Our Station

Station History

Welcome to 88.9 WSND-FM, The Sound of the University of Notre Dame! You are visiting a part of Notre Dame history starting in 1935 with the Notre Dame Radio Club broadcasting from the Fieldhouse.

Notre Dame became one of the first universities in America to use carrier-current technology in 1947. WND soon found a new home in O'Shaughnessy Hall. The station featured live coverage of Notre Dame sports along with popular music of the day and an occasional dramatic presentation.

In 1953, the station changed its call letters to WNDU. Shortly after this, those call letters were taken by the University for their new commercial TV and radio operations. New call letters of WSND (We Serve Notre Dame) were created in 1955. In 1961, student broadcasting ventured into the world of FM radio with WSND-FM.

In 1962, authorization was given and 88.9 WSND-FM became a reality: starting with 10 watts of power, seven hours of programming per day were offered when Notre Dame classes were in session. Classical music, jazz and Broadway tunes were offered. WSND-FM would continue to operate in O’Shaughnessy Hall alongside the original on-campus carrier current station (WSND-AM) for the next 24 years. Both provided students with hands-on experience in broadcasting.

In 1971, a grant allowed the WSND-FM to construct a new transmitter and upgraded its signal to make the station available to the entire Michiana area with over 3,400 watts of power. The next year, WSND-FM expanded its programming to the entire year by inviting volunteers from Michiana to participate in the station's operation. Over the next decades, WSND-FM continued to offer its daily classical format and diversify its later evening programming with specialty programs such as An Hour of Stories, Jazz Traditions, and Reggae Street. 

Eventually the original carrier current on-campus station was spun off into a separate organization in 1987 (WVFI –now on the internet at wvfi.nd.edu). After celebrating 50 years of serving the community in 1997, WSND-FM continues to develop new and innovative programming while offering valuable broadcast experience to Notre Dame students, local volunteers and serving as a unique radio alternative for Michiana. WSND-FM returned to online streaming on the internet, worldwide, in 2016. WSND-FM moved to its current home on the 2nd floor of the Duncan Student Center and purchased a new transmitter at Kern and Ironwood Roads in 2018. And the student broadcasting story continues…