An Open Letter to President Clough

The following open letter from 67 73 Georgia Tech Alumni and former WREK staff members has been sent to Tech President Dr. G. Wayne Clough. Copies have been distributed to the Tech community to encourage an open discussion about WREK's future (see the distribution list at the end of the post).

January 2, 2007

Dr. G. Wayne Clough
President
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, Georgia 30332

Dear President Clough:

This letter is prompted by recent news reports in The Technique and The Whistle concerning proposals to change the operation of WREK-FM. As Georgia Tech alumni and former WREK staffers, we would like to express our support for WREK in its current form as a student operated noncommercial radio station.

We understand that the Georgia Tech Athletic Association, Georgia Public Broadcasting, and Public Broadcasting Atlanta have all made proposals to take over part or all of WREK’s 40,000 Watt FM broadcast signal and relegate student broadcasts to an HD radio subchannel that few Atlantans and fewer Tech students are equipped to receive.

WREK’s broadcast signal is a valuable asset, but it should be remembered that this asset only exists because of the efforts of countless Tech students over the last 38 years. Beginning in 1968, students organized WREK as a station to be operated by and for the students of Georgia Tech. Students built the first studios and obtained the equipment needed to begin transmission as a 10-watt station. Students filed the paperwork for the original FCC license as well as applications to broadcast at successively higher power until it reached its present level of 40,000 Watts. Students did the engineering to develop and maintain successively more sophisticated broadcast and studio facilities, including a sophisticated digital automation system. Students made history when WREK became one of the first stations to broadcast streaming audio over the Internet.

Over the years, WREK has provided a voice for Tech students and a forum to exchange views. WREK has covered live events at Tech that include the visits of Presidents, interviews with personalities ranging from Lester Maddox to Frank Zappa, music concerts, and countless varsity sports matches. WREK’s programming has provided a valuable alternative to the homogenous and heavily consolidated commercial FM band. WREK has accomplished all this at minimal cost to Tech, with operating expenses funded by Student Activity Fees.

As WREK alumni, we are some of the many students who helped build and operate WREK over the last 38 years. While we are proud of what we accomplished, we are even prouder that WREK has continued to flourish as one generation of students has passed the reins to the next. We look back on the time we spent working at WREK fondly and realize that whatever career path we have taken, our experiences at WREK were an important and formative part of our Georgia Tech education.

Because of our pride in WREK as a Georgia Tech tradition and our belief in its value, we are deeply concerned about the current proposals regarding WREK. One of the greatest attributes of the WREK experience is that students are immersed in all aspects of the broadcasting experience, including not just music, news, and sports programming but also engineering and management. Any move to limit or remove student control over the station would greatly reduce the value of this experience.

We are also troubled by the proposal that student broadcasts be moved to an HD sub-channel to allow WREK’s main FM signal to be leased or commercialized. WREK’s main signal is the foundation of the station’s identity. The FCC granted Tech the license for this signal because of student efforts to create a station to be operated “by and for students”, and we believe that it should continue to be used for this purpose. As a practical note, the current cost of HD radio receivers (at least $200) would greatly limit students’ access to WREK’s programming and prevent it from accomplishing its primary mission.

We believe that particular caution should be employed in considering any proposal to transfer WREK’s license to commercial status. One need only review the history of WGST – Tech’s last venture in commercial broadcasting – to see the pitfalls. According to the Georgia Tech Archives, WGST was donated to Tech in 1923 by Atlanta Constitution owner Clark Howell to be operated as a commercial station with “educational opportunities for students”. However, within a few years, the operation was leased to a third party and operated without student participation until its sale by the Board of Regents in 1974. It is not hard to imagine such a scenario occurring with a “converted” WREK – and once gone, WREK’s license would be impossible to replace.

As alumni, we feel a strong connection to Georgia Tech that is in many ways a result of our WREK experience. This strong connection is shown in a continued interest and involvement with Georgia Tech and WREK. Many of us contribute to Roll Call, and have also supported WREK through cash donations (alumni contributed over $40,000 to support WREK’s recent move to the Student Commons), equipment donations, and direct technical assistance.

In closing, we believe that WREK is highly a visible demonstration of the engineering prowess, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit of Tech students. This demonstration greatly strengthens the Georgia Tech “brand” at the local, national, and international levels. Moreover, we believe that WREK as currently organized is a Tech tradition that is well worth preserving. As alumni we have backed up this belief in support for WREK specifically and Tech in general. Please work with us to keep it in the hands of our own Tech students, who built it, funded it, staffed it, and continue to benefit from the WREK experience.

