KWVA 88.1FM, the campus radio station, will see two major changes this year as its broadcast signal strength is increased and the entire library is moved to a digital format.
The increase of the station’s broadcast signal strength is a two-part change. “It’s officially called a power upgrade and transmitter relocation,” KWVA general manager Charlotte Nisser said.
The station’s antenna currently broadcasts from the top of the Prince Lucien Campbell building with a power of 500 watts. The two-part change moved the antenna from the top of PLC to the Valley River area, and its power is being boosted up to 1,000 watts.
“Between the relocation, which increases height, and the increase in wattage, we’re effectively tripling our signal reach,” Nisser said.
According to Nisser, the station’s current broadcast reach only covers the Eugene and Springfield areas, with reception beyond getting unreliable and spotty. With the upgrades, the signal should be received loud and clear as far as Veneta and Junction City, and it should be receivable even farther out.
The station had to apply to the Federal Communications Commission almost one year ago in order to get the upgrades and changes approved. The FCC must approve any changes to broadcast location and signal strength, according to Nisser. The signal upgrades should be complete in early June.
The second major change takes place at the actual station itself, where its entire musical library will be transferred from analog to digital format.
The tiny station’s walls are bursting with hard copies of music, from CDs to vinyl, making the change a welcome one. According to Nisser, the station receives more than 200 CDs a week, and its extended music library is so large it must be kept in an off-site storage unit.
“We are really one of the last stations to move to a digital format. A lot of stations across the country, almost all of them, are using digital automation,” Nisser said.
Once the station’s music is transferred into a digital format, it will be accessible through a program that works like a “glamorized iTunes,” Nisser said. “That’s good in many ways for us, primarily because we don’t have the space.”
“It allows the deejays or on-air talent to do voice recordings before they’re broadcast. So they can come in whenever they have free time and record their show. That’s done primarily as a means to save money, but it’s also done because it’s a lot easier than having someone in the studio around the clock,” Nisser said. “It also allows us to quickly screen through music and content.”
The upgrades began in 2003, but the station has faced numerous technical delays since the beginning. The upgrades will cost almost $150,000 in over-realized funds from the ASUO.
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