RADIO FREE UMASS

Tiny Little Stations

For radio heads, there's no such thing as too many stations. And for probably as long as radio's been around, UMass has had its share of teensy, looseknit, unofficial, not-always-quite-kosher student stations.

     Over the years, there've been WSYL broadcasting from Sylvan, WBZ from Southwest, and sundry other stations. Some operated with the blessing of the FCC, while other, super-low-watt "pirate" stations sailed on the airwaves of unfettered free speech until Housing Services caught wind of them, and took that wind right out of their sails.

     For the last few years, the only all-student station on campus has been WOCH on Orchard Hill. This tiny little station isn't really radio in the technical sense of going out over the airwaves. Rather, it falls into the "cable radio" category, because its range is limited to wherever the cable for Channel 13 of the WUVC campus network goes.

     Not an RSO, receiving not a penny from SGA, and operating out of a microscopic room in Grayson entirely with equipment bought with the dues of its forty or so members, station WOCH has been around for decades, says Joseph Lastowski '00, a journalism major from Holyoke and the station's designated spokesman. It's been the only officially sanctioned station of its kind at UMass since the FCC did a dust-up of pirate stations back in the early '70s.

     During a typical broadcast day, from about two p.m. to two a.m., WOCH members present a mixed format of talk and music—rap, country, European techno-dance, and anything else student DJs have on hand and feel like sharing. WOCH commentators have traditionally stayed away from political topics, said Lastowski, choosing instead to get to the bottom of rumors circulating around campus. Is it true Britney Spears is coming? What's the lineup for Spring Concert this year? Recently a student hosted a walk down cyber-memory lane, playing theme songs from video games past and inviting listeners to call in and identify them.

     "Not that that contributed greatly to the academic mission of the university," agrees Lastowski. "But it was a way for students to get their voices out there, and heard. It really helped contribute to the marketplace of ideas in terms of diversity of programming."

     Lastowski speaks in the past tense because, at least for the time being, WOCH is off the air. Over the years, the maverick station has existed in various phases of favor, notoriety, or high dudgeon, depending on its relationship with Housing Services, to which it is ultimately accountable. This relationship can vary greatly depending on the personalities running the station, their on-air conduct and whoever's listening in Housing Services.

     Neither Lastowski nor Housing Services Cable Network manager Jean Paul '95G were eager to go into the details of what prompted the latest shut-down, sometime last semester. As Paul put it, the station "is currently in a state of reorganization," by which she means that members have been asked to give more thought to training people, familiarizing them with FCC indecency and obscenity regs, finding an advisor, and other signs of structure.

     Lastowski said he's optimistic that, as talks continue, he can show that the station is more than a few guys and a microphone. Despite its informality, he said, WOCH fills an important need for alternative radio, close at hand where students can swap the dirt on the lowdown. "One of the biggest draws is its accessibility to a lot of students," he said of the station's plum location on the upper east edge of campus. "They don't have far to walk."