Abrams Communications Center (Brookville, New York)

 radio station  Add category

 Upload a photo

The history of broadcasting at LIU Post can be traced back to the C.W. Post radio station WCWP which had its humble start in a former horse stable. It was founded by S. Arthur Beltrone '63 and Prof. Virgil Jackson Lee 1960 as a closed-circuit radio station to provide entertainment and information for the campus community. From a small studio and control room within the former stables, WCWP first signed on the air at 12:00pm, October 18, 1961. As the field grew, the broadcasting group outgrew their space and a new building was designed. Like most of the campus, it was designed by Alfred Shaknis & Peter S. van Bloem with Malachy Ryan as the superintendent. It is named after Benjamin and Elizabeth Abrams; Benjamin had been the President of the Emerson Radio and Phonograph Corporation. The new building opened to the campus on April 21, 1965.

In January of 1965, WCWP acquired its new quarters, the Benjamin Abrams Communications Center. Mr. Abrams was a pioneer in the industry, spearheading the development of the first self-powered portable radio, first clock radio, first transistorized pocket radio, first portable television receiver, and the first portable air conditioner. The Abrams Family Foundation has continued its generous support of the station over the years. In 1996-97, the Foundation provided funds that permitted the station to open a fiber-optic link to WLIU-FM on the Southampton Campus of L.I.U. As a result of WLIU's affiliation with National Public Radio, WCWP became an Associate Member of NPR. The two stations began simulcasting during various parts of the day in 1996. Funds were also provided to convert the station to digital operation, and to link it to the Public Radio Satellite Network.

The Abrams Communication Center now is is a recording arts building staffed by students and professionals and serves both the campus community and the public. The state-of-the-art digital studios also serve as a learning laboratory for students majoring in journalism, electronic media, public relations and other disciplines. Both alumni and the general public are actively involved in the production of radio material on a daily basis. Throughout its fifty-year existence, WCWP has interviewed some of the biggest names in music and entertainment, gave countless unknown artists their first radio play before they became famous, and has served as a "second home" to countless students who graduated to become successful in broadcast media, voice-acting, journalism, public relations, and other fields. Today it serves as WCWP which is a non-commercial radio station which airs, talk, music, news and sports and MyWCWP which is a student-operated internet radio station that provides an eclectic mix of programming to keep listeners informed and entertained.

WCWP's longtime features writer, Thom Ruckert, passed away from an apparent blood clot in 2018. He was a respected member of the radio station and a longtime Glen Cove Schools teacher of 32 years.

www.loc.gov/item/2018733537/