WHPK is the 100-Watt Chicago radio station licensed to the University of Chicago, broadcasting at 88.5 FM and streaming on the web at whpk.org.
The WHPK call sign stands for Woodlawn, Hyde Park, Kenwood, the south side neighborhoods at the heart of the station’s broadcast range.
WHPK’s studios are in Mitchell Tower in the Reynolds Club campus building at 5706 South University Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60615.
The record library live room studio—and likely the production and air studios—were previously a studio for the University’s Radio Office, where it produced The University of Chicago Round Table from 1931. That show aired nationally on NBC from 1933 to 1955.
The station’s office was donated by the secret society of the Owl and Serpent when it formally disbanded in 1968 and allocated “its remaining funds towards the purchase of an FM transmitter.”
WHPK is the FM successor to the University’s AM carrier-current WUCB radio station, which broadcast from Burton-Judson Courts on the far side of the Midway Plaisance from 1946 until it relocated to the Mitchell Tower studio in 1959.
Website: whpk.org
Related tags: radio, FM radio, radio funding, University of Chicago, Chicago
A small update on the WHPK funding situation from Block Club Chicago
J.R. Nelson and Leor Galil in yesterday’s “Gossip Wolf” column: In April, the student-run Program Coordinating Council, which allocates student government money every year, gave WHPK $20,600 for its next annual budget—about 35 percent of its $57,490 request. … This year the council covered only operating costs, so WHPK needs help—it wants the university to … Read more
Fighting for Chicago’s place in hip-hop history: Darrell “Artistic” Roberts of Chi-ROCK Nation has worked to document the culture he loves for more than three decades—and now he’s finally publishing a book (Chicago Reader cover story by Leor Galil):
Roberts learned about WHPK from a neighbor. “He said he heard some rap. He said it was unusual—because he heard cursing on there.”
“You fucking dumb mediocre plank!” – Mark E. Smith himself (requested by Peter, Isaac, and Ed, all former DJ’s)
My favorite single comment in the WHPK record library, “signed Lord Marquis E. Smith” in response to the hilarious “Rule where? Slovenia? This is solid Fall, yes, but love must be deaf as well as blind ‘cause Mark’s wife [Brix] sure can’t sing””