Beginnings: 1958-1971

“You’re listening to Drexel University’s free-format, noncommerical, student-run radio station WKDU Philadelphia 91.7 FM.”

Through the decades, listeners in Philadelphia and beyond have come to know 91.7 FM as the frequency where boundaries are tested, local and underground artists are represented, and where Drexel community members share their voice. Owned by Drexel University, WKDU is as it has been for years - operated by students and shared among members of Drexel’s community.

In 1958, Drexel University's WMAX was founded and kept these call letters for four years - this was a carrier-current station, or a low-power station transmitted along electrical conductors. By fall 1962, WMAX became WXDT 830 c.c. on the AM dial. With the change in call letters, the station looked towards growth and rebranding. In 1963, students made first attempts to obtain and FM license. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) denied their initial application, citing lack of financial support from the university.

By February 1971, WXDT made an agreement with Philadelphia Wireless Technical School’s WPWT in Bucks County to share the 91.7fm frequency. WPWT would use 2:15pm to 10pm Monday through Friday, and WKDU would broadcast from 10pm to 2:15pm.

Following their agreement with WPWT, WXDT changed their call sign to WKDU in 1972. With this change came a new era of radio at Drexel University.

70s: Forming Identity

After WKDU’s birth in 1972, the station grew into a format reflective of most college radio at the time. At just 10 watts, it served as the place on the dial for campus, local and national news alongside music and talk programming. A resource for students to gain engineering and broadcast experince, WKDU existed as a home on campus for students looking to become a DJ, tinker with broadcast equipment and report on local happenings. With programming sometimes including Top 40 hits, WKDU’s first steps as arbiter of underrepresented music came through the introduction of a weekend block that stood for something different - this was The Black Experience in Music.

The Black Experience in Music began in 1972 with five members of the Black Student Union at Drexel working to bring fresh, young, Black voices to the airwaves. Soon, The Black Experience in Music presented hours of Sunday block programming devoted to community news, jazz, funk, fusion, neo-soul, spoken word and other genres. From 1972-1981, The Black Experience allowed Drexel University students the opportunity to make space for their stories on the dial. Former news reporter and contributor to the Black Experience Russell Jones reflected that, “As Black entertainers or information personnel, [we] were not readily offered opportunities such as radio and TV and things like that, which is why KDU was a godsend for a lot things that we did.”

Through their involvement at KDU, young DJs and reporters were able to connect with major Black figures locally and nationally, and offer listeners a chance to hear Black perspectives outside the mainstream. The Black Experience team stood right alongside media professionals, bringing in major voices like members of MOVE, Dexter Wansel, and Chaka Khan. “[Other media outlets] were involved in terms of following some of the things we were doing … and being there to be a part of what we were doing in the community.” Jones said. “It was really gratifying to see that interconnection with professionals.” The Black Experience in Music took seriously their role in bringing Black culture and issues to the airwaves, reporting on events in the community and following local developments such as those concerning MOVE’s activism and what followed.

80s: Representing a New Breed

By 1981, WKDU had solidified its place as a major voice in Philadelphia’s radio landscape. With a power increase from 10 watts to 110 watts that year, the station increased its listenership and ability to raise awareness of new music on the air. It was during the late 70s and early 80s that underground alternative rock and new wave entered the scene among college-aged youth - WKDU soon positioned itself as the city’s champion of groundbreaking, subversive music. “It was that funny music ... that was so beyond [that] started exploding and it was really coming into its own,” said former Chief Engineer and General Manager Diego Navarette. “And we were there promoting it.”

In the early 80s, former DJ, Music Director and Program Director Hopeton Brown took KDU’s commitment to underrepresented music to new heights by organizing the station’s first Reggae Music Marathon. Brown pioneered reggae music on WKDU, and when the opportunity came to call on listeners to support a cause, he took it. To raise money for Caribbean hurricane relief efforts, Brown and other students got together to program 16 hours of non-stop reggae. Following its success, then Program Director Gregor Majeske proposed another more formal marathon in 1984. This became WKDU’s 1st Annual Reggae Music Marathon. “In that time, it was kind of unforeseen to have 64 hours of non-stop reggae.” Brown said. “That was a really, really groundbreaking event. It’s kind of amazing that it’s still happening.”

