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Radio Station is 'Growing Up'

Posted on: Monday, 27 February 2006, 12:00 CST

By Michael Hibblen, The Miami Herald

Feb. 27--Walk into the control room at WKPX-FM 88.5 and it's clear why the station needs new facilities.

Beside the control board is a record player. Mounted in a rack is a reel-to-reel tape recorder. Both were once staples of any broadcast operation, but most radio stations phased them out more than a decade ago.

The student-run station at Piper High in Sunrise was slated to move out this fall, into existing space at McFatter Technical Center in Davie, where it would be available to all public high school students in Broward.

While they do have computerized editing capabilities and digital automation programs, those in charge of the class say they need much more to effectively prepare students for a future in broadcasting.

The move has been delayed at least two more years, however, to allow for construction of a new building with state-of-the-art facilities at the McFatter campus.

The new building will put all of the school district's broadcast operations under one roof, including its TV station and closed-circuit programming for schools. All will be under the umbrella of the Broward Education Communications Network, or BECON.

"Nothing has been architecturally completed, but we're looking at probably a two-year time frame before the station actually moves over," said BECON director Phyllis Schiffer-Simon.

The transmitter for WKPX would also be moved and placed on a much taller tower at its new home. That would increase the coverage area of the 3,000-watt station, more thoroughly blanketing the county.

"It's sad in a way because it's always been here, but it's kind of exciting in a way, too," said Piper station manager Jon Farley. "For the radio station, it's like it's growing up and graduating. It has a chance to become bigger and better than it is now."

MIX OF MUSIC

The station already has a loyal audience that appreciates the eclectic mix of alternative, punk, metal and hip-hop played by students. Farley said Arbitron ratings reports show that at any given time, WKPX has 10,000 to 30,000 listeners.

"It's run totally by the students and is just faculty-guided and directed," Farley said. "Once they experience it, they love it here, because they can pick pretty much the music they like." The only limitations are district rules designed to keep obscene material off the air.

"It's a lot of fun," said 11th-grader Justin Gonzalez, 16. "You get to hang out with your friends, get to show music to each other, get to play people music they've never heard of. It's good stuff."

Piper High's cramped classroom cannot accommodate new equipment. In addition, district officials have long said they want to expand the radio opportunities for more students. Those in the radio class get real-world training in how a radio station operates.

"It's been exclusively an opportunity for students who attend that one high school," said Schiffer-Simon. That's been a concern since the radio station signed on 23 years ago, on Feb. 14, 1983.

Schiffer-Simon said WKPX will retain "as much of the current format as possible, perhaps adding more community programming, creating additional partnerships and continuing our partnership with Nova Southeastern University."

COLLEGE CROWD

At 7 each night, the university takes over the station, with college students broadcasting as WNSU until 2 a.m.

The station also would continue broadcasting live Broward County School Board meetings and is looking at adding programming for different ethnic groups. There also could be simulcasting of programs produced for the TV station, such as "Teen Talk," which tackles issues such as drugs and teen pregnancy.

Broward officials would like to make WKPX the official emergency station when hurricanes are bearing down or other crises loom.

"We don't have a dedicated station during disasters," Broward County Mayor Ben Graber said. "We often have complaints from residents that during hurricanes they see much more of Dade County officials than Broward. So we want to have a better way to get information out to residents who may be without power, listening on radios."

Graber said the county is in discussions with BECON officials to help "partner on the costs," but no deal has been cut. A key goal is to broadcast live briefings directly from the Broward Emergency Operations Center.

There are still regrets at Piper High, even though most of the current students will have graduated before the move.

"I understand because the station's getting bigger, but it's sad to see it go," said junior Luigi Evalle, 17.

Assistant Principal Margaret Neely agreed.

"We love our radio station," she said. "We've had it for a long time and Piper's known for the radio station. We would be happy to keep it here."

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Miami Herald

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Source: The Miami Herald

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