Samantha Pecoraio
10/2012
Radio was first introduced to Camden County College in the late 1960s.
According to the 1969 CCC yearbook Whispering Pines, the radio station was named WCCC. By the 1974 yearbook, the station name was changed to WCCR.
On Nov. 23rd ,1976 WCCR received permission from the Federal Communications Commission to operate on the FM frequency of 91.5. The station name was changed to WDBK.
“Camden County College was one of if not the first junior colleges granted this privilege.” James F. Thorp, station manager in the late 1970s,said.
The radio station had a basic format that ran from 7 a.m until 2 a.m the next day. There also was an option for professors to lecture a class for an hour starting at 7 pm.
In 1974, the campus radio station was dubbed the “most active organization on campus,” according to the 1974 Whispering Pines yearbook.
“One of Camden Countys greatest communication links between student and campus life.” The yearbook said.
The station aired programs about world and local news along with music. In 1986, WDBK radio was named the leader in promoting new music, according to Whispering Pines.
The radio station would search for and play the music of local bands.
“When I was a teenager (about 137 years ago) the station played a lot of random stuff, alternative (different meaning in the 80s), electronic, all sorts,“ said Jamie Myerson, current advisor of the radio station.
The radio was and still is a dominant form of media entertainment. People are able to hear news without buying a newspaper, hear a president address the nation without having to travel, listen to music and much more.