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July 2003

WOSP seeks to spread its wings

Ebeth Macke

When Osprey Radio WOSP celebrated 10 years at UNF in April, it was more than a birthday party. It was a fund-raiser aimed at assuring the campus station survives another 10 years.

The concert, featuring such local favorites as hip-hop group Asamov, drew about 100 college-age people to Thee Imperial in Five Points. The money raised at the event, a net gain of $265, will go toward a low-power FM transmitter, said Ebeth Macke, WOSP’s station manager and a senior in the public relations track.

Currently, the station broadcasts only on the Internet and via Housing’s cable closed circuit system.

The transmitter is only one piece of the equipment needed to broadcast a signal, and the final cost is unknown since the station needs an engineer to study how far the signal can go without interfering with other broadcasts.

Still, the station continues its efforts to raise money for the transmitter, bringing in about $800 last year. More fund-raisers are planned for the coming year. The station also has hired an ad director to boost advertising and is setting up an underwriting program for donations.

Revenue from the DJ mobile service also goes into the transmitter fund. On-campus groups can use the service for free, and off-campus groups pay $40 an hour for the service, which includes equipment and a DJ.

WOSP’s operating budget from Student Government was about $7,000 this last year. Additional funding pays for six directors, although the salaries are for only 40 weeks out of the year and WOSP broadcasts year-round.

The station has about 30 live shows this summer covering about 40 hours of programming each week. The shows are taped and aired when DJs are not available. The station is trying to add to its staff and create a solid schedule for fall, Macke said. It’s also developing a news department.

Macke said the station plans to keep its Internet stream alive, even if it does land a transmitter.

“We will keep the Internet stream for as long as we can afford to,” she said.
WOSP already pays a standard fee to broadcast copyrighted material. But the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act has clouded the future of many Web-based stations because of the royalties it would require the stations to pay to broadcast copyrighted music.

A recent agreement on fees for college radio stations may ease some financial fears, but Macke is trying to sort out how the agreement will affect WOSP.

“From what it looks like, the settlement makes the rates into a flat fee, affordable by college stations, for each individual year,” Macke said. “But we also have to pay fees for every year starting with 1998 up til now, and I’m not sure where that money will come from.”

The station also faces problems on campus. Macke said the station’s location in a former teacher’s lounge in Building 2 is too removed from Building 14, creating a “communications barrier” between the station, Student Government, other student groups and its adviser.

That distance has led, she said, to the belief that the station is a clique, hurting its recruitment and perception on campus.

The location also disturbs nearby classrooms and is too small for the DJs and equipment, she said. A plan to move the station was foiled when part of Building 11 was closed.

While a location solution is not immediate, Associate Dean of Students Tom Vanschoor said WOSP and other student media are expected to get a new home with a new student union.

“As a program is developed for a new student union, we plan to include an area for all of the student media, including the radio station, TV station and Spinnaker,” Vanschoor said. “In the meantime, we will continue to pursue a means of broadcasting in addition to via the Internet.”

“We are also in the process of finding a new adviser for the station who has broadcast experience and hope to strengthen the relationship with Communications and Visual Arts,” Vanschoor said, referring to the recent departure of adviser Gary Warner. “For their part, the members of the radio station have developed plans for much more outreach to the campus community, thereby increasing their visibility.”

To listen to WOSP or to learn more about it, visit www.opsreyradio.tk.