"Beginning Monday, January 31, much of WFYI Public Radio's NPR, PRI and BBC broadcast fare (weekdays between 5:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.) can be heard on Franklin College's noncommercial student radio station, WFCI 89.5 FM. The arrangement will enable WFYI Public Radio to expand its current broadcast reach and begin serving listeners in Franklin, and surrounding communities including Columbus, Martinsville, Edinburgh, Mooresville and Greenwood. "
EDITOR: The faculty adviser of this station alerted CBI that the article we posted below is not entirely accurate. He provided me with the press release linked above.
We have seen more and more of this type of arrangement and in my mind, it raises certain questions. Do the students really benefit? If they do, at what cost? Does that cost outweigh the benefits to the students or the community? Further, there are regulatory considerations. Will the NPR station provide the required information for the stations public file? Will it also help the station to maintain the required local studio staffing requirements? Since the station is essentially "automated" during these hours, will the station abandon the studio during these hours and complicate the main studio staffing requirements?
