WXYC
Student-run FM radio station WXYC began broadcasting in March 1977 at 89.3 FM. WXYC was preceded by WCAR and other smaller stations, many of them based in dorms. Beginning in the early 1970s, Carolina students began the process of applying for an FM license, which would enable them to broadcast over the air (earlier efforts were "carrier current" stations, which used low-power signals transmitted through electric wires and were typically available only in small areas). The university initially supported the application but then later withdrew its support over concerns about assuming liability for student media. The students then helped establish a nonprofit organization, Student Educational Broadcasting, to apply for an FCC license and oversee the station. They were ultimately successful in early 1977. WXYC has always presented an eclectic musical selection in a wide variety of styles. In 1994, by working with the university's SunSITE (a predecessor of the iBiblio digital library at UNC), WXYC became the first radio station in the world to stream its live signal over the internet.