WWSP (UWSP radio station) Gets one year reprieve from being WPR affiliate

[TheMightyFavog]

http://www.wisinfo.com/journal/spjlocal/283968885139533.shtml

Local campus radio will remain as is for at least another year as the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and the larger community weigh in on the future of 90FM, administrators said Tuesday.

Station faculty adviser Mark Tolstedt has expressed interest in retaining his current position through the 2005-06 academic year, said Bob Tomlinson, UWSP's vice chancellor for student affairs. And although that decision isn't yet final, it seems to have bought administrators some time to decide on the station's future.

(snip)

It was Tolstedt's impending departure that prompted officials to explore other options for the student-run station, including a possible affiliation with Wisconsin Public Radio. And although administrators have stressed that talks with WPR were just that - no plans were in the works to finalize a partnership - the mention of a possible affiliation raised concerns about what it might mean for local on-air content.

WPR has been after WWSP for the past decade or so. They've been looking to replace their station in Auburndale. However, I am glad the WPR partnership has been delayed. UWSP has something very specail in WWSP, it would be extremley sad to lose all that local programming to Joy Cardin and Ben Merens.

[sybylla]

1. I agree, it would be very sad to lose the local programming

I was especially worried about things like the trivia contest.

My hope is that they can find someone to replace Tolstedt who will be willing to take on the management of the station.

Thanks for posting this JC!

[TheMightyFavog]

2. He's the only one qualified, IMHO.

He's the only prof in the Media and Technology Studies emphasis of the Division of Communication who teaches the audio production courses. The rest teach video production, film studies, and journalism. (not to dis them or anything, I've had a number of these professors and they are all excellent.) The 90 FM staffers are kind of miffed at him right now because his next advanced audio production course will be an audio for video production course, not an audio for radio production course. The other problem is that the division has no money for another professor who might be able to take over those duties, even though one of the journalism professors retired last year.