http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/ne...7E0C347F6B31E3D286257311001E11F0?OpenDocument
By Abby Holekamp
COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN
07/08/2007
...Stephens also has been reformatting aging reel-to-reel tapes onto compact discs for KOPN, a community-sponsored radio station at 89.5 FM.
Some of these decades-old radio programs are being heard again in Columbia for the first time in years, as part of KOPN's "Spring Into the Arts" program.
The series has included rebroadcasts of national and local poets reading their works and children's shows. In June, the focus was on vintage local concerts, especially those featuring local artists.
KOPN is able to rebroadcast these programs, originally recorded on reel-to-reel tape decks, only after they have been reformatted to CD. The rebroadcasts are the culmination of a $3,314 grant from the Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs.
KOPN has been reformatting tapes in the station's massive collection since 2004 with other state and local funding as part of its ongoing Reel-To-Reel Project.
David Owens, the station's general manager, said that many radio stations are facing what he called a "transfer it or lose it" situation because of the limited shelf life of reel-to-reel tapes. After about 30 years, the tape starts to degrade and disintegrate, and KOPN's best option was to reformat the programs onto CDs.
By Abby Holekamp
COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN
07/08/2007
...Stephens also has been reformatting aging reel-to-reel tapes onto compact discs for KOPN, a community-sponsored radio station at 89.5 FM.
Some of these decades-old radio programs are being heard again in Columbia for the first time in years, as part of KOPN's "Spring Into the Arts" program.
The series has included rebroadcasts of national and local poets reading their works and children's shows. In June, the focus was on vintage local concerts, especially those featuring local artists.
KOPN is able to rebroadcast these programs, originally recorded on reel-to-reel tape decks, only after they have been reformatted to CD. The rebroadcasts are the culmination of a $3,314 grant from the Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs.
KOPN has been reformatting tapes in the station's massive collection since 2004 with other state and local funding as part of its ongoing Reel-To-Reel Project.
David Owens, the station's general manager, said that many radio stations are facing what he called a "transfer it or lose it" situation because of the limited shelf life of reel-to-reel tapes. After about 30 years, the tape starts to degrade and disintegrate, and KOPN's best option was to reformat the programs onto CDs.