Rockin' But Not Thrivin'

By Amy Prible [Staff Writer]

originally appeared in the Mary Washington College Bullet on April 18, 2002

If you tune your radio to 91.5 FM, the most you will probably hear is static. If you tie an old metal hanger to your antenna in the middle of Ball Circle on a clear and breezeless day, sit it on a metal chair, dressed from head to toe in full metal body armor, then tune your radio to 91.6 FM, you just might be able to pick up a couple of tunes from Mary Washington College's radio station, WMWC.

Although the reception may not be as bad as all that, WMWC has experienced its fair share of technical difficulties. WMWC, heard most clearly on 91.5 FM, sometimes 91.6 FM, has been part of the campus community since 1946. In the 56 years since its birth, WMWC has seen significant technological changes as well as station programming.

According to the 1946 edition of Mary Washington College's yearbook, The Battlefield, "The Mike Club" was the station's first all-student run radio show. "Daily dramas, campus news, the concert hour, and the hit tune parade have become favorites on the Hill. Those who are selected to be on the staff receive valuable training as announcers, actresses, engineers, and scriptwriters..."

The show tapered off in the late 1950s and little was heard from WMWC until its resurgence in the early 1980s. Because of lack of maintenance, the station gradually lost signal strength across campus and by the mid 1990s, there were few if any places that the signal could reach.

According to 1998 Mary Washington College graduate Ryan MacMichael, WMWC started a long-planned experiment in 1997 with radiating cable, which allowed students on campus to listen to the station in their dorm rooms without any special attachments. Any previous residence hall access to the station was through a special box attached to cable outlets. The radiating cable has had its own share of problems, however, and WMWC is currently looking into web casting as a permanent fix.

"The whole situation is very frustrating to everyone involved in the station," current station manager for WMWC Anna Craft said. "It is difficult to get people motivated about getting involved and staying involved with the station when it has such a small listening audience, but because we have trouble getting people involved we have trouble expanding our audience. It's kind of a vicious cycle and it makes me crazy."

But for those students lucky enough to catch a few minutes of airtime, WMWC has its good points.

"A large amount of the music we have at the station is by artists that do not get widespread commercial support or recognition, so it is a good way to find out about new or little-known acts that might be of interest," Craft, who has served as both a DJ and CD reviewer for the station, said. "A lot of underground and independent artists have a chance to get heard on college radio stations, though this isn't to say artists on major labels don't get heard as well."

If you do find yourself able to tune in to WMWC, you'll find that bands like Radiohead, Jurassic 5, Poison, The Well, and Boards Of Canada, as well as classic artists like Bob Dylan, all share air time. For you pop music lovers out there, WMWC just isn't the place for you.

"Things you won't hear include Britney Spears, N'Sync, Backstreet Boys, and Creed," Craft said.

WMWC continues to work hard at getting heard across campus. Besides web casting, the station is also looking into broadcasting over the campus TV station. With a bigger presence comes bigger results, Craft said.

"I would love to see WMWC become more of a presence on campus. It has a long way to go, but I think it could happen," Craft said.