Getting VCU’s radio station on the air likely to hinge on FCC decision
Time, work and money will be the keys for a WVCW student-operated FM radio station. The station now broadcasts online through its Web site.
Greg Weatherford, student media director, said several changes would have to be made for WVCW to gain an FM frequency, even though he thinks it possibly could occur within a couple of years.
“First, of course, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has to grant space on the spectrum, and to create a station would be good for the community,” he said. “The federal government controls broadcast, so they get to say whether or not we can do it. So, it would certainly be no less than a couple of years.”
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Jason Kenney, a disc jockey and assistant general manager of the student-operated station, said WVCW should have an FM frequency because most other schools in Virginia have one or they have a broadcast station and it is something that the students should expect to have.
“I think it’s just a natural progression,” Kenney said, adding that it not only would raise the station a notch but it also would enhance the reputation of the school and its mass communications area.
Actually, I don’t believe I said it should happen because other people have it. I don’t work that way. I think I said something similar to that it makes sense for VCU to go FM given that universities of comparable size and majors are usually that well off.
Any other issues I have with the story are minor and just me being picky. The article was good, though, and went a long way to explaining the realities of what it will take to expand the station.
