Overview
WMPH (91.7 FM, "Super 91.7") is Delaware's first high school radio station, located in Wilmington. The Brandywine School District Board of Education owns the license granted by the FCC. The call letters WMPH stand for Mount Pleasant High and offered several program formats including Top 40, progressive rock, dance and now classic and alternative music. WMPH signed off the air on June 11, 2010 but has since been totally renovated and came back on-air at full power on June 3, 2011 in a classic/alternative rock, jazz and community based format.
In 2014, WMPH partnered with Delaware First Media, which owns and operates the NPR affiliate WDDE in Dover, to create Delaware Public Media. WMPH carries NPR programming during morning and afternoon drive times.
History
Jesse Morris, Class of 1968, was running for the Mount Pleasant Senior High School student council. On the Morris Ticket was the proposal for a student-run low power radio station. The radio station was initially proposed in May 1967 prior to the student council election. The student council election was held on May 20, 1967. Jesse Morris was elected Student Council President for the Class of 1968. On May 23, Robert Huber (also Class of 1968) was appointed radio station manager and project coordinator. The school administration were helpful and supportive of this ambitious project. On February 19, 1968, the Mount Pleasant Board of Education submitted the FCC application. The FCC issued a non-commercial FM low power educational radio station construction permit to the school board on October 15, 1968. This was the first permit of its kind to be granted for the State of Delaware. WMPH radio first signed on the air October 1, 1969. The faculty advisor was Ron Webster under the direction of school district administrator Jack Vinokur.
WMPH began broadcasting with 1.52 watts effective radiated power from a tower atop the school. In 1975 the station increased its output to 28.2 watts ERP. WMPH reaches over a half million potential listeners in Wilmington Delaware and surrounding communities. In 1980 the station increased its output to 100 watts ERP and replaced its horizontally polarized antenna with a circularly polarized antenna for better reception on car radios. Located at Mount Pleasant High School and part of the Brandywine School District, WMPH currently broadcasts at 100 watts ERP and serves as part of the Broadcast Learning Center of Mount Pleasant High School.
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