KWSB said it’s given thousands of students the chance to sit down at a microphone, speak to a live audience, and change the trajectory of their careers.
GUNNISON, Colo. — A western Colorado radio station is ending its FM signal after nearly 57 years.
KWSB 91.1 FM “The Penguin” announced Monday it will transition from its FM broadcast to a streaming-only digital platform.
The student-run on-campus radio station at Western Colorado University has operated in the Gunnison Valley since 1968.
“The move is a nod to the realities of operating a federally licensed radio station and broader changes in the media landscape,” the university said in a statement. “It’s a change that’s both necessary and focused on the future, the station’s leaders say.”
“This project is essential and a real ‘step in time’ given how media has evolved,” said longtime faculty advisor Dr. Terry Schliesman, who has been involved with the station from 2001 to 2021. “‘Broadcasting’ is now a world of content creation delivered to the phone. As part of Western’s School of the Arts, KWSB joins the rest of the student-centered media that’ve gone digital in the last decade or so.”
KWSB has streamed online at KWSB.org since the mid-2000s, the university said.
Western Colorado University said that by moving to a streaming-only platform, the university eliminates the costs of FM broadcasting while freeing up funds to reinvest in studio equipment, maintenance, and student programming.
