WMPH

WMPH.org is named after Super 91.7 WMPH FM, whose history goes back over forty years. Founded at the Wilmington Mount Pleasant High School in 1969, the station started out playing “non-commercial rock.” Ron Krauss led the student initiative to get the station off the ground, while Ron Webster was the faculty adviser. Together, students and faculty created a small but powerful bastion of progressive rock and hits, symbolizing the spirit of both the age and of high-schoolers in general. The station’s original broadcasting power was 1.52 watts, but upgraded to 28.2 watts in 1975.The station was run by students during its early years. Many of these broadcasters went on to radio broadcasting careers, including Joy VanderLek (Connecticut Radio Network), Mike Rossi (WSTW 93.7 FM), and Leigh Jacobs (Clear Channel Radio). Broadway and television actor John Dossett, who appeared in popular performances of Ragtime and Gypsy, was also a student broadcaster for his four years at the school.The station went on a period of hiatus for the first time shortly after Dossett’s tenure. The station was restarted in the early 1990s, led by a professional and paid manager. The station was also moved to new studios, bringing it up to 100 watts ERP. The new studio was located on the first floor of the former Mt. Pleasant School District building at the intersection of Washington Street Extension and Marsh Road.In its most recent form, WMPH programmed a continuous Dance music format, playing remixes of popular songs by Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Hilary Duff, and more. In 2007, WMPH boycotted the musicFirst Coalition for one month. The Coaliton proposed that radio station pay artists for the rights to play their songs.School budget cuts caused the station to go off-air in 2010, although the online Dance Radio Network continues to play, and the station is expected to return sometime in 2011. In the meantime, check this website for all your dance-music-related needs. This site is not run by anyone affiliated with WMPH.