WDFM — Penn State’s First Student Radio Station

The History of WDFM at Penn State University

WDFM was endowed as the Senior Gift of the Class of 1951 and finally went on the air in 1953. Under the School of Communications, WDFM was staffed by undergraduates but overseen by faculty members. Content on the airwaves of the station was somewhat strictly regulated, focusing primarily on classical and jazz programming for community listeners.

WDFM’s studio was located in the Sparks Building. By 198[1/2], the call letters of the student radio station at Penn State were officially changed from WDFM to WPSU. Student Radio entered a new era in Happy Valley.