New College Radio Station to Harken Back to 1970s

A community college in North Carolina just got approval for a new college radio station, whose format has yet to be determined. Part of the goal, though, is to bring radio back to what it was in the 1970s. I'm not sure what that means...but perhaps, simply, radio before massive consolidation. According to an article on Saturday in the Rocky Mount Telegram:

"...Nash Community College is in the process of bringing its own radio station to its students and the community, Amy McCurdy Davis-Moore, a college faculty member who formerly worked in commercial radio at WSAY-98.5 in Rocky Mount and marketing, told Rocky Mount Kiwanis Club members Thursday...

Rapid growth in technology is the reason for a lot of consolidation of radio stations, Davis-Moore said, and the absence of locally owned radio stations has left a hole in the community.

Nash Community College applied for its license and expected the process to take 18 months to two years. Three months after applying with the Federal Communications Commission, a license was granted, Davis-Moore said.

'Our vision is to take the college's radio station back to the 1970s and provide programming that matters to students, the community and business owners – folks who actually make this community run'...

The station, yet to receive its call letters, will be FM 89.1 on the radio dial. The station will begin airing on the Internet in August.

'In the summer of 2010, our signal will be received on car radios,' Davis-Moore said."

That's pretty cool that this college was able to acquire an FCC license so quickly and it will be interesting to see what they come up with format-wise.