Sincerely Yours,

Leonard Greene, EE ‘68
WREK Staff 1968 (News Director)
Owner
Orbital Engineering and Consulting, LLC
Charleston, South Carolina

Geoffrey N. Mendenhall, EE ‘70
WREK Staff 1968-70 (Chief Engineer 1968-69, General Manager 1969-70)
Vice President - Research and Development
Harris Corporation - Broadcast Communications Division
Mason, Ohio

Joel Ackerman
WREK Staff: 1969-71
Vice President of Sales
RTO Software
Alpharetta, Georgia

Eric Roberts, IE '72
WREK Staff 1970-72 (General Manager 1971-72)
Senior Directory
Oracle USA, Inc.
Newtown, Pennsylvania

Mike Caldwell, EE ’73, MSEE ‘75
WREK Staff 1970-73 (Program Director 1970-73)
Senior Director - Product Management
ARRIS Broadband
Atlanta, Geogia

David G. Hunt, IMGT ‘73
WREK Staff 1968-73 (General Manager 1972-73)
President
Hunt Corporate Services, Inc.
Syosset, New York

Edwin G. Markle, IE ‘73
WREK Staff 1970-73 (Business Manager 1972-1973)
Pilot
American Airlines
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Bob Smith, PSY '73
WREK Staff, 1972-73, (News Director 1973)
Technique Editor 1972
Morning Drive DJ (On-air name: Ross Brittain)
WOGL-FM
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Formerly with: WHTZ-FM /New York (10 years); WABC-AM /New York (3 years);
WKSS-FM /Hartford (8 years); WZGC-FM /Atlanta (3 years); others

John A. Maynard, EE '74; MSEE '75
WREK Staff 1971-75 (Sports Director 1971-73, Music Director 1973-75)
Chief Engineer Advanced EO/IR Systems
BAE Systems-IEWS
Amherst, New Hampshire

Paul E. Miles, AE '74
WREK Staff 1970-72
Commander, U.S. Navy (Retired)
AirTran Airways
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Paul Pomeroy, IE '74
WREK Staff 1969-74
CEO, Pomeroy Therapeutics
Cincinnati, Ohio

Glenn R. Sirkis, IMGT ‘74
WREK Staff 1968-71, 1974 (General Manager 1970-71)
Chief Executive Officer and Owner
Stradis, Inc. (Broadcast Television Equipment manufacturer)
Tucker, Georgia

Arthur S. Nacht, IMGT ’75 MS IMGT ‘78
WREK Staff 1971-75 (General Manager 1973-75)
Chief Operating Officer
Stradis, Inc.
Atlanta, Georgia

Frank T. Riherd, EE '76 (Chief Engineer 1974, General Manager 1975-76)
Consulting Engineer
Nice, France

Craig Cuttner IMGT ’77
WREK Staff 1975-76
Senior Vice President, Advanced Technology
Home Box Office
New York, New York

Greg Baumann, APHY ‘78
WREK Staff 1975-1980 (Program Director 1977-78)
Chief Architect, Mediation Business
Intec Telecom Systems
Atlanta, Georgia

Lionel Hightower EE ‘78
WREK Staff 1974-1978
Vice President of Engineering
Viacom/MTV Networks
New York, New York

Fred Hybart EE ’78
WREK Staff 1974-78 (General Manager 1977-78)
ViaSat Corporation
Atlanta, Georgia

Jack Tumblin BSEE’78, MSEE ’90, PhD (CS) ‘99
WREK Staff 1975-1978 (Music Director 1975-77),
Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

David J. Droste, ME '79
WREK Staff 1976-79 (Business Manager 1978-79)
Manager of Predictive Maintenance Services
Temple-Inland
Lumberton, Texas

John A. Nestor EE ‘79
WREK Staff 1976-79 (General Manger 1978-79)
Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Lafayette College
Easton, Pennsylvania

Darryl Pierce
WREK Staff 1976-79 (News Director 1977-78)
Realtor
Metro Brokers GMAC Real Estate
Atlanta, Georgia

Richard B. Gay, EE '80
WREK Staff 1978-80
Senior Applications Engineer
Silicon Laboratories, Inc.
Austin, Texas

Gerry Picard, EE’ 80, MSEE ‘81
WREK Staff 1976-1981
Sr. Staff Engineer
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control
Orlando, Florida

