In 1973, Saint Michael's College signed on WWPV-FM 88.7, originally a 10-watt outlet broadcasting from the Sloan Fine Arts Center on campus.[1] WWPV-FM was the successor to WSSE, a carrier current outlet that had been established in the 1950s. It operated from the North Campus until moving to St. Edmund's Hall in 1988.[3]
Vermont Public Radio, the state's public broadcaster, had expressed interest as early as 2007 in acquiring WWPV-FM to obtain a second FM frequency for classical music.[4] When word of a potential buyout circulated, it prompted students and the community to rally, and the college ruled out a sale.[5]
On February 12, 2014, Saint Michael's College was granted a construction permit for a low-power FM station on 92.5 FM in Colchester.[6] Under Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations, the college was required to divest its existing 88.7 FM facility upon constructing the new station;[7] on April 8, 2015, it agreed to donate the WWPV-FM license to Vermont Public Radio.[8] On September 14, 2015, WWPV's programming moved to the new WWPV-LP;[9] WWPV-FM went silent the next day and became WVTX, which returned to the air as a VPR-owned classical music station.