Several changes are under way at Rochester’s radio station, WRUR 88.5 FM, this fall.
Two new studios were constructed this summer at the station’s facility in Todd Union: one to improve WRUR’s capabilities to prerecord materials; the other to launch an Internet-only station called the Sting.
While parts of the Sting’s programming will be a simulcast of WRUR programming, the new technology will offer opportunities for sports shows, news broadcasts, live DJ mixing shows, and other programs, says Nate Snyder ’10, the station’s general manager.
The Sting won’t fall under the Federal Communications Commission regulations that WRUR 88.5 must follow, Snyder says, so there’s also more freedom to broadcast music or other recordings that contain content not suitable for FCC–governed air waves. University community standards will instead apply to the online station.
Station staff have also been busy developing a Web site and handbook for the new station, which is slated to start broadcasting this fall.
Snyder, a philosophy major from Hershey, Pa., says the change will appeal to students who have expressed an interest in performing live DJ mixing shows or hosting programs with rap music.
He adds that the new Internet station will provide a better opportunity for campus groups to advertise events to Rochester’s undergraduates, the new station’s primary audience.
Jennifer Wedow is an associate editor for University Communications.