Greg Jones, ICS ’81
WREK Staff 1977-83 (General Manager 1980-81)
General Manager, Strategic Marketing
Texas Instruments
Dallas, Texas

Marie Fair, IE ‘82
WREK Staff 1979-82
Business Domain Expert, Quality
NetRegulus
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Chris King
WREK Staff 1978-82 (Music Director 1979-80)
Technical Director
Pixar Animation Studios
Emeryville California

Lisa Berson Reynolds EE '82
WREK Staff 1978-82 (Business Manager 1980-81)
Reynolds Engineering & Design
Belmont, California

David Sedacca, EE '83, MSEE '85
WREK Staff 1980-1985 (General Manager 1982-1983)
Principal Engineer
Scientific Atlanta, A Cisco Company
Atlanta, Georgia

David Beard, CE ‘85
WREK Staff 1981-85
Structural Engineer
Robertson Loia Roof, PC
Doraville, Georgia

Reggie Ratcliff EE ’86
WREK Staff 1974-80 (Chief Engineer 1976-80)
Principal Engineer
ViaSat Corporation
Atlanta, Georgia

Bob Gough EE '86
WREK staff 1982-86 (General Manager 1983-84)
Senior Software Engineer
Wurld Media, Inc.
Saratoga Springs, New York

Eric Winter EE ’86, MSEE ‘87
WREK Staff 1982-87 (General Manager 1983-1986)
Principal, Webicus, LLC
Marietta, Georgia

Dave Sasscer, ME ’87
WREK Staff 1982-87
Vice President
David J. Spector and Associates
New York, New York

Arthur Davis, Management ‘88
WREK Staff 1982-88 (General Manager 1987-88)
Station Manager
KBOO 90.7FM
Portland, Oregon

Timothy Bennett, NE ‘89
WREK Staff 1986-89
Program Manager
Drummond Group, Inc.
Nashville, Tennessee

Robert Hardwick, MSME '89
WREK Staff 1986-89
Structures Engineer
The Boeing Company
Seattle, Washington

Michael "Ike" Hall, BSHP '90
WREK Staff 1988-90
Associate Radiation Safety Officer
Emory University
Clarkston, Georgia

Mary Clare DeReuil, ID ‘91
WREK Staff 1987-1994
President
MCD Design
Atlanta, Georgia

Valerie Stickles, App. Bio1 '91
WREK Staff 1989-91
Senior Software Consultant
Manhattan Associates, Inc.
Atlanta, Georgia

Will Fratesi (attended Tech 1988-92)
WREK Staff 1988-91
Independent Musician
Atlanta, Georgia

Amy Potter, ME’92
WREK Staff 1988-96 (General Manager 1990-92)
Program Manager
Georgia Environmental Protection Agency
Atlanta, Georgia

Peter Rentz, Physics '92
WREK Staff 1989-97
Founder
Eastern Developments Music
Los Angeles, California

Gray Saunders, ME '92
WREK Staff 1989-96 (Sports Director, 1990-94)
Grayarea Pictures
Atlanta, Georgia

Gavin Holmes, ID ‘93
WREK Staff 1990-93
Visual Effects Artist
R!OT Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia

Thomas Peake, HTS, STAC '93
WREK Staff 1988-93 (General Manager 1992-93)
Copywriter (self-employed)
Rhetorical Engineer for Hire
Atlanta, Georgia

Jamie Osborne, EE ‘94
WREK Staff 1990-94
Fixed Route Coordinator - Accessible Services
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
San Francisco, California

Lisa A. Smith, CS '94
WREK Staff 1992 - 1994
The Home Depot
Atlanta, Georgia

Jennifer Kraft Leavey, CHEM '95
WREK Staff 1991-1995
Senior Academic Professional
Georgia Tech School of Biology
Atlanta, Georgia

Brennan T. Price, M.S. Chemistry '95
WREK Staff 1993-1995 (News Director 1994-1995)
Patent Attorney
Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP
Hartford, Connecticut

Chris Campbell, AE '90, B EE '96
WREK Staff 1988-1996, 1999-2002 (Chief Engineer 1999-2002)
Project Engineer
Turner Broadcasting / CNN
Atlanta, Georgia

Ryan Todd, HTS/STAC ‘95, MS IDT ‘97
WREK Staff 1989-96
Senior Member of Technical Staff
VMware, Inc.
San Francisco, California

