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| Broadcast area | Lexington-Fayette metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 88.1MHz |
| Branding | WRFL 88.1 |
| Programming | |
| Languages | English |
| Format | College radio |
| Affiliations | Pacifica Radio Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | University of Kentucky |
| History | |
First air date | March 7, 1988; 37 years ago (1988-03-07) |
Call sign meaning | Radio Free Lexington |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 54586 |
| Class | C3 |
| ERP | 7900 watts |
| HAAT | 87 meters (285 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 38°2′19.3″N84°30′15.8″W / 38.038694°N 84.504389°W /38.038694; -84.504389 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | wrfl |
WRFL, Lexington (Radio Free Lexington) is a 7900-wattcollege radio station that broadcasts live, 24 hours a day, from theUniversity of Kentucky campus inLexington, Kentucky. The station has broadcast at 88.1 MHz on the FM radio band since 1988 and prior to COVID-19, without automation.[2]
WRFL is operated at all times by volunteerdeejays, consisting largely of University of Kentucky students and also of some Lexington community members. A large portion of its programming is left up to the deejays, who plan their own shows in either a general or genre-specific format. Music played on WRFL is strictly "alternative," here defined as material which cannot be heard on other radio stations or through traditional, commercial outlets. This requirement is not only part of the station's culture and character, but is also mandated by the station's educationalU.S. Federal Communications Commission license.
WRFL also has a commitment topublic affairs and the community, featuring student-produced news programs, student-produced sports programs, and broadcasting thesyndicatedprogressive news programDemocracy Now! five days a week.
The station has a strong connection with the Lexington music scene and highlightsunderground and local artists weekly through its live music program, WRFL-Live, as well as on many of the stations other shows.
TheGavin Report listed WRFL in the top 2% of college radio stations in the nation.
Current slogans of the station include "All the way to the left," and "The only alternative left."
Broadcasting began in 1988 using a 250-watt tower. In 2007, the FCC approved the station for an upgrade to 7,900 watts,[3] which increased its terrestrial broadcast considerably. To finance the cost of a new tower and transmitter, various managerial administrations campaigned under the title, "Build the Tower, Boost the Power". In May 2010, the old 250-watt tower was dismantled and the new 7900-watt tower was installed in its current place atop thePatterson Office Tower on June 1, 2010.[4]
The station has ties to thenoise music community as several of its current and former DJs are members of bands such asHair Police andWolf Eyes. The station is thanked in the liner notes of recentApples in Stereo albums, and has ties to theElephant Six Collective.
An extensiveoral history of WRFL has been catalogued and is publicly available via the University of Kentucky's Oral History Library.[5]
WRFL has used many slogans throughout its history, many of which allude to its broadcast frequency on the leftmost portion of the dial and its unofficial social and political tendencies. Examples include:
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