FM frequency delivers KULV, The Rock to residents
Campus Times
September 25, 1998
KULV, the University of La Verne's student operated radio station, has
added an FM frequency to the already existing 550 AM frequency.
Adding the FM frequency, which is at 107.9, has been a project which
KULV has considered a goal for quite some time.
"Ever since I've been here we've been hoping to do that,"
said General Manager/Adviser of KULV Mike Laponis.
The addition has been an active goal for KULV for the last two or three
years and has required work from several different contributors.
First and foremost, this project was going to need money.
"Mike and Shane [Rodrigues, radio and television assistant] told
me it would take money. Somebody would have to put a proposal together and
do some fund raising," said senior Simon Bouie, KULV sports director.
The project was broken into two phases. Phase one was planned to put
the FM transmitters in the Oaks and Brandt residence halls by spring of
1998.
It took approximately two weeks for the installation to be totally completed
because of a few small delays.
The Oaks transmitter cost $4,520 and the Brandt transmitter $2,350,
bringing the total cost of the transmitters for phase one to $6,870. Estimated
installation costs were projected at an additional $2,000, bringing the
grand total for phase one to $8,870.
The equipment that was purchased is said to "last at least 20 years,"
which would average the cost out to a mere $343.50 per year for the 20 years
of service that the equipment would provide.
Bouie, as a representative of KULV, went to Communications Department
Chairman George Keeler first, who awarded KULV $2,000 from departmental
funding.
A proposal was then drafted and taken to Dean of Arts and Sciences Dr.
John Gingrich and the Associated Student Federation (ASF) Forum.
Dr. Gingrich donated $1,000, and, after questioning the benefits to
the station, ASF contributed the remaining $6,870.
The system is called Radiating Cable FM. In order to work, each building
in which KULV would like to have a signal needs to have a transmitter.
Once the transmitter is installed, it needs to be adjusted to the legal
limits set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by which KULV
is bound.
Currently only Brandt and the Oaks have the FM transmitters. Stu-Han,
the Student Center and Davenport are all waiting for phase two to be funded
so that they may also carry the FM signal.
KULV is on both the AM and the FM dial, the traditional under-graduate
has a better opportunity to listen, therefore boosting participation in
KULV's promotions.
It also leaves the option of possibly changing one of the signal to
a different format in the future, although that is not in the works at this
point.
"If we have some tight promotions this semester, then maybe we
will get some new listeners next semester," said Sergio Paredes, assistant
promotions director.
"It [FM signal] makes it [KULV] sound clearer, and not as iffy
as the AM. AM goes in and out," said James Cumberland, KULV promotions
director.
The AM signal is subject to more interference than the FM because it
is not in stereo like the FM signal, making the clarity of KULV better than
ever.
"Not really in the booth but outside you can totally notice the
difference is clearer," said junior broadcasting major Kristi Burks,
of her air shift at KULV.
The staff of KULV will be able to tell the difference in listenership
this week with its promotion with the 76th Los Angeles County Fair tickets.
Duke Kell, senior broadcasting major, said that with more listeners
he would like to make his spot "not necessarily more professional but
definitely more entertaining."
