In the May 4, 1959 issue of Broadcasting Magazine, it reported that the FCC final approval to use of the new transmitter, antenna height and use of a remote control. Previously, the station, licensed by the FCC, operated at the higher output under a construction permit.

John Roberts once said in response to the early days of WRTI being a total student operation

Yes, for the students but it wasn't quite as autonomously run by the students as it appeared. The station came under the responsibility of the School of Communications and Theater (and before being a school, that department), so there was always a faculty director who had the final say on everything.

In a Temple News article written by Kenn Venit and dated May 13, 1965 says....

In reference to the new communications center, Annenberg Hall, Dr. Gladfelter mentioned a proposed "5,000 watt radio station (WRTI-FM)" which would utilize the facilities in Annenberg Hall and which would broadcast "for a radius of 60 miles."

While WRTI-FM remained only 790 watts for another seven years, the seed for the power increase was there. According to an article in Philadelphia magazine, dated April 1973, the power increase took place in the previous summer (1972).

Annenberg Hall was supposed to be the beginning of an exciting, new era. The faculty advisor for WRTI, Robert Kassi told Jerry Klein in December 1968

It's an attempt to make WRTI heard by the University and by the community, and to make it an active part of community affairs. This is the only way WRTI, or any station for that matter, can really live up to its obligation to serve the public. Part of this new involvement is embodied in our slogan, "At WRTI, there is a definite difference."

As author of that slogan in 1967, it still makes me sick today that its true meaning could have been warped into what was to come.

From a Temple University News article from December 5, 1968

WRTI AM will sign off at midnight tomorrow for the last time in the station's 21 year history. The executive staff of the station, which serves the dormitories and the campus area, voted to merge personnel with WRTI-FM in a move to completely revamp university broadcasting, according to Robert Kassi, instructor of radio, television and film and advisor to both stations.

Kassi called the merger a "pooling of talent."

...Gary Torresani, '70, AM station production manager, said the station voted to merge with FM at Kassi's suggestion.

Kassi said the staff of the AM station hasn't expressed any displeasure over the shutdown of AM broadcasting.

"I haven't heard any complaints," he said. "They voted for it. ...This was my way of getting a good operation."

The FM station will begin broadcasting "seven days a week, 365 days a year starting in September," Kassi said, and the broadcasting operation will give students more chance to learn about broadcasting. The new format will improve the quality of university broadcasting...

WHAT NEW FORMAT???? The all jazz format wasn't announced until later. Was there a master plan?

I e-mailed Gary Torresani and asked for his recollection of the closing of WRTI-AM. Gary responded with a rather lengthy e-mail. At his request, he asked that it not be excerpted but run in its entirety. Read what Gary wrote. It will shed some additional light on the history of WRTI.

On May 11, 1999, we received an e-mail from Fred Woskoff giving us additional details on the jazz format: "Since I was one of the last people to work at WRTI who had started in Thomas Hall, I thought you might be interested in a couple of stories. First, how WRTI managed to go "all Jazz". One day during late spring in 1969, Bob Kassi, the Station Manager (Grad Assistant guy), got a call from one of the local radio station (might have been WIBF) asking "what did you guys have on Saturday nights". Evidently we showed up with a nice rating on Saturday. Kassi immediatly told the guy we had "jazz", which was scheduled. Only trouble was, all during the rating book, we had basketball games on Saturday, usually double headers (we did over 60 games that year), including the final night of the February book, when we had the only coverage, radio or TV, of the Temple vs. St. Joseph's ECC Championship game. So, Kassi decides we ought to go all Jazz, not bothering to check on things...."

