Intercollegiate Broadcasting System

Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) is an organization with a membership of over one thousand non-profit, education-affiliated radio stations and webcasters. Founded in 1940, IBS is headquartered in New Windsor, New York, with a legal office in Washington, D.C. In addition to providing support for establishing and operating noncommerical radio and webcast operations, it frequently represents its members with FCC negotiations, copyright issues, and litigation.

A majority of the over 2,500 educational radio stations do not affiliate nationally, but of the ones that do, IBS represents over 90%. The organization is also a member of the National Association of Broadcasters.

For over seventy years, IBS has held an annual spring national conference in New York City, at the Hotel Pennsylvania. Part of the convention's proceedings is the announcement of awards presented to outstanding college and high school operations. IBS also holds a series of "Coast-to-Coast Fall Conferences" at select member colleges.

The entire staff of IBS is composed of unpaid volunteers. In 2017, Chris Thomas was the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Norman Prusslin was the President/IBS Chair Emeritus, Fritz Kass was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Tom Gibson was the Executive Vice President Engineering and Technology, William (Bill) Malone, ESQ was the IBS Washington, D.C. legal representative, and Allen Myers was the Executive Vice President for FCC Licensing and Regulatory Matters.

IBS was founded in 1940, by George Abraham and David W. Borst, who in late 1936 had established the first low-powered AM carrier current radio station on a college campus, "The Brown Network" at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. IBS's organizing convention was held at Brown on February 17-18, 1940, and attended by representatives from twelve colleges with existing or proposed carrier current stations. George Abraham was elected the IBS Chairman, Peter Thorpe the Advertising Manager, David Borst the Technical Manager, Joseph Parnicky the Program Manager, and Louis M. Bloch, Jr. the organization's Business Manager. IBS's role was defined as a medium for the exchange of ideas and programs, in addition to working to attract national advertising contracts for the member stations. The first IBS intercollegiate broadcasts began on May 9, 1940, with a five-part series that was carried by stations located throughout New England at Brown, Harvard, Williams, and Wesleyan universities, in addition to the Universities of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

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