The Quake

The Quake Information

• Our History

  Quake Radio & Podcasting is a student-run radio club that is sponsored by the Student Association. The Quake’s studios are located in the Angell College Center on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus. The station began in 1966 housed on the 2 nd floor of the college center in McDonough Hall. Starting out with the call letters, WSUP, it was wire-carried on AM640.

  In 1971 the station changed its call sign to WKGO. In 1979 the station began to air off-campus on 91.1 MHz FM as WPLT (The Sound of the North Country) and became a 10 Watt Class D station. In 1981 the frequency was changed to 93.9 FM. In 1987 the station moved from McDonough Hall to Yokum Hall (where the communication department was located). In 1997 the station sold its call letters to an ABC affiliate in Detroit, Michigan and chose WQKE (the Quake) as its new call sign. In 2007 the station moved from Yokum Hall to a prominent spot in the Angell College Center (with the help of SA advisor Bill Laundry). In 2009 WQKE acquired automation equipment and began broadcasting 24/7 throughout the academic school year.

  Although the station began streaming in 2001, its permanent online webcast began in 2011. In March of 2020 the Covid Pandemic hit the station hard. Students were sent home and the station operated through automation-only. In Fall of 2020 a skeleton crew operated the station (at a time when many stations were only running remotely). In 2021 the station students and staff made the decision to focus solely on its online programming and opted not to renew its FCC (FM) license. In June 2022 the name was changed to “The Quake” and will incorporate podcasting beginning in the Fall 2022 semester. The Quake now broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during each semester, offering listeners a wide variety of music including jazz, funk, soul, indie, punk, hip-hop, blues, techno and other genres.

• Our Management Team
  • Garrett Jones, General Manager (President)
  • Hunter Kelly, Production Director (Vice president)
  • Joe Mason, Business Director
  • Elias Raff, Secretary
• Our Departments

  Being a part of the general staff of The Quake, you are required to join one of six departments. Each department is run by the executive board (E-board) member who heads that department. Each department has different responsibilities and all are loads of fun.

  • Music — The music department is crucial to this station. A main goal of the music department is to review and add new music to our circulation. Record labels and self-employed musicians send music to our station. Every week, members of the music department will choose new music to take home and review. If the music is good (and meets broadcast criteria) then it gets added to the list of music to be put into our automation software to be put on-air!
  • Sports — The sports department works with many SUNY Plattsburgh sports teams to bring exciting sports content to The Quake’s webcast. The sports department often commentates over the air for men and women’s hockey, basketball, baseball and softball. As a member of this department, you could be doing anything from hosting a sports talk show to helping with play-by-play announcing. Making sure the equipment is set up before each game is also an integral role of a sports department member. Members also learn how to use the equipment and develop their on-air delivery skills.
  • News — The news department makes sure the station has the most up-to-date news to be read over the air. As a member of the department, you ensure the news binder is updated daily. You may also collaborate with the sports department for news and/or coverage of games.
  • Promotions — The promotions department helps DJ’s to promote their shows and update our social media sites to keep the public informed of all that’s going on at the Quake.
  • Productions — The productions department is responsible for crafting on-air promos, station IDs and other station-related audio. In productions you record, process, and produce short audio imagers, liners, intros, outros and tags for Quake DJ’s or another club on-campus or even a local area business (through underwriting).
  • Community Service — The community service department here at the Quake has a different focus each semester. During the fall semester we host our annual event, Starv-a-thon, where we collect canned goods and non-perishable food items to donate to feed local families. All donations are brought to Plattsburgh’s Interfaith Food Shelf, which feeds nearly 60 families a month. Starv-a-thon is a 12-hour event with music, games, and activities such as “Pie a DJ” to encourage donations. In the spring, the department focuses on Relay For Life, an organization that helps fight cancer. This year, students knit hats and headbands for purchase. All proceeds go directly to Relay For Life. The community service department also participates in other philanthropic opportunities on campus.