#savewras website

There is now a #savewras website at savewras.com

The **** hits the fan at WRAS

According to the Atlanta Journal/Constitution Radio & TV Talk Blog and Creative Loafing, Georgia State University is entering into a two-year agreement with Georgia Public Broadcasting where GPB will take over daytime programming on WRAS-FM, Georgia State's longtime student radio station.   The WRAS student staff was not consulted prior to the deal.

The Creative Loafing article includes the text of the contracts between GSU and GPB.  According to the contracts, GPB will use WRAS to broadcast PBS and other public radio news broadcasts during the day.  In return, GSU gets access to a GPB TV subchannel at night and will be paid up to $150,000 for station operating expenses over the two year period.

UPDATE:There is a change.org petition where you can state your opposition to the merger. 

LATER UPDATE: Georgia State has posted the a FAQ file explaining the WRAS/GPB deal.  Short excerpt: "While students are entrusted to run the station, WRAS is ultimately a university asset."

100,000 Watts!

The new antenna is installed, they have FCC approval, and at 6PM tonight WREK started broadcasting at 100,000 Watts. Congratulations to all involved!

Student Radio Under Threat

The Vanderbilt student radio station WRVU is being sold to Nashville Public Broadcasting for $3.35 million. WRVU fans are fighting back - see here and here. It is perhaps more disturbing that this looks like a trend in which universities sell their student radio station licenses and kick the student broadcasters onto HD subchannel and/or webcast.

New Antenna Request Moves Forward

According the the Jan. 27, 2011 Technique's Council Clippings section, WREK is requesting $97,000 from Ga. Tech Student Government to support the purchase of a new antenna. The new antenna will support WREK's power increase to 100,000 watts.

UPDATE Feb. 21: Request approved, as reported in the Feb. 11 Technique!

In Memoriam: W. Marshall Leach

I am saddened to report the passing of Prof. W. Marshall, Leach, Jr. Georgia Tech students from the 1970s onward flocked to take his Audio course and build the Leach Amplifier and Leach Speakers. Dr. Leach worked with WREK as a technical adviser and as a member of the Radio Communications Board. For more information, see his obituary on the Georgia Tech ECE Department website. He will be missed.

Recent WREK News

I haven't posted here much recently since the various proposals to alter WREK's operation appear to have been dropped. However, here's some recent WREK-related news gleaned from WREK's web page and the Technique:

• Last September, WREK received a construction permit from the FCC to increase its operating power from 40,000 to 100,000 Watts. Next step: replacing the 30-year old antenna (I have mixed feelings about his, considering I was there when it was new).
• Last November, WREK began broadcasting on its HD2 subchannel.
• In January, a steam pipe broke in WREK's storage room back at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The resulting mold has made it difficult to recover old recordings and equipment.
• Also in January, WREK learned that the Tech Athlectic Association renegotiated its broadcasting deal with International Sports Properties (ISP) to drop WREK's broadcasting of evening football and men's basketball games. WREK will lose around $30K in revenue. It's not surprising that ISP would prefer to broadcast on a commercial station and get the ad revenue, but the way it was handled (notifying Student Affairs with an email rather than contacting WREK directly) is classic AA.
  
• Finally, this year's WREK 41st Birthday WREKtacular concert will be held tonight at 8PM at the Drunken Unicorn. Happy Birthday, WREK!