88.1 WDSW The Trail has a 5-year history broadcasting from the campus of Delta State University. The station was launched Nov. 6, 2015, with the goal of providing Adult Album Alternative programming.

The university is grateful for all of the private donors and the many donations of time and resources that enabled the station to begin broadcasting.

The Delta State University Foundation, along with friends and supporters, helped us achieve this goal by providing in-kind and private-dollar contributions. It’s all privately funded, and we hope to continue that going forward.

The initial launch was the result of years of planning and commitment from numerous people within the Delta State family.

“Delta State has many wonderful people who work tirelessly to ensure its success, and those who have been involved in getting this station up and running in such a short amount of time are to be commended. I offer special thanks to the [then] staff in Communications and Marketing — Jennifer Farish, April Mondy, and Leigh Emerson.

Anna Schmitz, former WDSW Student Intern

Tricia Walker Director Emeritus of the Delta Music Institute and Professor of Practice Emeritus, Entertainment Music Studies at Delta State has been one of the primary champions behind the station’s creation and said she has always been a fan of college radio and the programming it offers.

In first researching the possibility of getting a station at Delta State nearly a decade ago, she and others on the Delta State staff found that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) does not open up frequencies very often, and when they do, the window of time to apply for a radio license is often pretty small.

So, in 2013, when the FCC announced a window of time that applications for a Low Power FM license would be accepted, everyone knew it was time to jump into action.

“A group of campus/radio fans convened to discuss the possibilities,” Walker said. “In that early group were myself, Don Allan Mitchell, Karen Bell, Will Jacks, Michelle Johansen, and the late Dorothy Shawhan. Others on campus with radio connections included Pat Webster, Matt Jones, and former Delta State professor Ron Douglas.”

The application for an LPFM construction permit was submitted to the FCC and was awarded to Delta State on Jan. 27, 2014. Once the construction permit was issued, the station had to be on the air within 18 months or the construction permit would expire.

Mr. Ed Czelada installing the radio antenna on the tower for the radio station.

It was essential to enlist the help of some generous donors to meet the deadline. Research was completed for available call letters, and in the summer of 2015, the station was born through the generous donation of equipment by Delta State alumnus J. Boyd Ingram and Delta Radio’s Larry Fuss, the support of the DSU Foundation, and the hard work of Ed Czelada and the Elijah Mondy family. Thanks to their time and support, the FCC granted the license to Delta State on July 27, 2015.

The involvement of students will be essential in order for the station to achieve its mission “to engage in and celebrate Cleveland and Delta State University through alternative, non-commercial, radio programming and to offer broadcast learning opportunities for community members and the Delta State family,” according to the station’s website.

“We need students and citizens who enjoy being part of building something from the ground up to sign up as volunteers,” Walker said. “This is not the type of station where you have to have a particular type of radio-sounding voice. We are looking for dedicated folks who have a passion for radio.”

April Mondy and her father, Mr. Elijah Mondy.

In 2019, with the hiring of a full-time Station Manager, Stephanie Sandlin, WDSW’s mission changed slightly to include radio broadcast courses which gave students current job skills that industry professionals such as Radio Cleveland’s Kevin Cox and JJ Jobe, President of RWPC Inc., have advised the University that the broadcast industry needs, and on April 15, 2020, 88.1 WDSW The Trail was born.

As the newly-hired Radio Operations Specialist for Delta State University, Blake Smith oversees the daily operations and programs the music on 88.1 WDSW The Trail.

88.1 WDSW The Trail will continue to rely on community underwriting both by businesses and individuals.