Much has been made of the on-campus radio station 91.3 WCRD-FM's recent switch from a College Music Journal format to a Top 40 station. After years of almost complete apathy from students towards the station, suddenly WCRD is the center of attention - in a negative way. Turns out the students wanted "The Bird" to continue playing underground music.
There was, of course, only one problem with that.
The students who so badly wanted to keep the CMJ format weren't listening to it.
Through all the accusations that WCRD is "selling out" by playing popular music, no one was giving them a choice in the matter when the students by and large ignored the station before. And while the switch does mean WCRD doesn't play music all that different from 104.1 WLBC-FM, it does mean that the station can sell more ad space. One station member said WCRD has sold nearly as many ads this school year, which is a month old, as they did all of last year. That kind of input can help the station improve even more in the future.
Also, although there's no tangible way to prove it, it's hard not to think that the format switch will get more and more students interested in having a show on WCRD, which can only improve further the quality of the station by attracting even more music tastes and eyes for talent to the Ball Building studios.
Some might say that the format switch will discourage local artists who counted on WCRD for exposure. However, individual radio shows are still well within their right to promote a local band, and there are always events in Muncie featuring local music, if the Facebook invitations I get seemingly every week are correct. In fact, there's no reason why WCRD cannot in fact promote local music better than they did before by reaching a larger audience with their broadcasts.
In addition to those benefits, the change will bring more listeners, by extension, to WCRD's nonmusical coverage. Not all that many people know that the station covers almost every major athletic event that Ball State participates in. In particular, the station has a sterling reputation in football and men's basketball coverage, and with all due respect to Muncie legend Morry Mannies, it's much more exciting to hear actual students call the action if you can get the signal on your radio or listen on the Internet via WCRD.net. And, of course, one can't forget to mention the Ball State Sports Hour of Power, a Sunday night broadcast that yours truly just happens to produce.
Even fewer people know that WCRD simulcasts NewsWatch broadcasts weeknights at 9 p.m. giving students the alternative of having the news on in the background if they can't afford to devote all their attention to the television broadcast. That possibility can be invaluable to students who want to keep up with the news but simply cannot set aside a half hour of complete attention to a television show.
WCRD was already a strong part of the Ball State community, and as the second-largest student organization on campus, it provides opportunities you can't get many other places.
Now, it has something perhaps even more important than all of that.
It has an audience.
Andy Roberts is a junior telecommunications major and writes this 'Who Me?' for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
Write to Andy at ndistops@hotmail.com.
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