Re: WJUL "Lowell SunRise"

["Mission Control" <miscon@miscon.net>]

Aaron Read said:
>There's lots to be said about the IDEA behind all this....I think it's not 
>a bad idea at all.  Probably even a good one. 

Nice idea. Poor execution. On many levels.

Aaron continued: 
>After all, UMass Lowell COULD have just sold the station - probably for $5 or $10 million easily - 
>like what happened to WYCM.

I doubt that they would sold the station. If you think the hue and cry over the Lowell Sun program was "resistance," selling the 50 year old student run and funded entity would have given you a revolution. Plus, there are many other, more positive, long-range alternatives.


And Aaron again:
>The show's initial quality needs work.  Even the Sun acknowledges 
>that.  But many great shows get off to a rocky start...

No one connected with the program even knows the rudementary rules for "running" the board. Have you heard the program? Read the reviews? "Rocky start" and "totally unprepared" are two different things.


Aaron:
... but the execution was 
>rocky due to a larger than anticipated resistance from the student 
>staff.   That's not to blame the students, or anyone really.   It just 
>happened; 

The Lowell Sun igonored the 5 P's: Prior Planning Pevents Poor Performance. It had NOTHING to do with any "resistance" from the students! The students have been asked for nothing (aside from the 5 hours a day in air-time), and have not stood in the way of the program. In fact, the students went above and beyond by voluntarily, without prodding from University officials, providing a workspace (studio) for the program to use. (The contract that the Sun signed with the University states that the Sun themselves will provide a seperate studio, which they could not fulfill.)

But this whole situation is less about the actual progam itself (how can one argue against a program that will reflect possitively on the University while attending to the needs of the community), but more about the process whereby this came to pass (Almost no student or actual University involvement, no outside sources or bidding, put together by an unknown committee headed by the ALTHLETIC Director, signed in the middle of summer - no classes, no students - by a Chancellor that has not talked to the students, nor acknowledged one letter to him about the matter. It was a breach of trust - an actionable offense, btw - between an organization created by a student and then operated and financially maintained directly by students for over 50 years, and the University obligated to educate the students).

Whew. Sorry 'bout that! Yah, I guess I'm a little passionate about it... heheh.

Mike