WSOU records

Collection

Identifier: SHU-0037

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The WSOU records include sound recordings of past radio broadcasts, as well as documentation of and memorabilia relating to station activities. Sound recordings include, though are not limited to, sports play-by-play broadcasts, ethnic programs, religious programs (largely Catholic), a wide variety of musical programming, radio plays, promotional spots, and coverage of elections in Newark. Much of the radio programming centers around the respective activities of DJs Ed Lucas, Edward Luskis, and the defunct “Viewpoint” show. Notable print materials include a letter from John L. Sullivan of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) to Frank McKenna on Relic Rack Review in addition to a set of published advertisements and periodicals. Also featured are mixed media commemorative materials from the 35th, 40th, and 60th anniversaries since WSOU’s first broadcast in 1948. Audio materials are available on their original media of recorded sound discs (record albums on vinyl, broadcasts on CDs) and reel-to-reel audiotapes, though many have also been digitally reformatted and linked to this finding aid.

Dates

1930-2020

Language of Materials

English

Access to Collection

This collection includes audio-visual materials. Most of these materials have been digitized and are linked at the file level. Copies of certain audiotapes, audio cassette tapes, video cassette tapes, film reels, or other audio-visual materials may need to be ordered prior to on-site research. Please contact us to inquire about access to audio-visual materials. Materials may be available to researchers with staff assistance at the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center. Advance appointments are required for the use of archival materials.

Conditions Governing Use

All materials available in this collection (unless otherwise noted) are the property of the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center and Seton Hall University, which reserves the right to limit access to or reproduction of these materials. Reproduction of materials or content is subject to United States copyright restrictions and may be subject to federal or state privacy regulations. Permission to publish exact reproductions must be obtained from the Director of the Archives and Special Collections Center.

Biographical / Historical

WSOU (an acronym for "South Orange University") is a non-commerical, student-run college radio station granted its Federal Communications Commission operating license in 1947, and began broadcasting on 89.5 FM 14 April 1948. It is the first ever college-operated FM station in New Jersey and the lone Catholic school to have its own broadcast facility statewide at this time. Seton Hall president Monsignor James Kelly asked Monsignor Thomas J. Gillhooly to create the station infrastructure, which he did in three months; he also became the station's first faculty director. Msgr. Gillhooly was assited by Tom Parnham, who helped construct the station and was its first chief engineer. The Department of Communication Arts founded in 1948 was designed to work in partnership with the radio station to provide an academic component to the programming content. WSOU was housed in the basement of the recreation center until 1998, when it moved to new dedicated facilities attached to the Richie Regan Recreation Center.

WSOU is student run in that Seton Hall University students manage the day-to-day operations of the station, including on-air hosting (DJ), production, promotion, newscasting, sportscasting, programming, sales and marketing, and engineering. Staff members of WSOU must be affiliated with Seton Hall (as students, faculty, or staff); WSOU also airs community programs on Saturdays and Sundays to serve under-represented portions of the community. An exhibit to commemorate the 60th anniversary of WSOU was on display in the Walsh Library Gallery during the spring of 2009 and utilized many artifacts from both the station and Special Collections to mark the milestone and recognize past accomplishments.

Currently, the core format of WSOU is "Modern Active Rock" (sometimes referred to as heavy metal) music; the station also airs a number of Catholic talk radio, music, and special events, and screens all content to ensure compatibility with Seton Hall's Catholic mission. WSOU broadcasts locally at 2,400 watts on its traditional radio signal, but also streams live through its website to a global audience.

Sources: http://www.wsou.net/about.cfm, accessed 13 December 2013.

Heyboer, Kelly. "Time has tested the metal of Seton Hall's WSOU," Star-Ledger, 18 November 2011.

Moore, Joseph A. "Hall to Have Radio Station," Setonian, 22:10, 1, 5 March 1948.

WSOU 89.5 FM 50th Anniversary Seton Hall University, 14 March 1998.

WSOU 35th Anniversary "A Night to Remember," 16 April 1983.

Extent

2.71 Linear Feet

Additional Description

Abstract

WSOU is a student-run college radio station founded in 1948; it began broadcasting on 89.5-FM 14 April 1948. The WSOU records include sound recordings of past radio broadcasts, documentation of station activities, and press mentions.

Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into series:

1, Ed Lucas WSOU Tapes, c. 1951-1969
2, Catholic Lectures, c. 1950
3, Mid-twentieth century radio programming, c. 1965-1983
4, Edward Luskis WSOU Dramatic Presentations CD Collection
5, WSOU General History and 60th Anniversary Collection, c. 1948-2017
6, WSOU Radio Collection - Addendum, c. 1973-2019
7, WSOU 40th Anniv., c. 1983-1988
8, Radio Broadcasts from the 2000s

Preservica Internal URL

Preservica Internal

Preservica Public URL

Preservica Access

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Materials were transferred to the Archives and Special Collections Center by the Rev. James Smith of WSOU in the 1970s and 1980s. Accession numbers 1988.0018.SHU and 1988.0021.SHU.

Related Materials

The Dartmouth Jewish Sound Archive has many episodes of Charlie Bernhaut's WSOU show in its Ben Zion Shenker Estate Cassettes collection. This show which focused on Jewish music aired in the 1990s. Their sound archive is primarily searchable by track rather the collection, but Bernhaut's recordings can be found by searching his name in the Quick Search box on the right.

https://djsa.dartmouth.edu/pages/welcome

General

Due to the fragile nature of the original recordings, not all audio files could be captured digitally. As a result, some archival objects within this collection don't have a digital recording attached to the record. The physical media is still present at the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center.

Processing Information

Collection processed and updated finding aid published in Spring 2021 by Quin DeLaRosa. Previous finding aid and basic collection description created in 2013 by Patrick Tobin, Alan Delozier and Tracy M. Jackson as part of the Overhaul Project collection survey.