Thanks for supporting 88.1 the Park during our annual auction on Saturday May 17.  Your support helped us raise over $30,000, a new record.  The station was able to reach this level because of the generous support of our item donors, listeners, sponsors and alumni.

The auction was presented through the support of Title Sponsor, Quick Pass Car Wash of Canton, Plymouth and Livonia.  Other sponsors included Nehee’s Vegetarian Street Food (Key Sponsor), Kiwanis Club of Colonial Plymouth (Major Sponsor), JMC Management of Southfield (Hour Sponsor), and Be ME Center in Northville (Half-Hour Sponsor).

Funds raised will go toward the station’s Amplification Capital Campaign and the studio renovation.

“We are so lucky to be part of the Plymouth-Canton Community.  Time and time again our listeners remind us how much they value 88.1, and the impact we’re able to make in the community,” said Bill Keith, Station Manager.

88.1 the Park will honor three deserving alums when the station presents the Dr. Andrew Melin WSDP Distinguished Alumni Award on Wednesday June 4, at 7:00 p.m. at the Italian American Club in Livonia.  The honor will be presented at the station’s annual banquet.

This year’s honorees are Bret Julyk, Plymouth-Canton ’82, Noelle Wright, Plymouth-Salem ’86, and Nick Gismondi, Plymouth-Salem ’00.

The award was created in the Spring of 2017 in honor of former WSDP Station Manager, Andrew Melin.  The purpose of the award is to recognize WSDP Alums that have used their experience at the station to further the mission of WSDP by achieving success in their chosen career field; investing in the lives of young people; or supporting their local community. It is the hope of the station’s management that the honorees will serve as role models for future students at 88.1.
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88.1 the Park was named the 2025 Michigan Association of Broadcasters High School Station of the Year during a luncheon at the MAB High School and College Awards on Thursday March 20, in Lansing. This is the eighth year in-a-row that the station has received the award. WSDP has been recognized as the High School Station of the Year 14 times since 2001.

The students received 16 awards in 16 categories, including eight first place and seven second place honors.   This included sweeping the Sportscast category.

Student Awards include:

Current Events Story
1st – Myles Alcott
2nd – Leo Popp

Daily Newscast/News Feature
1st – Leo Popp and Lucas Gentilia

Editorial
2nd – Jonah Kibin

Live Sports Coverage
1st – Leo Popp and Lucas Gentilia

Music Feature or Special
1st – Chae Eun Park

On Air Personality or Team
2nd – Ben Trudell

Public Service Announcement  Sponsored by MASSP & MDHHS
1st – Carter Johnson, Myles Alcott, Jonah Kibin

Sports Feature
1st – Andy McLaren, Leo Popp and Andrew Stamatakos
2nd – Leo Popp and Ben Trudell

Sportscast
1st – Ben Trudell
2nd – Leo Popp
Honorable Mention – Andy McLaren

Talkshow/Podcast
1st – Anya Read
2nd – Mihir Shastry

Use of Social Media
2nd – Nia Wilson

The Relentless Care Foundation announced a $10,000 grant to the 88.1 the Park Amplification Capital Campaign.  The money will support the station’s studio expansion project.

The foundation was created by Community Financial Credit Union to magnify equitable systems in Michigan communities.  To achieve this, the Relentless Care Foundation will walk alongside partners, funding what makes housing attainable, strengthens the workforce, and fosters community mobility in their local neighborhoods throughout Michigan.

“We are grateful for the very generous gift of the Relentless Care Foundation towards are upcoming studio expansion,” said Bill Keith, Station Manager.  “The gift will help us increase our coverage of Plymouth and Canton, provide more opportunities for students and better serve the community.”

The station is working to raise $200,000 by December 31, 2026.  When the goal is met, the money will be combined with a $200,000 grant from the Rotary Club of Plymouth.  Additional gifts towards the project can be made through the Canton Community Foundation.

