The Daily Orange - November 17, 1983
Former WAER staff express few regrets
By Sharon Baker
First of a series
Six months ago, only dead air could be
heard on WAER-FM88. Today, Syracuse University's radio station is
a member of the National Public Radio network and broadcasts a
jazz format with news and information. It also has four new full
time professionals on its staff.
Whether students agree with the new format, the hiring of professionals or the recent record giveaway, the atmosphere is undoubtedly different. Old senior staff members no longer working there say the station is sterile, not full of life like the old days. New staff members say there is a positive air about working at a "professional" station, and returning staff members just say it is different.
How and why the format change occurred was a long time coming, according to Station Manager David Anderson.
"The change was definitely going to happen," he said. 'That's why they hired me. The administration decided they wanted a change."
That change, moving from diverse programming to a single format, came despite complaints and objections from Anderson's 11-member senior staff last spring.
All the protest between the two factions culminated last spring when Anderson fired five senior staff meanders and shut down the station on the eve of finals. The firing triggered the resignation of the remaining six senior staff members and the silent airwaves were only interrupted by a contractual obligation to broadcast Syracuse Chiefs baseball games. WAER lost its Chiefs contract to WFBL-AM in October.
More than one month later, on June 1, WAER returned on the air as the jazz and news station Anderson predicted it would be.
The keystone for the news and information segments began Oct. 24, when WAER joined 248 radio stations around the country as the newest member of the NPR network.
The station currently receives its NPR feed from WCNY's satellite dish. Anderson said he hopes WAER will have its own dish within a year.
Being hooked up with NPR provides WAER with a variety of programs, Anderson said.
From 5 to 9 a.m., Monday through Friday, the station will broadcast "Syracuse Morning Edition," providing local news, weather, sports and feature segments. NPR's "Morning Edition" will be also inserted. Locally produced news weather, sports, business and stock market information will be aired at 4 p.m. and again at 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
In addition, Anderson said the station will air NPR's: award-winning "All Things Considered" from 6:80 to 8 p.m. The weekend program will be repeated 5:00 to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.
Funding from CPB
Aside from applying for NPR membership. Anderson is waiting to hear from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. He submitted an application last month after meeting its criteria of having five full-time professionals, a minimum budget of $110,000 and 18 hours of air time. Anderson- said WAER will be eligible to receive federal funds once it is a member of CPB.
"The first year it will be $10,000 the standard initial CPB grant," he said. "Then it will be based on a percentage, on how much we raise ourselves. I think anywhere from $25,000 to $60,000 will be our yearly grant." Anderson said WAER is funded in part by underwriting grants: from outside sources.
Anderson stressed the money will be put into improving the station and not into profit.
Most students working at the station are excited about becoming a member of NPR.
"Being able to step into NPR and being a student at college is awesome," said Greg Friedman, program director. "It just doesn't happen."
Assistant News Director Liz Simmons said she decided to work for the station when she found out it was going to be hooked up to NPR. She also said she wanted to work with professionals.
Among the old staff members' objections last spring were Anderson's plans to hire four full-time professionals. Students contended professionals would keep them from learning managerial experience and not allow them to learn from their mistakes.
During the summer, Anderson hired Jeff Briere and Felicia Otero as coproducers, responsible for producing features and training students in feature production. Richard Mattioni joined WAER as new director, and Nancy Briere, Jeff's wife, oversees fund raising activities for the station.
"Four full-time professionals aren't compromising any student position," Friedman said. "We have to most higher standards, and in that degree, responsibilities might be even more."
Simmons said working with professionals gives students a realistic view of the world of radio.
"Professionals are there to guide us, show us what it's like to work in the real world," she said. "If you work with just students, you have a rosy picture painted."
Friedman said the station continues to provide learning experiences with the professionals' presence.
"Working within an organized structure and having to work under people is all part of learning," he said. "If we can't learn from people with more experience than ourselves, then why are we here?"
Sports director Greg Papa was on Anderson's senior staff last year. He resigned with the rest of his co-workers, but stayed on as a sportscaster to broadcast the Syracuse Chiefs games. Papa said he returned as sports director in August when it became obvious most of the former sportscasters would be coming back.
"My role and power has not changed," he said. "I run the department the same way I've always run it."
Papa said it took him some time to get used to having a hired professional question his authority.
"I'm not sure that's bad," he said. "For some, it's good, for some, it's bad. Having someone looking over your shoulder, that's the way real life is. It's set up almost like your first job."
Papa said the atmosphere was beneficial to juniors and seniors, but unfair to freshmen and sophomores because they could not experience total creativity at the station as past students had been able to do.
Friedman said students have a great opportunity at the station to gain experience and knowledge.
"you're here to learn," he said. "How is this different than any internship? The attitude that you have to run something to learn something is ridiculous. It's great to do whatever you want to do, but it's not realistic."
New staff accepts format
Another objection held by the senior staff last spring was Anderson's plan to eliminate the station's variety programming of new music, jazz and urban contemporary, a mixture of rhythm and blues and funk. Staff members contended the variety programming was unique to the area, providing a service to students and allowing disc jockeys creativity.
New staff members do not feel the format is restricting.
"I feel that this whole rap about students losing control is a real misnomer," Friedman said. "I'd really like to impress on people that there's a lot of room for discretion and creativity.
Friedman said the station plays diverse styles of jazz during the day, including mainstream, contemporary blues and acoustic. At 8 p.m., he said the music moves into "Night Magic," which offers urban contemporary, rock fusion and rhythm and blues.
"If a disc jockey has an idea for a special, if they want to do it, and it still fits in the format, they have all the creativity in the world," he added.
Music director Sam Nelson, who served on Anderson's first senior staff last year said having a single format does not necessarily mean DJ's cannot be creative.
"We're being more responsible for what goes on the air," he said.
Friedman said that while Anderson set the station's format, he and Nelson were the main designers of the specific way it operates.
'David Anderson doesn't program music," he said. "It is our choice to put limits on the music. No one's telling us to do that."
Old staff members expressed outrage when they discussed the record giveaway, referring to a week in August when Anderson gave away about 20,000 albums he said did not fit within the station's new jazz format. Anderson said he stored about 3,000 rock, folk blues and classical albums that had historical significance. The remaining ones were stacked along the walls of WAER's studio, available for anyone in the public who wanted them.
"There was no reason to give these away to people," said Glenn Kesner, former music director and one of the five fired senior staff members. Kesner said he thinks Anderson gave the records away to make it difficult for WAER to return to its old format. "There's not enough (albums) to go back to any kind of rock 'n roll format it you wanted to."
"He wanted to insure that this couldn't be changed from his master plan," Kesner added.
Anderson, however, disagrees, saying the station could go back to playing new music within a month if it ever decided to turn in that direction. He added he does not think that will happen.
Critics said Anderson violated University policy by giving away what they claimed was University property. Anderson contends the records did not belong to the University.
The station manager, however, does admit to making a mistake in the way he handled the giveaway.
"In hindsight, I would not have done the process in the same way," he said. "We did what we thought was the right thing. It has hurt the radio station, it's given us bad, unfair publicity." He said. He did not know how he would have handled the disposal of the records differently.
Friedman said emotion and nostalgia were behind objections concerning the giveaway.
"A lot of stuff was lost," he said. "We made a mistake, but what are you going to do about it now."
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Last Modified October 14, 2005 |