The UnUsual Supects presents College Rock Radio of the late 1980’s 10/12/2025
AZ and the UnUsual Supects Max Bravo, Greg Drunken Duncan, Liz Ubell and Ellen the Felon revisits 1980’s College Radio
Alex and Liz are both WPTS-FM alumni originally evolved from WPGH, an AM carrier current station that broadcast to the Pitt Student Union and dormitories. WPGH was started in the fall of 1957 by 12 students, including Adrian Cronauer, whose experiences in Vietnam were made famous by Robin Williams in the movie Good Morning, Vietnam. Since then, WPGH is now the call letters of the Fox TV station in Pittsburgh. The push to get an FM station began in the fall of 1977 when Pitt requested a space on the commercial FM broadcast band. Because the Federal Communications Commission was concerned that the move of WPTS to FM might set an unfavorable precedent for other non-commercial stations seeking to make a similar move, Pitt had to reassure the FCC that WPTS-FM was a unique case. As a result, WPTS-FM was granted a class D license with a radiating power of 10 Watts in the fall of 1984, the last 10-Watt station to be licensed by the FCC. The station was originally on 98.5 until 1994, when it moved to the current frequency.
In 2009, 2012, 2013, and 2015 WPTS was nominated as one of the five to ten finalists for the mtvU Woodie Award for best college radio station in the United States. WPTS was awarded the Woodie Award in 2015.
Songs Include:
“You’ll Dance to Anything” Dead Milkmen
“Birdhouse in Your Soul” They Might Be Giants
“Little Girls” Oingo Boingo.
“J.A.P. Rap” 2 Live Jews
“Where The Hells My Money!!!” Mojo Mixon
“Mexican Radio” Wall Of Voodoo
“Shiny Shiny” Haysi Fantayzee
“White Punks on Dope” Nina Hagen
plus KISS TRIVIA
visit Liz here: www.tiktok.com/following?lang=en
WPTS WEBSITE www.wpts.pitt.edu