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Radio-Free U.Va.?
by John Crotteau
There is no college radio in Charlottesville. U.Va. has no stations entirely run by students that are free to air new, off-beat, or controversial material. While stations like WTJU and WUVA perpetuate the illusion of university-supported student involvement, the true spirit and existence of college radio died when WIRE radio stopped its regular broadcasts. Don't feel bad if you have never heard of WIRE. Even though it has been located in the basement of Peabody Hall for over seven years, few current students at the university have ever tuned in to its steadily atrophying AM signal. WIRE started in 1990 as a CIO, using tens of thousands of university dollars to establish a student radio station with a strong emphasis on serving U.Va.'s black community, according to the station charter. WIRE aired true college radio. Students handled all aspects of the station from marketing to engineering to programming -- a fact most apparent in its avant-garde music. But after a few years of mismanagement and mechanical devastation, WIRE is now just a closet in Peabody cluttered with wires, audio parts, and over a thousand CDs -- with more arriving from record companies every day. Every semester a new team of students tries to resurrect WIRE, and every semester, they fail. The failure that came this fall was the most significant yet, with WIRE failing to renew its CIO status, losing its funding, and accumulating almost $1,000 in phone bills. The new regime is trying to save the already sunken ship by sponsoring a WIRE benefit concert in hopes of getting the station on the Internet and scrapping the AM signal. Their efforts are noble but late, and unless they can find someone willing to donate a large sum of money to pay off the bills, the best move for WIRE would be to donate their equipment and audio library to the Library system. Another student radio outlet quickly followed the slow demise of WIRE. When I came to U.Va. three semesters ago, WUVA had commercials, newscasts, and a daily playlog of over 15 hours of classic rock. Everyone at the station received in-depth training in small market radio. In the five months after I began my air shifts, a coup took place at the station and almost everyone quit or was "fired." The station lost all of its advertising and eventually deteriorated to a locked studio with one song or album on repeat (remember Don McLean's "American Pie?"). Although WUVA wasn't a true college radio station in set-up or format, it did offer students a real opportunity to learn about radio and train in an environment that offered autonomy on the air. WUVA has since been bought by a Charlottesville broadcasting cartel and changed to an urban format. As a result, opportunities for student involvement have decreased. The studios were moved from LeFevre dorm to the Downtown Mall, making the station difficult for students to reach. There is no other station more affected by the fading of the two student stations than 91.1 WTJU. A basement neighbor of WIRE, WTJU is often referred to as the university's radio station. This title isn't intended to imply that the station is run by students, or is even a good opportunity for students to get started in radio. WTJU is a department of the university, with two employees on the payroll under Vice President Harmon. The role of WTJU is to provide educational programming, not to train students. WTJU's station manager Chuck Taylor said he would love to see a return to the system that had been around for decades, when students could train at WIRE or WUVA and then be introduced to a more professional setting like the one at WTJU. WTJU has honored this commitment by offering technical support and advice for the faltering WIRE. Interestingly enough, the start of 91.9 WNRN, Charlottesville's most exciting radio story of the past two years, occurred out of the basement of Peabody. Mike Friend founded the station after a much publicized conflict with WTJU, where he worked as chief engineer. With Friend came another WTJU employee, John Hill, who worked with the WTJU folk department for over four years before becoming the host of WNRN's morning show, Acoustic Sunrise. Hill is quick to point out that no hard feelings remain between the stations. In fact, the two stations combined their funds with WVTF's and erected a Community Tower that has helped boost all three of the stations' signals. WNRN's practice of enlisting students for on- and off-air positions has been one of the station's most positive features. Many of the time slots have been filled, but WNRN is still willing to train individuals with an interest in learning about radio; their predominately student staff currently includes five area high-schoolers. The programming also serves the university community. The station plays only modern music throughout the day with an intended focus on diversity. In addition to the modern rock programming, WNRN airs "The Boom Box," a very successful late night show that plays Urban Hip-Hop music that is often harder than the programming heard on the new WUVA. Even though WNRN will train students, WTJU and WUVA will give them a place to play music, and WIRE provides a lot of nice stuff to destroy or steal, the University of Virginia is still a huge school without a college radio station. This shouldn't be too surprising since we don't have a communications major, but it is nevertheless unfortunate. The school has already pumped thousands of dollars into WIRE and programs like it. With just a little more money and organization the university could utilize all the equipment they have already purchased, and give the students a project that could truly be a big achievement for this university. V
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