WEHC 90.7 FM gears up for a wider audience
The long awaited dream of building a 9000-watt radio station is finally coming to fruition for the Mass Communications Department at Emory & Henry as the radio tower has finally been erected and station nears completion.
While the tower was erected at the end of August, there are still many things to be done before the station is fully operational. On Thursday, Sept. 9, a team of engineers came to site the tower, making sure the signal pointed in the right direction. Friday, the station shelter, which holds the transmitter and equipment needed to run the station, arrived.
The station will reach a much wider radius than the current 500-watt station does. It will broadcast north to Richlands, south to Mountain City, Tenn., east to Rural Retreat, and west to Blountville, Tenn. It will cover five counties.
This project has been in the works for decades. The Mass Communications Department started out with a 100-watt station in 1992. Teresa Keller, the head of the department commented, “We didn’t know about thinking big in the 90s.”
For eleven years, the college fought the Federal Communications Commission to get a 500-watt station. This process took so long because Virginia Tech University was also looking to build a station in the area. Finally, the FCC ruled in the favor of Emory & Henry. However, the college decided to share broadcasting time with Virginia Tech. They have Radio IQ for half of the day, which broadcasts NPR and BBC; Emory & Henry holds the rest of the time.
When President Rosalind Reichard came to the college, she encouraged the department to “dream big.” Keller was ecstatic to have the president so supportive of their program. This gave them the chance to grow, thus beginning the dream of a 9000-watt station. For such a small college, this was a rare and large feat.
The new station will be supervised by Richard Graves, a 2008 graduate of Emory & Henry. After graduating, Graves went to Atlanta, Georgia, to work with WNNX 99.7. Keller describes him as “excellent” in his field, and thinks he will bring many new ideas to the station. “He will make it so much better: the sound quality, training, everything.” She is ecstatic to have him on board.
Graves will cover the duties of day to day operation, while Keller will manage more general aspects. She deals with legal issues, FCC regulations, promoting programs, and community relations.
The local community reaction was a major concern for the station. However, Keller declares that the community has embraced the station in “an amazing way.” They give feedback, call in, and are regular enthusiasts of the sports programming.
Keller shares, “I’m pleased and proud that Emory & Henry can offer a new option of programming for the region.” The radio station is a grand step in serving more of the public interest, and reaching a wider range of listeners.
Filed Under: News
About the Author: Sophomore Hannah Rhodes is a Mass Communications and Public Policy and Community Service double major. A native of Richmond, Hannah works for the campus radio station and also helps with the weekly television show. This is her second year working with EHCWired. She enjoys writing, playing soccer, and spending time with friends. She volunteers at the Highlands Project after school program and enjoys participating in community service. Family is important to her, as she is one of five children. Her time at Emory has been wonderful, and she can’t wait to have even more experiences.
