Macalester College Radio collection

The history of Macalester College radio starts long before the FM years. The students and staff of Macalester presented on various local stations such as WMIN, WCCO, and KTSP beginning in the late 1920s. In 1946, MCBS (Macalester College Broadcast System) was installed, a campus only "wired wireless" system that operated through the dormitory fusebox circuits. Soon after, Macalester decided to finance its own over-the-air station. One of the first college radio stations in the state (with the hoped for call letters being (WFIM: W - First in Minnesota), the WBOM 630 (We Broadcast Over Macalester) studio was constructed in the attic of Weyerhaeuser in 1947 (with a grand opening in 1948) where it remained until 1957 when the station was dissolved.

On February 5th, 1960, KMCL 550 went on air broadcasting from 4pm until midnight, from a room in Dayton Hall and later moved to 206 in the Student Union in 1966, playing mainly folk and jazz. And then "at some indistinct point in the summer of 1968, KMCL, the electrified albatross of the 2nd floor of the student union died." and was renamed to KMAC. KMAC continued on through the seventies, with the station building up a collection of records, equipment, and notoriety.

In 1978, WMCN received FCC approval to build an FM studio with money obtained from Macalester’s Community Council and other campus organizations that were sympathetic to the cause—the Macalester administration providing no funds. WMCN 91.7 FM went on the air on October 6, 1979 at 10 PM with a ‘Switch Hitter’s Ball’ featuring three bands (Hypstrz, Mutuals, Jinx) broadcasting from the union in celebration. Initially broadcasting 24 hours a day with around 60 DJs, WMCN focused on ‘progressive rock, new wave, jazz and country-rock music.’

WMCN is a low power station and has a broadcast radius of roughly 2.5 to 3 miles The freeform programming is hosted by student disc jockeys and the station only operates during the school's terms. Students are required to complete training sessions to familiarize themselves with the station's music library, policies, and broadcast equipment before they are permitted on the air.

WMCN provides Macalester and its surrounding community with music from various genres including rock, Americana, world, jazz, hip-hop, electronic, and classical as well as talk radio programming.

(sourced and quoted from The Mac Weekly, Wikipedia, WMCN.com)