Re: WXLV>>>>WDIY-FM...
> All staff and volunteers have been locked out of WXLV at
> LCCC Schnecksville.
> No explanation has been given by the college administration.
> Also, the station's Operations Director has been fired.
>
> Is this the beginning of the long-rumored LMA or buy-out by
> Channel 39? Techie-types have been seen in the control room
> installing what may be STL equipment.
>
Just in case you missed it...
College considers pact with WDIY
Lehigh Carbon wants an outside partner so its WXLV radio station can reach its potential.
By Kevin Penton
Of The Morning Call
A machine, not disc jockeys, is running the programs at Lehigh Carbon Community College's WXLV 90.3 FM as the station considers a management agreement with the Lehigh Valley's public radio station, officials said.
The boards of directors of WDIY 88.1 FM and LCCC, which operates WXLV, are meeting separately this week to consider whether the public station would provide management services to the college, said Bill Dautremont-Smith, president of WDIY's board.
Dautremont-Smith declined to specify what kind of management services and whether WDIY would have a say in WXLV's programming. He did say WDIY, which narrowly rejected a takeover bid by PBS-39, WLVT-TV in 2004, is not seeking a merger or acquisition deal with LCCC's station.
"No one is contemplating a merger," said Dautremont-Smith, who considers a merger to be when two stations are run by one entity. Under the current proposal, WDIY would provide services to WXLV.
After investing money in a new production studio and other efforts, LCCC has searched for months to find the best outside partner for helping the radio station reach its potential, said Maria Roberts, LCCC's associate dean for institutional advancement.
"I think we could do a lot better," said Roberts of WXLV, where DJs mix bluegrass, merengue and hip-hop music with a primarily hard rock and metal format.
LCCC is not seeking to sell the Federal Communications Commission license that allows it to broadcast on the radio, but wants to create a partnership with another station that would allow communications students to have stronger experience in the field, she said.
Roberts declined to comment on whether the college is seeking to join with WDIY, saying LCCC and its potential partner will be more forthcoming after the boards of directors meet and consider the management agreement. She also declined to say whether the station will have a new format as part of the agreement.
Contrary to rumors that spread throughout the Valley radio community over the weekend, WXLV won't be joining with WLVT-TV, which proposed merging with the LCCC station last year, said Pat Simon, the TV station's president and chief executive officer, and Joseph Leeson, the chairman of the its board.
"It's not something we're considering at the moment," Leeson said. "It's really not in the front burner right now."
For the time being, music on the college station is being selected by a machine because a DJ behaved inappropriately on the air Friday, said Roberts, who declined to say what happened.
He said the machine is being used as a precaution against violations of FCC licensing rules.
WDIY's board was expected to consider the management agreement behind closed doors Monday night. WXLV's board will weigh the matter in public at 7 p.m. Thursday at the college's technology center, Roberts said.
Several DJs said they plan to meet with LCCC officials on Friday.
"To not even give us a chance to say goodbye to our listeners is horrendous," said Robert Conley Jr., who spun hip-hop and reggae tunes on the station for more than three years.
[email protected]
As the DJ who acted inappropriately Friday, I only mentioned the equipment in the rack, that was going to be used to take over the programming...so much for free speech...<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">
Edited by RFJUNKIE on 03/01/06 12:20 AM.</FONT></P>
