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| 09-02-2004 | Previous edition: 09-01-2004 |
        
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Printer-friendly version Purdue student-run AM radio station to begin soonBy Julie GlaserFeatures Editor Beginning Oct. 23, Purdue students will have an AM radio station to call their own. After more than a year of sorting through funding, licensing and facilities obstacles, Purdue Student Radio — run by students for students — will begin broadcasting on AM 1610. Programming for the station is still up in the air, but Paul Roales, president of Purdue Student Radio, said it will be diverse and might include anything from hip-hop and punk to underground and international programming. "The majority of students should be able to find something they like to listen to," said Roales, a senior in the School of Technology. The idea is that students will be able to listen to music they can’t hear on other local radio stations, he said. The low-frequency AM station will reach for about a mile around campus and will include the residence halls, fraternities, sororities and co-ops. Those who are outside of the station’s listening area will be able to tune in online at www.purdue.edu/radio. Both high and low bitrate connections will be available soon after the station’s launch of Oct. 23. Roales, who has no interest in a career in radio, started working on this project from scratch in August 2003 because he saw a need for a student-run radio station at Purdue. "Nine of the 11 Big Ten universities have student-run radio stations," said Roales. "It is something that has been missing at Purdue." Roales began reading books about radio; he visited college radio stations and began talking to university administrators about his idea. In August 2003, he registered Purdue Student Radio as an official Purdue student organization and began recruiting people to help him. But organizing the radio station turned out to be anything but easy. Purdue Student Radio will begin as an AM station because FM licenses are limited, expensive and require a long application process. Since Purdue Student Radio is a student organization, Roales received studio space and music licensing from Purdue. In addition, Purdue Student Radio has received $8,000 in grants from various departments and associations at Purdue and $8,000 worth of donated equipment from Purdue’s public radio station, WBAA. Dan Skinner, general manager for WBAA, is also Purdue Student Radio’s adviser, and he said he is excited about what Purdue Student Radio could mean for the Purdue community. "I think it’s a great way for students to get experience in radio as well as having a great creative outlet on campus for music and views," said Skinner. To date, Purdue Student Radio has 146 members with around 50 active members. Students will do everything from on-air talent to the business, advertising, programming and engineering. Roales said he hopes that one day Purdue will be able to have its own FM radio station like some of the other universities that he visited. "I didn’t know if this would happen while I am still at Purdue," he said of the station’s launch. "But it is." Printer-friendly version |
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