WGCS
| City | Goshen, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Goshen, Indiana |
| Branding | 91.1 The Globe |
| Slogan | Your Home for Culturally Progressive Music |
| Frequency | 91.1 mHz |
| First air date | October 2, 1958 |
| Format | AAA, Americana |
| ERP | 6,000 watts |
| Class | A |
| Callsign meaning | Goshen College Station |
| Affiliations | Regional Radio Sports Network |
| Owner | Goshen College Broadcasting Corporation |
| Website | Globe Radio |
WGCS is the noncommercial education radio voice of Goshen College and identified over the air as 91.1- The Globe. WGCS is a student-run college radio station based in Goshen, Indiana.
"As a federally licensed trustee operating in the public interest, the Globe serves the greater Goshen community with a distinctive and professional radio voice. The Globe also serves Goshen College, its owners, by providing a quality on-air product that supports and extends the college's core values, mission, programs and standards. Within this framework, the Globe provides a dynamic environment in which students learn industry standards of operating, marketing and managing a radio station."
The history of WGCS actually begins prior to the actual start-up of the station. The initial interest for a radio station at Goshen College dates back to the 1940s. Clarence Moore, of WCMR in Elkhart, built a "carrier current" radio transmitter that was placed next to the public address system in Assembly Hall. The antenna was a 50-foot wire running from the Administration Building to a light pole near the library, then running just below a high-tension power line of the next pole. The makeshift "station" broadcast programs in Assembly Hall, which included chapels and church services. When a student placed a ticking alarm clock next to the microphone, listeners as far away as Milford, Indiana could hear the ticking. The output coupled into the high-tension line, causing the output to exceed FCC limits. On May 7, 1952 the Federal Communication Commission was conducting surveys in the Goshen area. The station was found to exceed power for limited power radiation. An immediate cease operation was issued. The "station" would need a station license covering its broadcasting equipment plus each person working at the station would need an operator’s license.
Clarence Moore tried to obtain permission to continue broadcasting church services but the FCC denied it. After a few years another attempt was made to reduce power and limit broadcasting to only the college campus. The output line was rerouted but the station could not continue to broadcast because of too much power.
In the fall of 1954, Goshen radio station WKAM asked the college to prepare programs to air on their station. On October 15, 1954 the first program was aired at 8 a.m. The 30-minute programs aired Monday through Friday consisting of previously recorded chapels along with hymn music, news, and some classical records. The listeners criticized the classical music being played but the station continued to air classical music as their main format. The Goshen College graduating class of 1956 donated $1845 toward the construction of an FM station. A construction permit was submitted to the FCC on January 31, 1957 but was denied due to some of the proposed licensees not being United States citizens. Another permit was submitted to the FCC with the licensee being the Goshen College Broadcasting Corporation. It was not-for-profit and consisted of three members appointed by the Mennonite Board of Education. The construction permit was granted on January 17, 1958. The next step was for the radio station to choose call letters. The first few choices had been taken but WGCS was available. In April 1958 WKAM ceased broadcasting college-produced programs due to program changes at the station. Many hours were spent hooking up the console and other equipment in the studio, located in the college's Union Building. Equipment tests began April 28, 1958. The 98-foot tower was erected in July 1958. The application for a station license was granted on October 2, 1958.
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