KCOU broadcast to stop for tower construction
Online broadcast of the station's programming will continue.
Published Jan. 23, 2009
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Junior Dylan McFatrich uses the computer program Nicecast to broadcast his radio show 'Way Past Cool' over the Internet from the KCOU/88.1 FM studio Wednesday afternoon. KCOU will discontinue its FM broadcasting signal Monday and become online-only due to construction on Hudson residence hall, where the station's transmitter is located.
Plagued with setbacks and delays on the new transmitting tower installation, KCOU/88.1 FM will be forced to discontinue broadcasting for several months starting Monday.
KCOU General Manager John Dobson said the radio station will stop FM broadcasting Jan. 26, but will continue to broadcast online from its Web site until they are back on air in four months.
The original transmitting tower was on top of Hudson residence hall, now closed for renovation, and delays in progress on the new tower are causing the station to go off air.
Dobson said KCOU leaders didn't realize they needed approval for the tower installation from the Capital Review Committee of Campus Facilities.
After reviewing the situation, CRC identified issues that need to be addressed before the process starts, therefore delaying the installation, Dobson said.
"We will need a structural engineer to verify that Schurz residence hall will support the weight of the tower and an electrical engineer to see how the tower fits in on the university's lightning grid," Dobson said.
The committees will approve the tower installation once this is completed.
KCOU has started to search for a way to come up with the additional money needed for the tower, Dobson said.
"We've got some new options for raising money, but we realize that we're going to have to make a financial sacrifice to get this done," Dobson said.
He said a trip to New York would most likely be dropped, and that KCOU's annual Springfest concert could also be canceled.
KCOU Promotions Director Evan Jones said canceling Springfest is a last resort, because it's such an important event for the radio station.
"It's always great to give our listeners and MU students a free concert as a thank-you, so hopefully Springfest isn't affected by the tower," Jones said. "It'd be disappointing to not have a concert this year."
Jones said while the situation has caused some problems, the work is worth it in the long run.
"It has kind of been a headache, but if this is what it takes to get a new tower, I'm willing to make concessions for the station," Jones said. "I would rather go through these obstacles now for 30 more years of broadcasting and continued success in the future."
Dobson said KCOU's programming won't change when they transition online, but the disc jockeys will have a little more freedom from the Federal Communications Commission.
"We won't have some of the FCC rules that we have to worry about now, but we will still try to maintain the level of professionalism from last semester," Dobson said.
He said he thinks KCOU won't lose any ground as long as they continue to promote the radio station and host events.
"We're going to try to promote our online feed as much as possible, have a big giveaway and continue our concert series," Dobson said.
Although he won't reveal the item, Dobson said it is a big-ticket item and 88 listeners will be entered in the drawing.
Jones said the giveaway will be in mid-March and more information will be announced very soon on KCOU on-line.
Jones said KCOU continues to work with The Blue Note and will sponsor concerts in the next few weeks. Concerts include Cursive on Jan. 22, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin on Jan. 28, Tapes n' Tapes on Feb. 3 and Handsome Furs on March 17.
