About

WXDU 88.7 FM is the non-commercial student-run community radio station of Duke University and Durham.

Student radio at Duke began with WDBS (Duke Broadcasting System), which signed on the air in 1950 on AM frequency 560. We were WDUK for a bit, and then in October of 1983, with the song "Station to Station" by David Bowie, WXDU 88.7FM signed on the air. During Hurricane Fran in 1996, the WXDU Tower collapsed and we spent the next 2 years virtually off the air with a very limited signal. Through a series of fun benefits and the generosity of the Duke Union, we were able to raise a new tower.

In January of 2018, WXDU moved to its current location inside the Rubenstein Arts Center. It's cool here and we recently got our neon sign fixed so come check us out.

Staff

The station is run by approximately 200 Duke students, faculty, staff, and community members who perform both on-air DJ shifts and governance. Click here for our current DJ schedule.

WXDU trains new DJs each fall and spring semester (sometimes summer too). We usually remember to post about them on our instagram, so check there to hear about when we're training.

Get in touch with us through the contact page.

Structure

WXDU is run by volunteers and operates by consensus.

The station’s day-to-day operations are handled by an Executive Committee consisting of the general manager and directors (programming, music, non-music, promotions, and dj rep). All positions are elected by WXDU DJs each year in the spring. The Executive Committee oversees the station’s daily operations, including training, scheduling, promotions, record-keeping, and everything else needed to get our signal out of our library, through our equipment, over the air, all the way to you.

The music department consists of the music directors, genre directors, and everyone who shows up for music staff on Sundays. This group is responsible for reviewing new music and choosing which releases are added to our library.

Funding

WXDU receives funding from the student activity fee through the Duke University Union (DUU). We do not accept any advertising or underwriting so as not to be corrupted by the living. We love communing with the dead though, so consider adding WXDU to yer will.