Memories of WBRU in the 1960s

These pages were started in December 2004 in response to interest by the staff of the former BSR (Brown Student Radio) in historical archives of their sister station, WBRU FM, in Providence, RI.

In the fall of 1964, when I entered Brown University as a Freshman, WBRU AM, which had been around since 1936 as the oldest college radio station in the nation, was planning the birth of WBRU FM, a 20,000 watt commercial FM station. WBRU-AM continued to operate, playing mostly rock; but the FM station had to tread lightly in the political waters and shied away from rock, playing primarily "Big Band" and "Popular" music, though some called it schmaltz (especially in the evening)! Some time periods were devoted to jazz, classical, folk, and other music styles, along with news and Brown University sports. I was the Program Director in those early days of 'BRU FM, which went on the air in February 1966 and was sold in August 2017, to be reinvented as an advanced digital media workshop at wbru.com (logo above left).

I offer this collection of 'BRU memorabilia for all interested parties. Fred Brack, '68, Raleigh, NC

NOTE: The following people have been contacted so far (and acknowledged receipt in the order shown) regarding creation of this site. Those with an asterisk (*) after their names have contributed historical pictures or sound clips or main text. Mark Jordan*, Suzanne Schaffner Borstein*, Jack Edmonston*, Peter Tannenwald*, Les Blatt*, Charlie Sokoloff, Barb Bertsch Boyd, Don Berns, Jerry Hubeny*, Rich Brodsky, Ralph Begleiter, Andy Fisher, Janet Levy, Art Norwalk, Larry Maier, John Leistritz, Paul Payton*, Bob Mulholland, Harlan Hurwitz, Ken Ribet, Jim Brennan, Valerie Raymond, Roger Norton, George Hyde, Rich Barna, Ginger Heinbockel Ignatoff, Jon Cowan, Bob Cope, Jim Schantz, Jack Rose, Rob Sloan, Pete Leonard, Jack Liebmann, Don Harris*, Dave Pearce, Donna Bird, Adam Blistein, Dan Schneider, Peter Dursin, Sam Merrell, Fred Mattfield, John Hall, Vito Perillo, Jon Kertzer, Mike Kornblum, Tom Corddry, Dave Ogden, Rick Pike, Fred Taylor, Ronnie Dane, Moe Shore, Jon Elion, Linda Akerstrom Graham, Paul Gregutt, Lynette Pflanz Blake, Bob Weaver. We are still looking for or have not heard from: Dave Corry, John Meier, Curt Hahn, Paul Forest, Doug Shafner, Joe Ondrick, Wendy Judge Tuller, Ed Tuller, Sandy Arnn, Jake Smith, Alan Blitzblau, Welles Sumner, Elliot Tarlin, Paul Downing, and a few others.

Station History	The History of WBRU FM Pre-1960 WBRU AM History Celebrating WBRU FM Going On The Air Program Guide from April 1966 Pembroke Record Article, November 1966 BAM Article, February 1967, "Confident Anniversary" BAM Article, October 1981, "Calling all Houses and Dormitories" Liber Brunensis Articles Ferguson Jones Reminiscences of the Good Old Days at 'BRU - from the 60s alumni The Sale of WBRU FM and More History (Wikipedia)
Sound Clips	Music '67 Demo - a demo for potential advertisers, and a good record of what kind of programs were offered in 1967 FM Production - Station IDs, Promos, Intros, and PSAs AM Production - Promos, Intros, Ads, and PSAs AM Stan Freberg TB/Emphysema PSAs Expo 67 - some photos and sound clips of our interviews at the World's Fair in Montreal, Canada Air-Check Clips
Photos	Studio Photos Staff Photos Sports (with sound clip) Election Night 1968 Press Passes Miscellaneous
Keeping In Touch	Where Are They Now? - what happened to those '60s 'BRU alumni? Nov '23 June 2005 WBRU Reunion (with photos) Read the WBRU Group Forum on Google Post a Message to the WBRU Group Forum View or Join "I Worked at WBRU" on Facebook Recent Group Photos - what these characters look like closer to today!
Related Off-Site Links	WBRU - the website (and station) today Radio Links of Interest to Visitors to This Website Google Search for "WBRU" Brown Alumni Online - register or update your profile at Brown