Neel Murgai, CE ‘96
WREK Staff 1990-98
Independent Musician
Brooklyn, New York

Lyle E. Sprinkle, EE ’96, MBA ‘02
Director, Product Line Management (Radio Solutions)
Harris Corporation - Broadcast Communications Division
Mason, Ohio

Faisal Ahmad, EE ‘98
WREK Staff 1993-98 (General Manager 1997-98)
Senior Marketing Manager
Intersil Corp.
El Segundo, California

Brian Blankenship, ME '98
WREK Staff 1995-98
Manufacturing Engineering Manager
CEA Technologies
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Peter Boyle CmpE ‘99
WREK Staff: 1994-99
Manager of Product Engineering Characterization
Altera Corporation
Mountain View, CA

Alec Dutcher ME ’99
WREK Staff 1996-99
Design Engineer
Visteon Corporation
Detroit, Michigan

Brent Harris, CS ‘99
WREK Staff 1995-99 (General Manager, 1998-99)
Manager, Technology
Sapient
Atlanta, Georgia

Will Judd, ME, ‘99
WREK Staff 1994-99
Orbiter Handling Engineer
The Boeing Company
Viera, Florida

Steven Kiefer, ChE '99
WREK Staff 1995-1999
Process Engineer
ICL Performance Products LP
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Hormuz Minina, EE ‘99
WREK Staff 1994-99
Product Development Manager
Range Servant America
Atlanta, Georgia

Ramsey Tantawi, EE '00
WREK Staff 1995-2000 (General Manager 1999-2000)
IT Manager, The Food Project
Boston, Massachusetts

Matthew Wesolowski, Public Policy ’00
WREK Staff 1998-2000
Owner, WYAB 93.1 FM
SSR Communications, Inc.
Jackson, Mississippi

Frank Fuller, MS INTA ‘01
WREK Staff 2000-02, 2006-
PhD Candidate (Political Science)
Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia

Ed Martin, MCRP '01
WREK Staff 2001-04
Planning Director
City of Nevada City, California
Nevada City, California

Thomas Kimberly, ID ‘01
WREK Staff 1994-2001
Owner
Wayne Street Tattoo Company
Milledgeville, Georgia

George Perantatos, CS '01
Program Manager
Microsoft Corporation
Seattle, Washington

Adam Preble, CS ‘01
WREK Staff 1997-2001 (General Manager 2000-01)
Software Engineer
Stradis, Inc.
Tucker, Georgia

Thomas Hildebrandt, CS '03, MSCS '04
WREK Staff 2000-04 (Chief Engineer 2002-04)
Law Student
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia

Katherine Schweigert, STC ‘04
WREK Staff 1999-present (General Manager 2001-02)
Master’s Degree Candidate (Sociology)
George State University
Atlanta, Georgia

Mandy Lowey, CS '03
WREK Staff 2000-2004 (General Manager 2002-2003)
User Experience Designer
Motorola, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois

Markus Haas, MSCS ’05
WREK Staff 2001-05 (Program Director 2003-05)
Senior Unix System Administrator
San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio, Texas


Copies:
Mr. Jeremy Varner, WREK General Manager
Prof. Colleen Terrell, WREK Faculty Advisor
Mr. James Fetig, Associate Vice President of Institute Communications
Dr. William Schafer, Vice President of Student Affairs
Mr. John Stein, Dean of Students
Ms. Danielle McDonald, Assistant Dean of Students and Chair, RCB
Ms. Alison Graab, SGA President
The Technique
Tech Topics

The Tech Administration's Intentions

The most complete statement of the Tech administration's intentions about WREK is provided in a Letter to the Editor in the Dec. 1 Technique from James Fetig, Tech's Associate Vice President for Institute Communications and Public Affairs. Here is the text of Mr. Fetig's letter in full:

While I appreciated the coverage of the WREK proposals in the Nov. 17 issue, I am afraid that the story and editorial are a bit ahead of the facts and schedule.

As the story indicates, I have been asked by President Clough to lead the process that will examine the various proposals related to WREK radio and provide him a fact-based analysis and recommendation.

It is important to note that change to the status quo is not preordained. Moreover, there always will be a student-controlled WREK signal in an independent HD format and on the Internet.

The station's staff and the physical integrity of the station facility would also be unaffected. The crux of the matter centers on how the FM analog signal might be used, whether partnered with National Public Radio in some form, in a student-run commercial format, or by maintaining the status quo.