But in 1983, KDU’s trajectory faced a major obstacle. As a result of dubious financial activity involving station leadership, Drexel University administration shut the station down. “Folks rallied, not just students, but folks who we had touched out there.” Navarette said. “They couldn’t believe that something as precious to them as it was to us was being taken away from them.” WKDU suddenly found itself in a period of instability, with staff and DJs left to pick up the pieces over a 6-month period off-air. It was during that halt that then-freshman Jackie Zahn arrived at Drexel, looking to become a DJ at KDU as soon as possible. “That first semester I was there, I was like, ‘What am I going to do?’” Zahn said.

By the next term, KDU staff secured the station’s presence back on air. Immediately following that tumultuous period, Navarette says WKDU experienced a rebirth around 1984. “These were young guys and young girls who were really passionate about wanting to become a part of it,” Navarette said. “It exploded into something incredible.” With that fresh roster of DJs and staff, WKDU saw new energy in presenting subversive, new, and local music. Around that time, staff implemented policies to push DJs towards music outside their comfort zone. Program directors like Frank Giraffe and others held DJs to that expectation, and music directors like Jackie Zahn sought out cutting-edge releases from all over the globe so that DJs could expand their scope and support burgeoning scenes.

With this focus, WKDU brought up-and-coming acts into the studio for live appearances, presented concerts around Philadelphia, organized WKDU Band Bashes on campus and shared playlists with college radio publications like College Music Journal (CMJ) to gain local and national visibility. Listeners, charts, labels, and bands caught on and began sending the station more material than ever. “Our reputation grew,” Navarette said. “I would search out new music from other labels and I would use [college music charts], and I was like, ‘Look, we do play this stuff,’” Zahn said. Through building these connections, independent music from labels without major budgets sent KDU their releases first, knowing they would get played. “Just turning people onto it and putting on the New Record shelf … that was one particular thing that I was really happy about.” Zahn said.

90s: 800 Watts, 24/7

In the late 80s, WPWT, WKDU’s cohabitator on the 91.7 FM frequency, ceased operations. This certified WKDU’s ability to broadcast 24 hours on February 26, 1990. “That was a huge change,” Brown said. But station members were up to the challenge, excited to fill slots with new DJs and make way for greater variety. “We took it in stride because it just allowed more people to go on the air and do what they wanted to do.” Navarette said. Shortly after in 1992, WKDU sought to make an even greater impression on the airwaves by increasing their wattage again - this time from 110 watts to 880 watts. Listeners wrote to the FCC in support of WKDU’s application, citing the station’s place in keeping independent music alive and in circulation locally. After years of deliberation, the FCC approved WKDU for a power increase to 800 watts in March 1996.

In the years between the increase, WKDU only strengthened its connection to Philadelphia’s music scenes by distributing their quarterly zine Communiqué (established in the late 80s), presenting live in-studio performances, Band Bashes, and Reggae Music Marathons. Most notably, WKDU remained at the forefront of new punk movements. WKDU spread word of underground music nationwide, namely what was occuring in D.C.’s punk and hardcore scenes, as well as nationally during Riot Grrrl’s peak. On-campus Band Bashes at that time include Nation of Ulysses, Fugazi’s second performance at Drexel University in 1991 and Bikini Kill’s performance on Drexel’s parking garage roof in the Spring/Summer of 1994, among many others. In 1993, WKDU broke new ground by releasing “Scrapple!” box-set compilation, including four 7”s filled with local music.

By the mid-late 90s, WKDU had already begun to make a name for itself in Philadelphia’s electronic music scene with the help of DJs like Jenn Louie, who helped popularize the genre on KDU starting in 1991. After graduating in 1996, Louie, DJ RooGirl and others worked to present a new music marathon that would bring electronic music DJs from across Philadelphia to perform live, 24/7 over a weekend to raise money for a local charity. From 1997 until 2007, the Electronic Music Marathon secured the station’s place as a major supporter of Philadelphia’s electronic music scene - becoming the only radio station in the area to champion the genre.

2000s: New Frontier For a New Millenium

WKDU’s shift into the next millennium brought forth a decade shaped by the solid foundation built in decades past. Now well adjusted to 24/7 broadcasting at 800 watts, WKDU spent the next decade holding true to its commitment to representing outsider music and reaching the community while embracing major changes in radio technology. Traditions established in the 80s and 90s like the Reggae Music Marathon, EMM, hosting in-studios and promoting local shows through WKDU Presents gigs continued with success, having established regular listeners and a definite presence at venues North Star Bar and First Unitarian Church.

