This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2007) |
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Broadcast area | Atlanta metropolitan area |
Frequency | 91.1 MHz (HD Radio) |
Branding | WREK Atlanta |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Format | College radio |
Ownership | |
Owner | Georgia Tech Radio Communications Board |
History | |
First air date | March 25, 1968 |
Call sign meaning | Ramblin' Wreck |
Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 54536 |
Class | C1 |
ERP | 100,000 watts |
HAAT | 102 metres (335 feet) |
Transmitter coordinates | 33°46′41″N 84°24′22″W / 33.77806°N 84.40611°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen live |
Website | www |
WREK (91.1 FM "Wreck", from the Ramblin' Wreck) is the radio station staffed by the students of the Georgia Institute of Technology. It is also located on channel 17 on the Georgia Tech cable TV network, GTCN. Starting as a 10-watt class D, WREK currently broadcasts a 100,000-watt ERP signal throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area, making it among the ten highest-powered college radio stations in the United States.
In 2007, WREK applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to increase its effective radiated power to the maximum power of 100,000 watts (from its former 40,000 watts) with a directional antenna pattern designed to avoid interference with specific distant stations (as required). This coverage increase was designed to greatly improve the radio station's coverage to encompass more of the Atlanta metropolitan area. That application was subsequently approved, and the station built out the improved coverage by replacing its antenna system in the fall of 2011.
In March 2008, WREK replaced its then 20-year-old transmitter with a brand new unit capable of three times the signal power and providing HD Radio capability. The addition of an HD Radio broadcast has made WREK among the first student-run, student-funded stations in the nation to add digital broadcasting capability.[2]