After talking to a range of student and administrative leaders, I believe the most effective way to move forward is to ask the Radio Communications Board (RCB), WREK's governing body, to analyze the proposals and possibilities.

The RCB membership is composed of four faculty and staff members, and includes six students constituting a student majority. I believe the Board is positioned to best represent the interests of the station, the student body and the Institute as a whole.

The analysis will take place over several weeks and should involve a thorough fact-gathering process and a complete examination of WREK's mission and all proposed options. It should include a survey of the student body to determine the station's actual listening audience in terms of demographics, size, listening habits and desires.

The process also should be open, and additional comments should be invited through open fora and the Web. In addition, each party with a proposal related to WREK should be invited to campus to present their ideas in person.

Before any recommendation can be reached, many questions must be asked and a great deal of data must be collected. It is my hope that every interested student will follow the process closely and provide valuable input along the way.

James Fetig
Associate Vice President,
Institute Communications and Public Affairs

A Summary of the Three Proposals

Three organizations have expressed an interest in taking over WREK's main signal during all or part of the broadcast day. Student broadcasts would be relegated to an HD Radio "subchannel" which could only be heard using a $200+ HD Radio Receiver.

The details of the proposals have been described in The Technique (Georgia Tech's student newspaper), The Whistle (Georgia Tech's Faculty/Staff Newsletter), and Creative Loafing, an Atlanta weekly newspaper. To summarize, the three proposals are as follows:

1. The Georgia Tech Athletic Association (GTAA) is proposing to somehow convert WREK from noncommercial to commercial operation. It would then be used to broadcast Georgia Tech athletic events; revenue from the commercial operation would go to the GTAA. This proposal was first reported in The Technique in a September 29th article, "WREK examines new proposals". Further details are provided in Creative Loafing in an Oct. 11 article "WREK faces proposal to go commercial" and in The Whistle in a Nov. 17 article "Athletics makes its pitch to student radio".
   
2. Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) is proposing to "lease" WREK's main signal for 6 hours a day during the morning (6-9AM) and evening (3-6PM) "drive time" for NPR programming. This proposal is also described in the Sept. 29th Technique article and the Oct. 11 CL article.
   
3. Public Broadcasting Atlanta (PBA) is proposing to lease" WREK's main signal 14 hours a day, from 5AM-7PM for NPR and other programming. PBA operates WABE, the public radio and TV stations in Atlanta, but is not affiliated with GPB. PBA's proposal is described in a Nov. 17, 2006 article in the Technique, "PBA inquires about managing WREK".
   

A common feature of each of these proposals is that WREK's signal would be upgraded to "HD Radio", which allows an FM signal to broadcast both its conventional main signal, which any FM radio can receive, and also one or more subchannels, which can be received with an HD radio receiver. Student broadcasts would be placed on one of these subchannels.

The next post discusses the planned response of the Tech Administration to these proposals.

News & Opinion Links about WREK

This post contains links to some news reports and opinion pieces about the WREK propsals. If you find any additional articles which are not here, email me at jnestorx AT gmail.com.

News Articles

• Technique article: WREK examines new proposals - September 29, 2006. Describes the meeting in which Georgia Tech President G. Wayne Clough apprised WREK management of two proposals:
1. A proposal by Georgia Tech Alumni Associate to "convert" WREK to commercial operation for use to broadcast Tech sporting events.
2. A proposal by Georgia Public Broadcasting to lease airtime from WREK during morning (6-9AM) and evening (3-6PM) drive time.
• Technique article: "Clough discusses his life experiences" - October 6, 2006. President Clough is interviewed by WREK on the program "Tech Talk".
• Georgia Tech Archive: Tech Talk Interview with Dr. Clough - October 5, 2006. Audio archive of the interview that was broadcast on WREK.
  
