As the clock read midnight on Oct. 5, 2025, the FM signal for Beloit’s historic radio broadcast station WBCR-FM was cancelled. Standing at around 59 feet, the broadcaster remains in place behind Pearsons. The decision to end the broadcast comes after weeks of talks and negotiations regarding what to do after a problem was found with the transmitter. 

Finn Waterman, Beloit College senior and co-station manager, says, “We met with a station engineer in September, and we ran through what we would have to do if we wanted to keep the FM signal. It would mean stuff like maintaining an FCC public file… getting our license renewed and filing paperwork online. It’s just not stuff that can be done by students. On top of that, if we were willing to continue to do this, it was going to cost somewhere in the ballpark of $30,000 to repair the station. With our yearly budget being what it is, it was just way out of scope.” On Sept. 19, the Board of Trustees sent in an application with the FCC to cancel WBCR’s broadcast license, and 16 days later, the transmission was cut.

The station’s history stretches all the way back to 1907, when Dr. Charles Aaron Culver arrived in Beloit. Culver, a professor of physics who took a particularly strong interest in radio technology, was enormously productive in his time on campus. In 1908, he set up a radio telegraph assembly, a complete 1K-1 wireless station in daily operation by 1910, and according to a Round Table article from Feb. 14, 1913, took “…a step ahead of all other educational institutions in the world” by becoming the first to broadcast accurate time signals to all receiving stations within 100 miles of campus. Although Culver departed in 1920, his impact remained, and plans emerged for the college to establish its own station. In 1924, WEBW was realized, demonstrating enormous will from the board of Trustees and the community at large. 

However, it was far from smooth sailing from there. As radio technology and legislation both advanced, the station was many times made precarious and forced to adapt. The station moved from the fourth floor of Pearsons to the basement of now demolished Scoville Hall, circa 1948, the basement of Haven circa 1973, and finally completing the cycle in 1985, finding its original home again in Pearsons. 

Financial challenges have also significantly marked the history of Beloit College radio. The very first incarnation, WEBW, was set back by at least a year due to budget constraints, its fate in the balance all the while. After six years of broadcasting, the struggle of maintenance costs coupled with the Great Depression forced the college to sell the station off to the Wisconsin State Journal Company of Madison, leaving the burgeoning AM station idle for years. It wasn’t until two veterans and students Bob Penticoff’49 and Roger Brook’49 generated enough interest and resources to get the go ahead to build a new carrier-current station in 1947, now entitled WBCR. The school acquired WBNB from the Beloit Daily news in 1949 at a relatively modest price, although it soon became clear that this too would be subject to financial problems, and ceased broadcasting in early 1950. WBWR, formerly WBCR, remained on air, although continued to be woefully underfunded even in the face of budget increases. By 1953, several factors including the station being ordered off the air by the FCC for releasing too much power and new wiring work done on campus made it clear that radio was once again no longer economically viable. Despite the persistence of fiscal troubles, WBCR returned to campus in 1957, proving once again the resolve and adaptability of the station and its proponents. Over the course of a couple decades, WBCR switched buildings as well as signal, from AM to FM. Newer, stricter FCC regulations forced WBCR to change significantly. After a final move back to Pearsons in 1985, it seemed as if the station had finally found security.

In the present day, the future of the station is now being considered, while some mourn the historic and cultural loss of the FM signal. Cian McKeown’27, WBCR Co-station manager and co-host of two programs, says “The FM signal was just a super cool thing to be able to have… It wasn’t a very strong signal, but it’s one that has had a presence in the community. Obviously, our online setup can offer basically the same thing, but there is a certain historical authenticity in FM broadcasting which we significantly lose out on by not having the funds or infrastructure to maintain the signal anymore.”  Waterman adds, “WBCR has always been a haven for people looking to find alternative music that they wouldn’t otherwise hear on the airwaves in Beloit.”

Despite the major loss, a cautious sense of optimism remains for the new era of online broadcasting. “Online broadcasting is going to modernize our operation, bring a lot of people in, increase our accessibility, and allow us to get more funding for better equipment.” Says McKeown. Moreover, Waterman says “It’s about the community, and it’s about having that space on campus where you can just speak your mind. It’s not about filing FCC paperwork. So, I think our current system is sustainable and overall, a lot easier to navigate.”

As the college enters its next chapter, it is unclear what they will choose to take with it. Transformation and adaptation are both deeply rooted in Beloit College radio history. That the disappearance of the FM signal represents the end of an era is a sobering truth. Yet the determination of those committed to the broadcast and keeping the spirit of WBCR alive persists.

_{Featured image: Ethereal Messages}