WASU: Rocking The Rock Since 1972
Story by Sam Calhoun
Since 1972, WASU has had music through the wazzou.
Found on the dial at 90.5 and online at www.wasurocks.com, WASU is the student-run, alternative, modern rock, ASU radio station—streaming 24 hours a day from Boone to Blowing Rock, from Valle Crucis to Rutherwood.
“We’ve got everything from bluegrass to metal,” said WASU General Manager Dan “Vallie” Hill.
With 12 part-time paid student management positions and 54 disc jockeys, WASU has been entertaining Boone audiences young and old for 34 years—and you haven’t heard anything like what’s coming up in the future.
Already heralded by other college radio station broadcasters around the nation as one of the best college radio stations, WASU, under the direction of Hill, will enter uncharted radio territory next year. Hill has organized a new Radio Farm System Institute at ASU with the help of a $500,000 grant from friend and fellow broadcaster Art Kellar—the first program like it in the world, much less in North Carolina. The new institute works like minor league baseball teams do for major league baseball teams. ASU will set up a professional radio station on the ASU campus, find and attract young broadcast talent and work as a farm system for major radio markets. If the program works as it should, ASU will be the leader in the American university system for hopeful disc jockeys.
“I think it’s a big deal—even bigger than we think at times,” said Hill, who hopes to start the program by next summer. Almost 40 broadcast professionals, upon hearing of the new program, have called WASU, unsolicited, and asked to get involved.
This initiative is due in part to Hill’s desire “to create an environment that is a true learning lab.”
As opposed to shoving a bunch of students in a studio, handing them a handful a CDs and telling them to go at it, Hill has created the infrastructure at WASU of a large professional radio station. With state-of-the-art equipment and a college course (COMM 2315) that students must take before going on the air, Hill hopes to spawn the entire next generation of disc jockeys.
“I look at it as a win, win, win,” said Hill, describing the positive aspects of the program that will affect the students of ASU, broadcasters around the country and the university.
And the station has a new home to start this new chapter as well.
In 2007, WASU and the ASU television department will move from Wey Hall into the rock building on the corner of Depot and Rivers streets. ASU owns the building but the current tenants will not be out until next year. At that time, WASU will get three floors of space to accommodate the new initiatives.
“We’re pretty excited about that,” added Hill.
Boone’s radio station, WATA, was located in the same building years ago, and Hill is excited about broadcasting returning to the old digs.
From regular music format to two-hour specialty shows, from sport shows to news shows, from live broadcasts to athletic events to student-produced underwriting spots, WASU tackles multiple aspects of the radio market—preparing students for situations they will encounter in real radio jobs.
Students begin with the COMM 2315 course that introduces them to the ways and means of the radio world. From there, they move on to a two-hour, regular format shift on the radio. If they’re successful at this first test, they can apply for an additional two-hour shift and eventually apply for a specialty program. These specialty programs—focused on a musical genre of the student’s choosing—dominate the weekday evening programming hours and much of the weekend hours as well.
Students also produce two sport shows each week, as well as a 30-minute news program and short news update spots. Students even produce their own underwriting spots, similar to commercials.
Every ASU football game day, WASU hosts a pregame party at Duck Pond Field and then gives complete coverage of the game. Including on-air commentators, color commentators and multiple sideline reporters, WASU handles athletics like any professional radio station.
“After all the years working in professional radio, I’m pretty impressed with the caliber of students that work here,” said Hill, who admitted that student employees often don’t leave the station after their shift is over, but stick around to learn more. Hill said he sees a lot of passion in WASU-involved students. “It’s an impressive operation,” he said.
Having worked in the broadcast industry for 36 years in locations from Los Angeles to New York, Hill (“Vallie” is his stage name) started a broadcast consulting firm called Vallie-Richards Consulting, Inc., in 1985. With the advent of better technology, Hill and his colleagues discovered that they could move anywhere in the country and still consult. He and his wife had visited the High Country and when the chance arose, they decided to make the move to the mountains.
That was nine years ago. In 2005, Hill stopped traveling as much for his work and was looking for a job to fill the niche.
After a chance interview that Hill chalks up to serendipity, he became the first general manager at WASU. A team of ASU faculty handled the general manager job prior to Hill. The group decided to streamline the operation and found Hill to be a perfect match.
He went right to work. He arranged the installation of a digital studio, complete with voice track that emulates a human voice while no one is in the studio. He created a continuity department that better organized the cross-communication between the different departments in WASU and he made sure that every student who wanted to get involved became a part of the team.
“It’s a true learning lab,” he added.
On the student side of things, the 2006-2007 team of WASU student employees includes Station Manager Richard Davis, Program Director Anwar Perez, Traffic Director Ashley Wilson, Music Director Jack Fitzgerald, Sales Director Amy Renfranz, Promotions Director Jordan Burleson, Production Director Chris Bodall, News Director Kim Stark, Assistant News Director Emily Deville, Sports Director Drew Branyon, Assistant Sports Director Bryce Johnson and Webmaster Jeremy Wright.
WASU can be found on the FM dial at 90.5 or online by clicking to www.wasurocks.com. The WASU studios and office are located on the third floor of Wey Hall on the ASU campus. Contact the station by calling 828-262-3170. For on-air requests, call 828-264-4905.
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