It’s been almost two years since Chattanooga State sold the license for WAWL and converted its on-campus radio station to an Internet-based station. It can be found online at wawl.org.
The change has not been quite as drastic as some might have thought in some ways and somewhat different in others, according to program/music director Don Hixson.
Hixson has been involved with WAWL since learning the radio ropes there as a student in the mid-’80s.
“The biggest difference is getting your head wrapped around the whole global aspect of it,” he said.
Whereas student disc jockeys in the past would get a phone call from someone in Red Bank requesting a song, for example, now they might get an e-mail from a listener in Australia or Switzerland.
“You have to remember the time difference and when the e-mail came in,” he said. “The good news is now a student’s family in another state, another part of the world or even on our satellite campuses can listen.”
Hixson also said the station “sounds as good or better than it ever has as far as content, and the students seem to be more enthusiastic.”
He said about 20 students are involved in broadcast announcing classes. That number is up, he said.
When the station was sold, among the predicted advantages of going the Internet route was that students would be able to create podcasts and do remote broadcasts from ball games, concerts, etc. That has not happened for a variety of reasons, he said, including lack of student demand. He said he does have one student working on podcasting a Latin music show and another doing a Bollywood-themed show.
“Every semester is like rebooting because we get a new team of students,” he said. “We are willing to try almost anything. It’s a matter of getting everyone in the class on the same page.”
The biggest challenge facing the Internet-based WAWL is getting the word out.
“It is just easier to get in the car and turn on your radio,” Hixson said.
As for the future, Hixson said he is seeing more of his students find local intern positions with radio stations.
“I think things are turning around, but I think a lot of students are more in the production area than on-air.”