Although unpopular among RPI students, the station’s wide coverage area draws considerable attention from community members. "In the 1960s, WRPI was a student-only activity," explains Rick Hartt, director of the Rensselaer Union. The license for the station is obtained through the Board of Trustees at RPI. "This makes it a truly student-station," Hartt said.

As time went on, the technical infrastructure of the station grew more complex and community members became more involved, offering not only a sense of continuity, but also technical expertise in managing a station. Since the station’s conception, FCC regulations have grown more stringent, and in order to maintain possession of the station’s bandwidth, WRPI is responsible for filling the air waves for a certain amount of time every day. Initially, community members stepped up to fill in for students over holidays and vacations.

"Those who do volunteer are usually driven to do so because they believe in a particular cause—whether it’s a love of a particular genre of music or a dedication to a particular political, religious or cultural belief," says Cynthia Smith, former student activites resource person for WRPI.

But community involvement does not end there. "Once they get themselves established and gain a following, they want to continue and many have been unwilling to give up their shows—even for students.  The ripple effect of this is that there are fewer and fewer broadcast hours in the day that are available to students," continues Smith. Of the 61 applications for shows this semester, only 17 of those were from RPI students. Other applications come from community members.

The sentiment of community members taking advantage of the station echoes. "Unfortunately, not all community members join because they love WRPI—they join solely for the free air time they get," stated a person who wishes to remain unnamed. The large number of non-students at the station has also been cited as a reason for the lack of student involvement with the station. Many students feel intimidated by their presence.

"The station was very different. There were many students who cared about the station and were very critical of what went on,"said Rick Kuhne, a community member who has performed technical work for the station since 1991.

Despite recruitment efforts by WRPI, the number of students involved with the station has fallen since the early ’90s. According to Kuhne, WRPI remains a place filled with "great music, a great sound," and "a club for people who enjoy radio."

The advent of the Internet and wide availability of digital music has caused WRPI to lose some of its appeal. Music by unknown artists is widely available on the Internet while technical students who used to invest a lot of time in WRPI invest themselves in more cutting-edge forms of technology.

Many students do not realize opportunities lying within WRPI. A number of famous Rensselaer alumni started their broadcasting careers at WRPI. Late 1960s graduates went on to found National TeleConsultants, the world’s leading builder/designer of TV and radio stations. Other WRPI alumni went on to such broadcasters as ABC-TV’s Kevin Hamburger, an executive producer for "Politically Incorrect," and NBC’s Chuck Jablonski, who left as the station’s chief engineer several years ago. 

Unlike in other organizations, there are not instant results. Students must be trained according to FCC guidelines and pass certification tests. While classes this fall boast an enrollment of approximately 30 new students, many do not complete the classes and even fewer continue to meet the requirements for having a show.

Alumnus Katya Roytburg, who has been involved with the station since 1995 and currently serves as program manager sees the station as a place where students can "learn about radio and hear music that they wouldn’t hear anywhere else." She believes that the executive committee for the station has become careless. With approximately 100 people involved with the station, those running WRPI must be dedicated."

If able to choose new leaders for the station, Roytburg would choose "people who put WRPI first, in terms of extracurricular, and have a vision for the future."

Kuhn agrees, "While community members will always keep the station running, young students are needed to move the station forward."

While many believe that outside involvement detracts from the student involvement at WRPI, station President James Kilbride believes that WRPI "couldn’t survive without it." Friends of WRPI is an organization made up of community members who support the station financially. They perform fundraising to make up for the monies not provided by the Union. Each year Friends of WRPI helps to cover unexpected expenses. This year, five computers were purchased by the group. Two of these computers will allow production to occur in the studio.

The station has gone to great lengths to recruit new students. This year, in addition to a stand at the Activities Fair, they held a live broadcast at the Communiversity event during orientation week. Last year, recruitment efforts included a 24 hour live broadcast from the McNeil Room in the Union and the broadcast of a concert on campus. In order to increase the number of student listeners, hockey and football games are broadcast and the station is played on the campus cable network. A course on the theory and practice of radio has been successful in sparking interested among upperclassmen in the station. The course culminates with a radio show that is played on the air.