History of WMRE

WMRE began as a low-budget idea in 1983, with call letters WEMO. In 1985 students began the laborious task of creating a modern radio station at Emory. After four years of persistent effort, on January 20, 1989, Emory’s student operated radio station, WMRE, the Voice of Emory, began broadcasting.

At first, WMRE was carried through a carrier current system throughout the university. The signal was only available to on-campus listeners, and was broadcast over 590AM. Due to neglect and maintenance problems, the cable connection deteriorated, and 590AM was soon nothing but a faint buzz through the speakers.

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down in 2020, WMRE took another hiatus. Three years later, a passionate executive board revamped the station with new equipment. WMRE went back on the air via internet stream in Fall 2023 — a testament to the resilience of college radio.

Today, WMRE broadcasts to a worldwide audience, and can be heard online at wmre.live. WMRE also publishes writing about music and culture online and in print in our zine Frequency.

Soon thereafter, WMRE began broadcasting on Emory University’s Cable System. Although once again WMRE was only available to listeners on campus, it breathed new life into the station. On September 30, 1998, due to a dedicated staff, WMRE began broadcasting on the Internet through RealAudio and RealVideo.

In the Fall of 2008, WMRE made its long awaited move from the cramped, unventilated studio in the basement of Longstreet Hall to its spacious home in the Alumni Memorial University Center.

As society trended towards pocket-sized, portable content, WMRE adapted to college students’ media consumption habits. Over the years, WMRE’s broadcast format transitioned entirely to online streaming.