91.3 WYSO
A Center for Media and Storytelling
Founded by Antioch College students in 1958, 91.3 WYSO is the flagship National Public Radio (NPR) member station for the Miami Valley and the Greater Dayton area. The station develops a wide range of programming in house and carries content from NPR, American Public Media, and PRX.
Antioch students engage with WYSO in a variety of impactful ways including Co-ops and other job opportunities, and developing 21st century media literacy and production skills required for effective storytelling on digital platforms.
A professional working radio station and media laboratory located on the Antioch College campus.
Antioch College and WYSO
Launched by Antioch students Terry Herndon ’57, Ed Richard ’59, and Harold Roeth ’61 in 1958, WYSO began broadcasting with 19 watts of power with four hours of air time each day. Programming was creative and experimental—at first produced entirely by students and faculty then growing to include dedicated staff in the early 1970s—and the station figured squarely into the nascent community and public radio movement. WYSO was the starting point for many who’ve gone on to remarkable media careers including Carol Greenwald, John McChesney, and Randy Thom.
WYSO now broadcasts 24/7 with 50,000 watts of power, reaching fourteen counties in southwest Ohio with a potential audience of nearly two million. Owned and operated by the College for five decades, today, WYSO belongs to the community after the College establish an independent nonprofit organization to assume ownership. “When WYSO was launched in 1958 by Antioch College students, it was always our intention that the station would someday belong to the community,” says Ed Richard ’59.
Among the many ways that Antioch College and WYSO continue to work together is through The Eichelberger Center for Community Voices, a media training center. Since 2010, the Center has trained more than 200 people including Antioch College students, faculty, alumni, and community members.
