Posted: 04/04/07

Not for sale
WWPV resists sale to Vermont Public Radio

Ryan Lowell | fact checker
rlowell@smcvt.edu

Talk of selling the WWPV radio frequency to Vermont Public Radio is dying down, as St. Michael's President Marc vanderHeyden sent an e-mail to students and faculty saying he does not recommend the sale.

In the e-mail, vanderHeyden wrote that student and faculty support shows WWPV is a valuable asset to the school and should not be sold.

Presidential pull

Dan Hock and Derek Souza host Dan and Derek's Disco Lounge from 8-10 pm every Tuesday on WWPV. (Colin Vallance, photo)

WWPV Co-Music Director Jameson Aubut says the president’s letter doesn’t officially nullify the sale, but he would be surprised if the president’s recommendation wasn't followed.

“We‘re not in the clear yet,” Aubut says. “[The decision] still has to be approved by the board of trustees. But I can’t see the board disagreeing with the president of the college.”

Aubut says a formal decision will be made at a board of trustees meeting later this month.

In agreement with vanderHeyden, Aubut says the station is a valuable part of the school and the surrounding community.

“It’s an important media source for not only the school, but everyone in the surrounding area,” Aubut says.

WWPV DJs can play whatever songs they like, unlike Clear Channel radio stations, Aubut says.

Although the president’s support provided important help, Production Manager Kyle Chadburn says he was never very worried the station would be sold.

“I had no doubt we would keep the station,” Chadburn says. “We had enough support from the radio community. It would have been a very bad political decision for the school to sell the station.”

Co-Music Director Andrew Reid says he also thinks presidential support helped, but the station would have found a way to stay on the air regardless.

“I think it’s definitely helpful to have [vanderHeyden] on our side,” Reid says.“But WWPV would not have gone down without a fight.”

Cause for action

Souza prepares music to play during his show. Because WWPV is an independent station, WWPV DJs are allowed to play any music they choose. (Colin Vallance, photo)

Although the station’s potential sale was only common knowledge for several days before the president’s e-mail, Aubut says he and the other DJs were already planning how they would stop the station’s sale. He said the DJs had been meeting with students and teachers around campus who supported their cause, and had plans for those students and teachers to record Public Service Announcements broadcasting their protest on the air, but that they never needed to.

“What happened was we got the news dropped on us just before vacation hit,” Aubut says. “We had prepared to hit the ground with our feet running, but the president sent out an e-mail before we even had to lift a finger.”

Reid says students and faculty who weren’t even associated with WWPV did a lot of work to save the station.

“A couple students set up posters trying to let people know what was going on,” Reid says. “They had planned a meeting, but then the president sent his e-mail. But we definitely had a lot of support from staff, students and the community.”

Aubut says he agrees community members played a big role in the station being saved.

“Students on campus completely free of us managed to start an uproar,” Aubut says. “It was great to see students rallying behind [the station]. It made me proud to be a St. Michael’s student.”

Chadburn says there was a Facebook group behind the meeting, which was started by Alexander Dube, who is not on the WWPV staff. The group was named “Hell no! Save WWPV St. Mike’s Radio!” and had 289 members as of April 1.

One reason why students are so supportive is that WWPV offers students excellent opportunities to get involved, Reid says. He also says it provides independent radio, which brings diversity to the campus and the community.

Chadburn says he agrees that WWPV provides a unique experience for students, and a place for them to speak their minds.

“We’ve had a lot of discussions about free speech, and radio is one of the bigger outlets, especially college radio,” Chadburn says. “It’s also just a great experience because if you think about it, not many people get to be on the radio unless you make a career of it.”

The future of independent radio

WWPV sponsored a free concert featuring Zox on March 30. The station also has plans to provide music for P-Day this spring. (Amanda Gallagher, photo)

Now that the station appears to be safe, Reid says the staff is hard at work providing events for students. Reid says the station will provide DJs for P-Day, and continue to put on fundraisers for various clubs. The station also booked the group Zox to play a show at Eddie’s place on March 30.

Zox has played larger venues in the area like Higher Ground in South Burlington, but WWPV paid Zox so that students could watch for free.

“We want to do as much as we can for the students,” Chadburn says. “A lot of people will go to O.A.R., but other students are not, so we’re giving them an alternative.”

Chadburn says WWPV lost money since it wasn't charging admission, but the money was worth letting students see the Zox show for free.

Students seemed pleased with the free show. Korinne Baccali, a first year who had been to a Zox show before at Higher Ground, says she enjoyed the music and was excited that the show was free.

“I was surprised and impressed,” Baccali says. “I think that’s how most things [on campus] should be.”

Chadburn says he was also pleased with the concert.

“It was a huge success,” Chadburn says. “We got a good turnout for the whole night, the band was into it which made us really excited. They would come back if we invited them again.”

As a result of the show, Chadburn says the station is hoping to schedule more events, such as a big concert next year and continued work with groups like M.O.V.E.

Aubut says another major goal of the station is to preserve independent radio.

“We’re not told to play Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera,” Aubut says. “Students can play whatever they want, when they want to. Independent radio is declining faster and faster while Clear Channel plays the same stuff over and over. It’s unfortunate, but we’re one of the last few stations out there.”