• Creative Loafing article - "WREK faces proposal to go commerical" - October 11, 2006.
• Technique article: "PBA inquires about managing WREK" - November 17, 2006. Describes a new proposal by Public Broadcasting Atlanta (PBA - the operators of WABE) to lease airtime on WREK for 14 hours per day, from 5am-7pm.
• Whistle article - "Athletics makes its pitch to student radio" - Nov. 27, 2006 (Georgia Tech Faculty/Staff Newsletter). Describes details of the GTAA proposal to commericalize WREK.
• Access Atlanta RadioTalk blog: "WREK changes forthcoming?" - Feb. 7, 2007. Atlanta Journal-Constitution writer Rodney Ho describes the WREK proposals on his blog.
• Access Atlanta RadioTalk blog: "WREK meeting" - Feb. 8. 2007. Describes the RCB/GPB meeting that took place on Feb. 7. Describes GPB's vague proposal for a "partnership" and their desire to find airtime the Atlanta radio market.
• Technique article: "RCB meets with GPB representative" - Feb. 16, 2007. Describes the Feb. 7 RCB/GPB meeting and alludes to an upcoming meeting with Public Broadcasting Atlanta (PBA) in the "near future". Also discusses WREK's plans to broadcast in HD format, possibly by late summer.
• Creative Loafing article: "Public radio vies for airtime on WREK-FM" - Feb. 14, 2007. Another story about the Feb. 7 RCB/GPB meeting. Describes some of the alumni concerns.
• Technique article: "PBA Meets with WREK" - Apr. 6, 2007. Describes the RCB meeting with Public Broadcasting Atlanta (PBA) and the Atlanta Educational Telecommunications Collaborative (AETC), which operates PBA.
  

Editorials and Letters to the Editor

• Technique Editoiral - "Strong Signal" - Sept. 29, 2006. In favor of maintaining student control of WREK.
  
• Technique Letters to the Editor - Oct. 10, 2006. Two letters supporting WREK's continued operation, including one describing the takeover of Baylor's station by NPR.
• Fallout Brief - 'WREK-FM faces proposal to go commercial" - Creative Loafing Online Comments
  
• Technique editorial - "Leave WREK alone" - Nov. 17, 2006. Editorial supporting WREK.
• Technique Online Survey Result - Dec. 1, 2006 - "What do you think about the proposal for public broadcasting to take over WREK?" Pie chart at the top of page 2 shows that 70% of respondents indicated "They need to keep their hands off WREK".
  
• Technique Letter to the Editor - "WREK seeks input" - Dec. 1, 2006. Letter from Jim Fetig, Associate VP of Insitute Communications and Public Affairs (see previous post). Describes the process which Tech will be use to evaluate the alternative proposals.
• Technique Letter to the Editor - "WREK valuable tool for engineering students" - Jan. 19, 2007. A shortened version of the Open Letter to President Clough which describes the value of WREK to all Tech students (the Technique chose the title).
  

Deja Vu All Over Again: The 1997 WCNN Proposal

In 1997, WCNN propsed to pay WREK to simulcast commercial broadcasts of night football games. This was deemed necessary because WCNN's AM license required that it broadcast at reduced power at night.

• Technique Article: "Radio board to evaluate WCNN games proposal" - Feb. 21, 1997. Describes the initial proposal.
• Technique Editorial: "WCNN on WREK?" - Feb. 7, 1997. Editorial in favor of the proposal .
• Atlanta Business Chronicle Article: "WREK plays hardball with Cox" - June 13, 1997. Describes the proposal and the outcome (RCB voted against agreement).
• Technique Article: "New WREK schedule to include night games" - Sept. 3, 2004. Seven years later, WREK reverses itself and agrees to simulcast night football and men's basketball games after all with WQXI-AM, which took over football broadcasts in 2001.

Last update: Feb. 8, 2007.

Why this Blog?

I am creating this blog to provide a forum for discussion about the future of WREK-FM. WREK is Georgia Tech's Student-Operated Noncommercial 40,000 FM Radio Station, which broadcasts in Atlanta at 91.1 MHz. WREK was founded om 1968 by a small group of students and has been continuously managed and operated by students for the last 38 years.

Recent proposals that are detailed in the next post would remove student control over WREK during part or all of the broadcast day and relegate student broadcasts to an HD radio subchannel which requires the purchase of a $200+ HD Radio Receiver to hear.

Why do I care?

Many years ago, when I was a Georgia Tech student, I worked at WREK. It was by far the best experience of my college career. Building, managing, and operating a 40,000 Watt radio station was a lot of fun, but it was also a great learning experience.

For the last 38 years, students have been responsible for all aspects of this station, including programming, engineering, and management. The students who have worked at WREK have benefitted greatly from this experience, whether we are now broadcasters, engineers, managers, or even college professors. I'd really like to see today's Georgia Tech students continue to have the same opportunity.

Students have been good stewards of WREK for 38 years - why does Tech's administration think they can do better by leasing it out now? Is it about money? Is it a desire to enhance Tech's image or "branding"? What can be done to convince the Tech administration of WREK's value? I hope we can explore these questions in future posts.