Today we’d like to introduce you to WMRE Radio.
Hi WMRE, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
WMRE began as a low-budget idea in 1983, with call letters WEMO. In 1985 students began the laborious task of creating a modern radio station at Emory. After four years of persistent effort, on January 20, 1989, Emory’s student operated radio station, WMRE, the Voice of Emory, began broadcasting.
At first, WMRE was carried through a carrier current system throughout the university. The signal was only available to on-campus listeners, and was broadcast over 590AM. Due to neglect and maintenance problems, the cable connection deteriorated, and 590AM was soon nothing but a faint buzz through the speakers.
Soon thereafter, WMRE began broadcasting on Emory University’s Cable System. Although once again WMRE was only available to listeners on campus, it breathed new life into the station. On September 30, 1998, due to a dedicated staff, WMRE began broadcasting on the Internet through RealAudio and RealVideo.
In the Fall of 2008, WMRE made its long awaited move from the cramped, unventilated studio in the basement of Longstreet Hall to its spacious home in the Alumni Memorial University Center.
As society trended towards pocket-sized, portable content, WMRE adapted to college students’ media consumption habits. Over the years, WMRE’s broadcast format transitioned entirely to online streaming.
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down in 2020, WMRE took another hiatus. Three years later, a passionate executive board revamped the station with new equipment. WMRE went back on the air via internet stream in Fall 2023 — a testament to the resilience of college radio.
Today, WMRE broadcasts to a worldwide audience, and can be heard online at wmre.live. WMRE also publishes writing about music and culture online and in print in our zine Frequency.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not exactly, WMRE went on hiatus when the pandemic started and was not up and running until Fall of 2023. When most of the team (spring 2026 seniors) arrived on campus, WMRE was not really around. Some of the original members (Jackie, president, and others) completely restarted the club with new equipment and it has been streamed on the internet ever since. Now, the station runs fairly smoothly and we are focusing on extending our reach outside of Emory and to the rest of the Atlanta community. Since 2023, our DJ and Emory involvement has grown significantly, which we are super excited about!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We would describe ourselves as a creative campus organization at Emory University. We stream online (wmre.live) 24/7 with over 100 student DJs. The organization is entirely run by students as well. We also host creative events like CD burning or screen printing, we host concerts with local and national artists, and we interview artists. We recently have also been trying to promote local artists with release lists and show announcements through social media. Additionally, we co-host events with WRAS and WREK including college radio picnics, dinners, or other fun mixers.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
The success of WMRE is really rooted in the passion of the members of WMRE. College radio is meant to be fun and I think without that, there is no point. We are able to host events because we all love to do it and we are united in our love of college radio, music, and community, which I think is really special.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wmre.live
- Instagram: @wmre.live
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wmre-emory-radio/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@wmreradio?si=aJRdQXm2hls-7E9t
