13 More Than a Broadcast Legacy Tune in America's

operate low power station WSCE-FM at Central County had been prohibited High School in Woodstock, VA. But the typi- from having any broadcast cally long wait for such a permit has caused the station until the creation of school system to have second thoughts. Dr. Car- WVLS. Even so, the FCC ol Finn, acting Superintendent for Shenandoah required the station to take County Public Schools, says the school board extraordinary precautions to has yet to determine whether or not they will assure that its signal would proceed with the project. She voiced concerns not interfere with NRAO. about several aspects of station’s operation and After 10 years on the air was disappointed that the low power (100 watts) at the high school, the High- would barely cover the town of Woodstock, land County School Board let alone the rest of mountainous Shenandoah decided not to renew the County. lease for the WVLS facilities. Shenandoah County won’t be the only Citizens in Monterey were not county in Virginia to give up on high school about to lose their only radio broadcasting. In 1997, the York County School station, so the community took Dish farm at WFOS-FM with the base of their free standing 172’ Board sold its station to a religious broadcast over operation of the public broadcast tower. Just out of the picture is the 30 kW propane group, known as Creative Educational Media broadcasting station, moving fired generator shed. Corp., from Tulsa, OK. The new owners oper- the studios and transmitter in ate the station now, under its original call sign, 2005 to the center of town. The station is still whipping boy during its annual funding fracas as a satellite downlink feed of its nationally on the air today with minimum participation of and the uncertainty of the availability of these distributed religious programming. local high school students and remains the sole funds from year to year creates even more WVLS-FM, in tiny Monterey, VA, got its source of broadcast information in the county. financial pressure on these schools. start in 1995 at Highland County High School in High school radio stations across the U.S. studios built by the school’s carpentry class. The are facing similar futures. Budget pressures are More Than a Broadcast station’s call sign WVLS stands for Virginia’s forcing school boards to make tough decisions Little Switzerland. The county’s mountainous which could cause existing stations to leave the Legacy terrain makes it the highest county in the state, air. Others with hard won construction permits Back in David Desler’s office, I’m getting where the station’s 95-ft tall antenna is listed may be forced to give up on their broadcast ready to leave, when we’re joined by a well- in FCC documents as being 4,350 feet above dreams. School boards with established stations dressed young man who turns out to be one of sea level. It remains the only radio station in may be tempted to give in to lucrative offers Desler’s former students. He graduated 10 years the county which also claims to be the least from religious broadcasters or to cash in the earlier from CCST and knocked around the populated county east of the Mississippi and value of their license to commercial ventures. Tidewater/Richmond radio scene for a few years lies entirely within the FCC’s declared “Na- Many high school radio stations – WHCE before joining the Navy, where he now pursues tional Quiet Zone.” Because of its proximity is one – have benefited over the years from a career as an electrician. He had just stopped to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Federal grants known as Perkins Grants (the by to see how his old mentor was recovering (NRAO) in nearby Green Bank, WV, Highland Carl Perkins Vocational and Technical Educa- from his illness and it was clear that the teacher tion Act). These grants are made specifically to had earned another life-long friend. The legacy the nation’s trade schools and are administered that high school broadcast instructors leave is WFOS-FM tower by the individual states. But, Congress has used far more than a fresh crop of workers for the hosts their main the Act, since its inception in 1998, as a budget broadcast trade. broadcast antenna, point-to-point mi- crowave dish for listing. A shorter list of unlicensed high school remote broadcasts Tune In America’s High School Radio Stations stations transmitting via “Part 15” transmit- and local amateur ters, or through local cable TV companies as a radio repeater an- Of the less than two hundred American high school radio stations on the air, only a subcarrier, or via a closed circuit line are also tennas for 2 meters listed. A list of the six Canadian high school and 70 cm. few operate on the AM band, and those are mostly legacy broadcasters from commercial stations which may be of interest to border radio’s very beginning in the 1920s. The rest radio listeners is also found here. are all FM operations and many operate on low Streaming of high school stations is in a power. Few pack the on-air punch of WFOS, constant state of flux. I found that many more Chesapeake, VA, so if you’re going to tune stations are streaming than are indicated on the them in off air you’ll have to be within earshot. Wikipedia list. For example, while neither are But, several stations have launched a presence listed as Webcasters, both WFOS and WHCE on the Web and can be heard nationwide even have a Web presence. WFOS webcasts 24/7 with a dial-up connection. Since most of these at: www.cps.k12.va.us/departments/radio. stations are funded directly by their respective WHCE’s site is also up 24/7 known as Mix91. school boards, you won’t usually hear on-air The station’s home page is: www.mix91. fund raisers. If you do tune in during a fund com/mix.html raiser, consider sending a contribution. To find out if the station you’re interested An incomplete, out-of-date and often in has an on-line broadcast, just Google the erroneous list of American high school radio call sign. I found dozens of high school radio stations can be found at www.en.wikipedia. stations are streaming using a wide variety org/wiki/High_school_radio. Despite its of media players. Among the many stations shortcomings, it remains the only such list you’ll hear are C89 (KNHC-FM) from Nathan available. An attempt is made with this list Hale High School in Seattle, WA. They even to update the status of each station. Those attracted the attention of the national maga- stations which are no longer operating are zines and newspapers. You can find out for listed as defunct. Those stations which are yourself here: www.c895worldwide.com. Webcasting will have a hyperlink next to the January 2008 MONITORING TIMES 13.

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