WRGW station managers plan to start broadcasting in the Lerner Health and Wellness Center before spring break.
The radio station and HWC staff are still considering whether WRGW will have full reign over the HWC’s programming or if the station will only air its music and not talk shows.
With half the funding it received from the Student Association last year and limited exposure, station staffers said a new outlet is a significant step for expansion. WRGW broadcasts on the Internet at www.gwradio.com, the Marvin Center ground floor and channel 22 on residence hall cable TV.
WRGW general manager Brett Kaplan said the station plans to do at least one full test run before spring break to determine the types of programming students want to hear.
“We’re the student radio station run by students,” Kaplan said. He said WRGW will take suggestions from students as to what type of programming they want to hear.
The station’s current agenda includes music and news, sports and other types of talk show programs. Music is divided into three categories – hip-hop, rock and RPM, which consists of “techno-type” music. Blocks of the three types of music play during different times throughout the day.
Jared Grant, the station’s music director, said most of the music played on the station is “upbeat,” so students should enjoy listening to it while working out.
He noted that the block of music dedicated to rock is from 12:15 to 4 p.m. daily. He said the type of music might change depending on what students say they want to hear.
“We’ll just wait and see,” Grant said.
The HWC currently loops several CDs over the loudspeakers in the fitness center area and free weight room. The discs consist of songs downloaded from the Internet. Talk show programs are not part of the line-up. Kaplan said the station and the HWC worked out costs so they would be “minimal” for WRGW. WRGW received $4,725 in SA funds as its initial allocation for the year, about half of what it received last year, Kaplan said.
Because the station can only be heard on the Internet, WRGW staff members said installing the station in the HWC should spark students’ interest and increase listener numbers.
WRGW currently receives about 15,000 hits per month on its Web site, Grant said.
“I think that it’s time for us to be recognized as one of the premier student organizations on this campus,” station manager Mike Sheils said.
Kaplan said the station eventually hopes to air programming in the Marvin Center lobby, residence hall lobbies and other locations around campus.
WRGW has been planning its expansion to the HWC since August, but because of inclement weather and wiring problems, the station pushed back its January target date to March, Sheils said.
HWC officials said WRGW will be a positive addition to the center.
“Since this is the University radio station, that would be something good to have for the students,” HWC operations manager Valdez Williams said. He added that it would be particularly popular during basketball season.
Some students who work out said they like the idea of adding WRGW to the HWC’s music lineup, but would be cautious of adding talk show programs because they could be “boring” to listen to while exercising.
“(The HWC) should try it out to see if people like it because it’s not like the music (the HWC) has now is so great,” said sophomore Jacob Popov, who said he works out five times a week. “I don’t think people really like (the music currently being played) but are just indifferent to it.”
