Delta State Radio (WDSW-LP 88.1 FM), a new low-power FM station broadcasting from the campus of Delta State University, launched Friday with the goal of providing community-targeted radio programming.<\/p>\n
Delta State President William N. LaForge said the university is grateful for all of the private donors and the many donations of time and resources that have enabled the station to begin broadcasting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Delta State University Foundation, along with friends and supporters, helped us achieve this goal by providing in-kind and private dollar contributions,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s all privately funded, and we hope to continue that going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the university continues to build its reputation nationally through quality academic programs in music and culture, the station offers unique opportunities for Delta State students and the surrounding community, LaForge added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe radio station will give us a little pizzazz as a university and a community,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have new opportunities to keep our constituencies apprised of events and activities. It will also give some of our students a chance to participate in the broadcast end of it. This will certainly be a nice addition to Delta State\u2019s focus on music and culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
This initial launch is the result of years of planning and commitment from numerous people within the Delta State family.<\/p>\n
Soon after becoming President, LaForge voiced his desire for a campus radio station to build and share the unique culture and diversity found at Delta State and in the Mississippi Delta as a whole, said Dr. Michelle Roberts, Chief of Staff and Vice President for University Relations.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, the bulk of the work has taken place in the last few months,\u201d she added. \u201cDelta State has many wonderful people who work tirelessly to ensure its success, and those who have been involved in getting this station up and running in such a short amount of time are to be commended.\u00a0I offer special thanks to the staff in Communications and Marketing \u2014 led by Director Jennifer Farish and assisted by April Mondy and Leigh Emerson \u2014 who have coordinated this effort and worked around the clock to launch the station by Homecoming weekend, as well as Tricia Walker and her advisory committee who have been invaluable resources in this new adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Walker, executive director of the Delta Music Institute Entertainment Industry program at Delta State, has been one of the primary champions behind the station\u2019s creation and said she has always been a fan of college\/community radio and the eclectic mix of programming it offers.<\/p>\n
In first researching the possibility of getting a station at Delta State nearly a decade ago, she and others on the Delta State staff found that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) does not open up frequencies very often, and when they do, the window of time to apply for a radio license is often pretty small.<\/p>\n
So, in 2013 when the FCC announced a window of time that applications for an LPFM license would be accepted, everyone knew it was time to jump into action.<\/p>\n
\u201cA\u00a0group of campus\/community radio fans convened to discuss the possibilities,\u201d Walker said. \u201cIn that early group were myself, Don Allan Mitchell, Karen Bell, Will Jacks, Michelle Johansen, and the late Dorothy Shawhan. Others on campus with radio \u2018connections\u2019 included Pat Webster, Matt Jones, and former Delta State professor Ron Douglas.\u201d<\/p>\n
The application for an LPFM construction permit was submitted to the FCC and was awarded to Delta State on January 27, 2014. Once the construction permit was issued, the station had to be on the air within 18 months or the construction permit would expire.<\/p>\n
It was essential to enlist the help of some generous donors to meet the deadline. Research was completed for available call letters, and in the summer of 2015, the station was born through the generous donation of equipment by Delta State alumnus J. Boyd Ingram and radio station owner Larry Fuss, the support of the DSU Foundation, and the hard work of Ed Czelada and the Elijah Mondy family. Thanks to their time and support, the FCC granted the license to Delta State on July 27, 2015.<\/p>\n
Walker said the initial launch is just a beginning point for the station, which aims to greatly expand its local programs and community involvement. Starting with a mix of music from genres including blues, classic rock and pop, the station will seek to develop a broad mix of community-oriented programs created and supported by volunteers both from the Delta State campus and the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe we will begin to develop a great group of programmers who will put together some really interesting, relevant and entertaining programming for the campus and surrounding community,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd the original programming will be something you won\u2019t find on other stations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The involvement of students and community volunteers will be essential in order for the station to achieve its mission \u201cto engage in and celebrate the diversity of Cleveland and Delta State University through alternative, non-commercial, community-targeted radio programming and to offer broadcast learning opportunities for community members and the Delta State family,\u201d according to the station\u2019s website.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need students and citizens who enjoy being part of building something from the ground up to sign up as volunteers and programmers,\u201d Walker said. \u201cThis is not the type of station where you have to have a particular type of \u2018radio sounding\u2019 voice. We are looking for dedicated folks who have a passion for the \u2018theatre of the mind\u2019 that is radio.\u201d<\/p>\n
People of all ages and backgrounds are needed for the station grow and expand in the year to come, she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really hope the campus and community will take ownership of the station in the sense of making it their own through programs that address issues important to the community as well as unique music programs,\u201d she explained. \u201cCivic issues, school issues, celebrations, local news \u2026 the station should be a voice for all of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information on Delta State Radio or to sign up as a volunteer, visit\u00a0www.deltastateradio.com<\/a>. The station is seeking both volunteers and donations through memberships and time. Applications are available through the station website, and anyone around the world will be able to listen to the station\u00a0through a live streaming link to be available on the\u00a0website by Saturday (Nov. 7).<\/p>\n