Posted on Tuesday, October 11, 2005
The Westminster College radio station, WWNW, 88.9-FM, can now be heard on the Web at www.titanradio.net.
Streaming the Westminster College radio station over the Internet was made possible by adding an additional bandwidth on the College system, and a settlement with the music recording industry, which allows college stations to pay a low yearly fee for streaming music copyrights.
"Now our programs can be heard by Titan sports fans anywhere in the world, and parents of broadcasting students can hear their children on the air without having to drive to campus," according to Dr. David Barner, associate professor of broadcast communications and chair of the Department of Communication Studies, Theatre, and Art.
The remainder of the Titan football schedule, as well as all broadcasts in the upcoming basketball season, will be carried live on www.titanradio.net.
"The use of the Web page for streaming music and sporting events is only the beginning of the department plans for the broadcasting web locations," Barner said. "By spring, the station will archive sporting events so that fans can hear the game at their convenience."
The station is also using the new Web address as a means of distributing local news. By going to the Titan radio Web page, users can choose local news stories many with sound and video.
"Creating news stories for the Web positions our students for the future," said Brad Weaver, instructor of broadcast communications and advisor of the College's radio and TV news operations. "The major news media are all extensively using Web technology."
This summer WWNW also upgraded the computer software to include RCS Master Control 15.
"Five years ago, Westminster was one of the first college radio stations in the country to run all its programming on computer," Barner said. "With the new computers, we have been able to upgrade to the latest improved version of the RCS automation software."
"To get hired in today's highly-competitive radio business, a solid foundation in broadcast hardware and software is a must," said Philippe Generali, president of RCS Inc. "Westminster offers world-class facilities and great training to provide precisely this foundation. Knowledge of widely-used broadcast systems offered at Westminster provide a much-needed jump start for the radio leaders of tomorrow."
Barner agrees. "When our students enter the job market, potential employers are impressed that they already know radio station computer software. At Westminster, we try to operate our radio station as professionally as possible, so that our students have an edge in the job market. Radio is still people. Training our students to develop their talents while using the latest technology is a great combination."
Contact Barner at (724) 946-7239 or e-mail barnerdl@westminster.edu for more information.