In a Spring 1969 item issued by Temple University's SCAT, Bob Kassi wrote

The WRTI facilities are completely equipped with RCA equipment. The layout consists of the master control area, a production studio, a combo studio, and two other studios for large productions, interviews, discussions, etc. Master control is equipped with an RCA BC-7A stereo audio console; two RCA RT-21A audio tape recorders; an RCA cartridge tape system consisting of the BA-7B record amplifier, the RT-27 playback unit, and four other RT-8 playback units that make up the automatic sequential system; and two RCA BQ-51A turntables. The production studio has a BC-19 stereo audio console; two RCA RT-21A audio tape recorders; the RCA BA-7B, RT-27 catridge system with two RT-27 playback units; and two BQ-51A turntables. One of the two larger studios is equipped with an Allan electric organ, and the other with a Steinway baby grand piano. Four offices are provided for traffic, continuity, station personnel, etc., and a separate newsroom is equipped with UPI teletype service. Future plans call for UPI audio service to be installed by July 1, 1969....

...The primary purpose of WRTI-FM is to serve the Philadelphia community with both informative and entertainment type programming; while at the same time, to provide students with an opportunity to use the skills and techniques that they have acquired in the classroom. With the new Annenberg facilities, the students now have the opportunity to do more and more programming.... In other words, the aim of the station is to eliminate most of the canned programs that most educations stations use, and to replace them with programming developed and produced by station personnel....

...the primary goal is to make the community aware of the wide varierty of programming that is available to them. The very basic way to accomplish this is through the use of the WRTI program guide. The first guide to be published in many years was released in March and included all programming for the months of March, April, and May. ...Listeners tend to forget you if you sign off for two, three, or even four weeks because of the school's vacations. Therefore, for the first time in its history, WRTI-FM has remained on the air through vacation periods in the past six months, and will now aim toward its goal of uninterrupted operation 365 days a year. The broadcast day, itself, consists of the following schedule: Monday thru Friday, 12:30 pm until 12:30 am; Saturday and Sunday, 9 am until 1 am. Again, future plans call for the broadcast day to be lengthened, hoepfully to 24 hours a day....

...But the most important thing to remember is the fact that only myself and the chief engineer are on the payroll of the University. Everyone else who is involved with the station on a regular basis is a student, receiving no compensation, whatsoever, other than precious experience....

This was the first time that I can find the word COMMUNITY used in a printed WRTI/SCAT/Temple document. But just a few months before, Kassi had spoken that same word in the Jerry Klein interview. Was there a master plan?

Later in 1969, a decision was made to change the format of WRTI-FM with the AM station already out of the picture. While no one seems to know where the idea nor decision came from, it, For years it was believed the decision to change WRTI-FM into a jazz station had taken place at a high University administrative level. However, after reading Kassi's piece and the Jerry Klein interview, I believe the decision may have been that of Robert Kassi.

In the Winter 1988-1989 issue of the Temple University Alumni Review carried an article entitled, "Rhythm on the Rise: WRTI's Anniversary. It was written B.G. Kelley, who received his BS in RTF in 1965. The article says he was also involved with WRTI in the early sixties. While the article contained several inaccurate statements, it still may shed the light on the station's history.

Sometime during 1968 (actually 1969), Bob Kassie (correct spelling is Kassi), then faculty director at WRTI, plugged a little jazz into the programming on the hunch it would increase the popularity of the station with the community.

In the Spring 1969 semester, the programming schedule did carry an increase in jazz. It was heard, Monday thru Friday from 10 pm until 11:30 pm and Sundays 6 to 9 pm. However, my question is Why would the University care to increase the popularity of the station with the community? The article continues

It (the jazz) scored like a glissando. Jazz became so popular that the reaction was a whole lot more jazz. ...in the summer of 1968 (actually it was 1969), WRTI, suddenly and swiftly, went all jazz.

Gordon Gray, who was chairman of the radio, television and film department (RTF) at the time, and under whose jurisdiction WRTI fell, saw the change-over as a positive sign, despite some uncertainty and unresolved problems.

Still, many students could never get a chance to show their talent, simply because WRTI was doing nothing but spinning jazz. In many ways, from 1968 (actually 1969) on, the station lacked direction and organization....

