Re: An argument for Class D

[ssmyth@tiac.net (Sean P. Smyth)]

>Most college stations I've heard, however, are free-for-alls where
>participants get to do anything they like, whether anyone listens or not,
>and the university pays the bills.  No one learns, and no one listens. The
>best thing that could happen to these stations would be for the
>universities to cut off their funding; some stations would disappear (and
>make their channels available to community broadcasters), but others would
>bite the bullet, impose some order on themselves, and remake themselves
>into real radio stations. Either way, the universities, the listening
>public, and the radio industry would all benefit immensely.

This pretty much sums up my frustration with radio. There are these college
stations out there which really do not give a damn what they do, as long as
they get to do whatever they want. I agree with you that there most
definitely should be a learning mechanism in there in regards to radio -
after all, these kids *are* going to college, and someone is paying for the
priviledge of that four-year education. Part of that learning process
should be connecting with a community they live in, and a community they
might be working and living in after graduation.

Something else which frustrates me: A public (read: taxpayer-funded)
college owning a station, yet not making it accessible to the community. Of
course, a prime example is WUMB. Talk about a station which is isolated
from the community. Does not keep in touch in all with all of the
community, except of course for its "patrons". (Wouldn't it be nice if some
of the kids who paid $6,000 to $12,000 per year to the state received some
of the benefits from a radio station they are paying for?) And what I
cannot understand are two stations - WGBH and WUMB - which are trying to do
the same thing, one with the state's money. Ridiculous. It would be nice if
WUMB actually went to South Boston, Dorchester, or Roxbury and did
something constructive with its airwave space, as opposed to duplicating
and triplicating the programming heard on Boston's other two NPR
affiliates.

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Sean Smyth
Smyth Sports Enterprises
10 Linley Terrace
South Boston, Mass. 02127
617/268-7012
Metropolitan Boston's leader in local sports broadcasting
ssmyth@tiac.net

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