JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Sept. 29, 2021) – The Edge 89.5 HD4, the student-run radio station of East Tennessee State University, will host its grand opening celebration in its new D.P. Culp Student Center studios on Friday, Oct. 1, at noon, as part of World College Radio Day.
The day’s programming will begin with a ceremony at the studio, located on the second level of the Culp Center.
The Edge is relocating from its former home in Warf-Pickel Hall to the Student Media Center.
“The new Edge space is an incredible opportunity for students,” said Erika McCluskey, Edge station manager and Student Media Center graduate assistant. “It really puts radio right in front of the people and brings a lot of attention to the work we put our heart into. I’m looking forward to the amazing content and work that’s going to be produced there.”
“The visibility the new studio brings to The Edge is just amazing,” adds Don Armstrong, director of Student Media. “It’s going to serve students well for many years to come.”
The Edge began in the 1960s as WETS-AM and was housed in the Student Center (now called the Campus Center Building) and was directed by the Speech Department. The station was then housed in Gilbreath Hall before moving in the 1970s to the now-demolished Cooper Annex under the direction of Thomas Headley.
In 1974, WETS-FM was established as a public radio station. When Cooper Annex was slated for demolition in the early 1980s, WETS-AM moved to the fifth floor and later to the first floor of Warf-Pickel Hall, where it lived until its move this year to the Student Media Center in the Culp Center.
In 1995, Candy Bryant was hired to help with the radio station. Two students, Josh Brandon and Crystal Carter, approached Bryant with an idea to rebrand the station to avoid confusion with WETS-FM and an idea for a complete image and music makeover to bring alternative music into the Tri-Cities market. From these two creators, The Edge was born in 1997, and the station continues to grow and serve the market with alternative music.
The station received a stronger voice when WETS-FM allocated an HD frequency and became The Edge 89.5 HD4. It also utilizes internet radio with such apps as TuneIn.
“As we observe College Radio Day on October 1 with radio stations worldwide, The Edge is proud to present our new studios and honor all of our alumni who have worked to help the station grow, never gave up the dream of what it could be, and have given so much of themselves throughout the years,” said Bryant. “This year’s theme is so appropriate for The Edge: ‘Resilient Radio: In tough times, we thrive.’”
For more information, email Erika McCluskey, The Edge station manager, at mccluskeye@etsu.edu. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346.