While first and foremost a terrestrial radio station, WKDU also recognized the importance of bringing programming to the internet via web streaming platforms in the early 2000s. With this, WKDU’s reach expanded yet again to listeners far beyond the station’s broadcast range. This meant that fans old and new could tune in anytime, anyplace. Friends and supporters in the Caribbean could now catch reggae block programming on Saturdays, students from afar could share their programs with loved ones at home, and KDU could gain even greater recognition nationally beyond reports from college music charts.

By the 2000s, WKDU saw increased interest in utilizing the production studio to broadcast and film in-studio sessions. YouTube allowed listeners to accessibly view performances, resulting in user-generated content featuring activity in KDU’s live room. Sets from Screaming Females, Meek Mill and Daniel Johnston are just some made available soon following their original broadcast. Around this time, WKDU’s shift into utilizing digital technology largely meant the ability to purchase automation software for open-air hours, often overnight slots. For better or for worse, WKDU’s RoboDJ revolutionized the station’s ability to program pre-recorded public affairs shows, regularly circulate classic station IDs and in-studios, as well as curate shuffle playlists for emergencies and open-air hours.

2010s: Forever Committing Radio Warfare!

At the turn of the decade, KDU’s experienced a shining moment fueled by members’ commitment to representing what was happening locally on the air, setting the bar for a new generation of students to follow. In 2010, CMJ named WKDU both “Station of the Year” and “Champion of the Local Scene”. One year later, KDU received the “Station of the Year” award, CMJ’s highest honor, again. Also in 2011, MTV nominated WKDU for “Best College Radio Station during the MTVu Woodie Awards. Former DJ, Station Manager and General Manager Jake Cooley took part that leadership, with a team who recognized the value of keeping things D.I.Y. and tuned to Philadelphia’s thriving scene. “We were just doing our own thing,” Cooley said. “Just sort of not trying to be a part of what everyone else is doing, but trying to be a part of what’s happening in Philadelphia, trying to keep tabs on what the local scene is like, and then almost haphazardly ending up doing pretty well at it.”

WKDU stayed true to a D.I.Y. ethos moving into the decade, as DJs continued to attend and host basement shows, some loosely affiliated with WKDU. Cooley’s own house senior year, Golden Tea House, quickly gained attention across Philadelphia and beyond for its packed schedule and stacked bills. “That house never would have existed without KDU - the initial crew was KDU people.” Cooley said. “The idea was always to promote KDU.” Even after Golden Tea House ceased shows in early 2015, WKDU’s long standing connections to local punk remain well intact. Beyond staff playing in bands, hosting shows, and airing local music on air, WKDU also maintains close promotional partnership with R5 Productions, one of the city’s most successful production companies with D.I.Y. roots.

In 2014, WKDU saw rebirth of another kind. In years leading up, a crew of new DJs together took interest in house and other electronic music. To hone their mixing skills, Peter Liu, Esmail Hamidi and Jonathan Plotkin sought guidance from experienced house DJ Chris B. In the summer of 2014, the group brought Hot Mix to WKDU, where they learned to mix live on-air each week. But their ambition didn’t end there. After rummaging through storage, the group uncovered a relic from the past - a t-shirt commemorating WKDU’s history presenting electronic music with the EMM, from 1997-2007. “We thought, ‘Why don't we restart that?’” DJ and Chief Engineer Peter Liu said. “We ended up fleshing it out on our own. We wanted to do something to raise money for the station and a local nonprofit. Without much initial information about the first EMMs, the Hot Mix crew looked towards the Reggae Music Marathon as a model and hoped to do something similar by raising funds for the station and a local nonprofit. That October, WKDU presented its 11th Annual Electronic Music Marathon after a 7-year hiatus. The marathon has grown to become WKDU’s largest annual fundraising effort.

Approaching 2020, WKDU looks towards bringing more bands into our live studio, emphasizing our place as the city’s greatest advocate of local music, presenting and organizing shows off campus, reviving Band Bashes, producing physical issues of Communiqué and partnering with other organizations on campus to build visibility and collaborate. Here’s to another decade of committing radio warfare!