WRTC
WRTC is a non-commercial radio station owned by Trinity, which first went on-air in 1947. It is run by students, alumni, staff, and Hartford community members. The studio has been located on the ground level of High Rise Hall since 1993, after moving from Cook Hall. The very first airing of the station took place in Jarvis Hall, with four students sharing a single microphone and equipment that they had bought themselves.
The early years of WRTC featured a variety of music, educational, and sport programs, as well as performances by student groups, including the Pipes, the Trinidads, and the Jesters. During the 1960s, educational programs expanded, broadcasting lectures focusing on English literature called “Classroom Unlimited.”
One of the most notable guests featured on the station was Robert Frost, whose speech was broadcast in October 1962, along with an interview the WRTC had with him.
The 1970s saw the addition of the program Thought Power following sit-ins at the station by Black students in an effort to have their voices heard on campus. The resulting program debuted in 1975 and had an Afrocentric theme, playing jazz, R&B, and funk music, and showcasing poetry, spoken word, and educational programming.
The modern WRTC broadcasts 24 hours a day, every day of the year at 89.3 MHz, and the 300-watt radio can be picked up from Hartford to as far as the Massachusetts border. WRTC has also introduced a live broadcast online, making the channel accessible to listen to through the Internet.