In 1983, the University central administration got off the sidelines and went to the front line. President (Peter) Liacouras answered the question of who was running WRTI. The President stated that the station would come under the jurisdiction of the office of then-Vice President H. Patrick Swygert....

Swygert directed Emilie Mulholland, associate vice president for university relations, to bring administrative order to the station. He wanted...to bring in a competent professional staff; to infuse a heterogeneous mix of students; to build relationships with the community; and to expand the programming, while still retaining the all-jazz format and image.

...WRTI is guardedly choosy (it always was when it was a total student operation) about who handles the mikes. The criteria are clear cut: students must bematriculating full-time and have a "B" or better grade point average, with serious interest, some ability, and some knowledge of jazz.

...WRTI is not an extra-curricular activity. We want a professional approach.

The 1970 Templar yearbook stated

"WRTI is the number one jazz station in Philly." it is also one of the few University functions that is directed to serve the community. Except for the programming of sport events (including 75 Temple games), WRTI has an all jazz format and the favorable response to these broadcasts has been largely from the people of the community. Robert Kassi, the stations manager and faculty advisor, realizes that most stations which are sponsored by an educational institution are aimed at an educated listening audience, but WRTI plays "what will reach the every day people and what they want to hear."

..."I think it is to the students advantage to have students run WRTI," believes Pat McTigue, a newscaster. "Most of the staff are Communications majors and their jobs at the station will help to better prepare them for a career." But due to the growth of the university and RTF department, it has no longer been possible for all interested students to be active at the radio station. In the interest of the university and city, Kassi has had to release several students from the staff.

The new equipment used at WRTI is excellent and is kept in the best working condition. But more important are the changes the station is planning. WRTI is now in the process of increasing its power, and has plans to go stereo, These changes are important in establishing the station as a community function.

In a PHILADELPHIA Magazine dated April, 1973, an article entitled, "Radio Free Philadelphia" was published. It tells how WRTI-FM had been taken over by militants. Somewhere, a commitment was made by the University to make sure WRTI served the interests of the "community" as well as the students. The magazine says that the specifics of this commitment "everyone has conveniently forgotten." I have made many inquiries into who initially presented the idea and few remember. The language that would later be used to describe the format change to all jazz was present in a Kassi article. "Community" and "dial habit" among others were there.

At our WRTI first annual reunion in May of 1998, John Roberts told Gerry Wilkinson the story on how WRTI went jazz. It is truly an amazing story.

Again, Jerry Klein....

Temple moved away from that original concept -- of WRTI as a training laboratory for students -- in 1969 when the original station, WRTI-AM, was shut down, and its younger sibling, WRTI-FM (which John started in 1953), was turned into an all-jazz station employing paid management and programming staff. (Of course, as you may know, the recent change of format at WFLN-FM resulted in WRTI-FM becoming half jazz, half-classical.)

The Winter 1970 issue of the Alumni Review states...

The University's radio station, WRTI-FM, has received a gift of a new transmitter and antenna equipment, and government permission to greatly increase its transmitting power and coverage area.

The gift of a new 5,000-watt transmitter, the antenna equipment and transmission line from an anonymous donor, was announced by Kenneth Harwood, Ph.D., dean of the School of Communications and Theatre. Installation of the equipment is expected this fall.

Dr. Harwood also revealed that the University had received permission from the Federal Communications Commission to locate the new transmitter and antenna at the site of station WFLN-FM, in the Roxborugh section of Philadelphia. The WRTI-FM antenna will be located some 235 feet up the side of the WFLN-FM tower which is 400 feet above average terrain.

Studios of WRTI-FM will remain in a wing of Annenberg Gall, home of the School of Communications and Theatre. The station has operated with 790 watts on a frequency of 90.1 mc on the FM dial from a tower atop Carnell Hall. Its coverage has been primarily within the city of Philadelphia.

The power boost of 5,000 watts, Dr. Harwood said will enable WRTI-FM to reach all of the major population center throughout the eight-county metropolitan Philadelphia area in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.