DONATE TO THE AMPLIFICATION CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

“I’m happy to support this upgrade. You guys are really the best. I’m 60 years old and love your music. I feel it spans the generations. Good luck!” – Carol Ann Levis, Canton Michigan

After more than 50 years of operating in essentially the same space, 88.1 the Park is in need of significant upgrades. On May 10^th, 2024, we launched the Amplification Capital Campaign to raise funds to convert a classroom into a series of editing, recording, and interview studios, a staff room, and storage space. The $517,000 estimate for the capital campaign includes architecture fees, construction costs, HVAC considerations, sound attenuation measures, enhanced lighting, security considerations, ADA accessibility, video capabilities, and significant equipment purchases and upgrades resulting in four additional studios.

These upgrades will allow for significantly more student participation and more than double our current studio space, allowing for more on-air content, recorded news/programming, and edited news podcasts. These upgrades will put the broadcasting environment at 88.1 the Park on par with professional studio space—helping to maintain our award-winning broadcasting quality, while creating a more professional experience for students and studio guests.

In recognition of the Rotary Club of Plymouth’s centennial (the Club was founded in 1924), the Club’s Foundation has granted $200,000 to the capital campaign. This is a last-in grant: we must raise $200,000 first in order to receive the grant. Our fundraising horizon is December 31, 2026, but we hope to have the money raised by the end of 2025.

Help Us Reach Our Goal!

DONATE TO THE AMPLIFICATION CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

Learn More:

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88.1 the Park’s latest newsletter includes a preview of the 88.1 the Park Auction and looks at some of the biggest hits on the station. We also spotlight Plymouth Salem ’89 alum, Chris Butzlaff and share points of pride about our amazing alumni.
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For the staff at P-CCS’ student-run radio station 88.1 the Park, serving the Plymouth-Canton community while they learn broadcasting skills is more than an after school activity, it’s the chance to serve as the stewards of a community resource with a half-century old tradition of broadcast excellence. 

That tradition was recognized by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters again this year, when it named 88.1 Michigan’s High School Station of the Year at its Student Broadcast Awards celebration on March 18. 

This year’s honor is the seventh straight year (13th overall) that 88.1 has been named Michigan’s top high school radio station. It also represents the tenth consecutive year that the station has been named either a finalist for the National Association of Broadcasters’ Marconi awards, or the MAB High School Station of the Year

88.1’s students dominated this year’s Student Broadcast Awards. P-CEP students received 21 of the 45 total awards presented in the high school radio category, including six first place awards out of 15 categories. The station also swept two categories, taking all three places in both live sports coverage and a category highlighting anti-vaping public service announcements. The competition is judged by radio industry professionals from commercial stations and radio networks around the state. This year’s competition was the most competitive in recent years, with numerous high school stations from around Michigan challenging 88.1 for top honors.

“Our success starts with the great work our students produce. We’re thrilled to see them recognized by the MAB again this year,” 88.1 the Park Station Manager Bill Keith said. “The pride they take in their work, and in serving our community deserves to be celebrated, and it’s tremendously gratifying to see that the professional journalists who judge this competition believed as we do that our students produce excellent work. 

88.1 the Park MAB Award Winners: 

Current Events Story 

• PCCS Security Upgrades
  Credit(s): Akshayapriya Saravanan
  Second Place

• Name Image and Likeness in Michigan House.
  Credit(s): Nathaniel Behrens
  Honorable Mention

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88.1 the Park is excited to announce the release of the station’s new iPhone and Android Phone Apps.  The phone apps are available at the iTunes and Google Play stores.  You can search for 88.1 The Park.

“We’ve been working on this release for over a year so it is exciting to release the apps for our listeners in Plymouth and Canton, and throughout the world.  We wanted to make it easier for our listeners to access the station and our digital content,” said Bill Keith, Station Manager.

The apps were created through a partnership with jācapps, a mobile apps development company in Southfield.  They are one of the leading app development companies for radio stations.