry Burch for showing me around WSLC and to Sarah Lawrence College Archivist Christina Kasman for providing me with materials related to WSLC history! This is my 171st radio station tour report and my 113th college radio station recap. View all my radio station visits in numerical order or by station type in our archives. Stay tuned for additional tours from my East Coast travels.
