FITCHBURG - WXPL, the Fitchburg State College radio station, is returning to the airwaves this month.
The station, broadcasting at 91.3 FM, has faltered in recent years but has been reinvigorated by an enthusiastic group of underclassmen eager to have their voices – and musical tastes – heard.
“That’s one of our goals, to keep an active music scene on campus,” said Ben Hassey, a junior film and theater major acting as WXPL’s general manager.
The station has upped its profile on campus even before broadcasting a single word this year – the all-volunteer club behind WXPL presented a float in the Family Weekend parade on Oct. 2 and signed up 100 interested students at its information booth at the “Rock the Block” party at the start of the semester.
Hassey said major equipment upgrades have already begun to the studio in the basement of Thompson Hall, which will help boost the station’s signal for its listeners on-campus and the surrounding area.
WXPL will broadcast live with student DJs from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, but will broadcast recorded programs so the signal is heard 24/7.
Hassey said he is confident that the energy and talents of a group of dedicated volunteers will reinvigorate WXPL.
“I think it’s going to be really diverse and really interesting programming,” he said.
Shane R. Franzen, Associate Director of Student Development, is the adviser to the station.
“The men and women of the radio station, over the past year, have poured their hearts and souls into revitalizing a student run service that had fallen off of the radar,” Franzen said. “For a group of students to restructure such an organization in a year, is a tremendous task. Their hard work and dedication has allowed them to bring the station up to code and launch on the 19th for many years to come.” |
