Re: college radio gone dark for summer?

[Sid Whitaker <sid.javanet@rcn.com>]

Aaron Read wrote:

> 
> While I agree that there is no excuse for a station to not be on the air
> 24/7 these days...which includes over the summer...I have found that it's
> not as easy as one might imagine. 

A casual sampling of college stations in southern Maine, not
surprisingly, reveals that some are still on, some are not. On a drive
up to Brunswick the other day, Bowdoin College's WBOR 91.1 was silent, 
but Bates's 91.5 WRBC was on. U. Southern Maine's 90.9 WMPG is always
on--but then again, they've got 200+ volunteers (many from outside the
university) and a waiting list for shows. The little 91.5 at St.
Joseph's College in Standish is off, I believe, but you have to be
within a few miles of campus to hear it.

Even college stations with considerable signal strength can have trouble
staying on the air during the summer. As a high school student the GM at
WRPI (the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute student station) in my
hometown of Troy, NY  handed me a station key and said "anytime we're
off the air, come in, sign on, and do a show."  I did plenty of 12-hour
airshifts----and loved it! Ah, to be 17 again, with 10kw to play with!
(most fun I ever had in radio). 

To raise another issue...does anyone see the FCC re-opening the window
for LPFM?

Sid Whitaker