The Radiator is small in size, but this radio station has a voice that is reaching the Burlington community on frequency WOMM-LP 105.9 FM. The Radiator is a low-power FM station run by Big Heavy World, a Vermont nonprofit that promotes local music, and Radio Bean, a Burlington music venue. It has been on air since September 2007, and has continued to grow since.
Filling the void
 |
(Photo illustration by Abby Robitaille) |
“The Radiator’s main focus is to be an arts and humanities medium,” says Lee Anderson, programming director for the Radiator and proprietor of Burlington music venue and coffee shop Radio Bean. “The hope is to get people out and about and let them know what is going on locally.”
The Radiator hosts shows ranging from garage rock, improv, and metal, to world music and shows that cater to a Bosnian audience, as well as programs dealing with autism and other disabilities.
“The station is not public access, it is community access with the intent to bring as diverse a spectrum of creative involvement from the local community as possible,” says Jim Lockridge, executive director of the Big Heavy World Foundation.
So far no one that has been interested in becoming a DJ has been denied a show, Lockridge says.
There will be an open house at 8 p.m. on Feb. 14 for members of the community to meet and greet the creators of The Radiator, Big Heavy World, and Vermont Music Library.
“I see the Radiator as a heat center that doesn’t force itself out like a blow torch, but emanates warmth that people will gravitate to,” Anderson says.
The Radiator is going to continue to grow, and people are already excited about the shows that are on the air, he says.
“People have forgotten what radio can be”
 |
Posters for various "local voices" plaster an electric box near Radio Bean in Burlington, a few blocks from The Radiator. (Photo by Abby Robitaille) |
“Until now, we haven’t sought to promote the station,” Lockridge says.
“Everyone is really excited that they can turn-on and tune-in to new music,” Anderson says. “People have forgotten what radio can be.”
WRUV, the Univeristy of Vermont radio station which broadcasts on 90.1 FM, has different licensing and is required to play 80 percent new music, he says.
“The community doesn’t have the chance to be involved [with WRUV],” Anderson says. “We don’t have those restrictions.”
The Radiator plans to grow into a media outlet for the city, and is sponsoring an after-school program for local high school students. Big Heavy World has a history of getting young people involved in their programs.
 |
Windows fog as Burlington venue and coffeehouse Radio Bean hosts local musicians on a cold evening. The business is involved with The Radiator, alongside Big Heavy World. (Photo by Abby Robitaille) |
“Everything we do is staffed by high school and college kids,” Lockridge says. “We are the un-anal retentive MTV. No one will stress out if you don’t do something right the first time, that’s the fun of this place. The entire institution’s culture is about involving younger people in everything we do.”
"Beautiful white paper"
Unlike most radio stations, the Radiator is a low-power 100-watt radio station. To put that in perspective, most Vermont radio stations run on 5,000-10,000 watts. Because the signal can carry over only about five miles, the Radiator is a regional station servicing Burlington, South Burlington, Shelburne, Winooski and parts of Colchester.
Low-power FM was established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a non-commercial, educational band on the airways, says Anderson. The FCC opened a window of 30 days to apply for a license for a 100-watt station.
“Almost every other station will be syndicating national shows and paying close attention to what the music station says is popular,” Lockridge says. ”None of these commercial influences exist for this station.”
The only thing that the Radiator purchased was the plastic covering for the antennae, says Lockridge. Everything else has been donated, including the antenna from Vermont Public Radio.
 |
The Radiator strives to bring new community voices to local listeners, and is supported by the community in return...nearly all of the station's equipment has been donated. (Photo by Alex Legere) |
“No matter what their programming is, our local family of radio stations donated because we fill a void, and that void is an emphatically local voice,” Lockridge says.
“Not a lot of people have heard about it, people should check it out,” says St. Michael's radio station WWPV station manager Kyle Chadburn. “It is a good to get their music out.”
St. Michael’s even donated pieces of equipment, and was more than happy to help, he says.
“Not a lot of students at St. Michael’s have heard about the Radiator, and it’s good to support community radio,” Chadburn says.
“This station is like a blank piece of beautiful white paper for local people to put their imprint on,” Lockridge says.