WEXP opened its doors at La Salle University in 1972. Initially, the radio station could only be heard inside the Student Union building, and the start-up price for the station was around US$7,500 ($1,000 of which came through a donation from U.S. Ambassador to Britain Walter H. Annenberg). Airing on 640 AM, "EXPlorer 64" was founded as a co-curricular activity, and was tied directly to the Marketing Department and the English Department's Speech and Drama course. Much of WEXP's early programming featured commentary opposing the Vietnam War, and oldies music. Coverage of La Salle basketball was also aired live from as far away as Arlington, Virginia. The station only aired from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
After operating fairly successfully (despite a weak signal) throughout the 1970s, WEXP suffered what would arguably be its biggest setback in 1980. On September 15, a student installed a transmitter to WEXP's existing antenna on top of the Union building. The student did so "without consultation" and "exceeded FCC capabilities", according to federal documents dated in October. As a result of this setup, WEXP could be heard throughout the east coast. Listeners requested songs from as far away as Albany, New York, and the station could be heard as far south as Miami, Florida. FCC officials in Washington did not press any charges, which could have included a $10,000 fine and imprisonment for a year. The incident forced the university to shut down the radio station entirely, and led to an apparent distrust of the student organization for many years.
WEXP was revived during the 1980s. The station featured mostly heavy metal music. This was in sharp contrast to previous formats, which included easy listening, adult contemporary, album-oriented rock, and freeform. After collapsing again in 1988, the station returned on 530 AM in 1989. "EXPress 530", as the station was referred to, was again just a carrier current AM signal. In February of 1988, the university had the opportunity to purchase WPWT 91.7 FM, and operate at an initial expense of $100,000. Many students, and most notably professors from the communication department, pushed for support of the project. The University Budget Committee, however, rejected the plan that would have given WEXP an FCC-regulated FM station with an annual operating budget of $50,000. Had the university allocated the funds to purchase the station in the late 80s, it could probably be sold today for over a million dollars. It was yet another major setback for WEXP.
In 1997, WEXP began simulcasting over La Salle 56 cable television, but the relationship between the two campus stations was short-lived. In 2000, a proposal to turn WEXP into a low-power FM station also failed. The station was forced to abandon AM radio in favor of broadcasting worldwide on the Internet beginning in the fourth quarter of 2002. The shift in focus re-energized the station by recruiting more members and boosting listenership both on campus and across the country.
WEXP now broadcasts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year via the Internet, and has over 80 members.
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