The Herald-Sun - Carrboro High Home of the radio station

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Carrboro High: Home of the ... radio station?

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<Subhead>School officials, volunteers in talks about relocating WCOM-103.5</Subhead>

<Caption>the herald-sun | photos by Christine T. Nguyen

John Troy, also known as the Wizard Baldour, talks during the program "Wisdom's Soft Whisper" on Tuesday at WCOM. The radio station has been involved in talks with school officials about possibly moving the station to Carrboro High School.</Caption>

<Caption02>the herald-sun | Christine T. Nguyen

Host Trip Overholt talks to John Troy, also known as the Wizard Baldour, during the program "Wisdom's Soft Whisper" on Tuesday at WCOM. The radio station will be moving to a new location soon.</Caption02>

<Caption03>the herald-sun | christine t. nguyen

An "On Air" sign hangs in the window of WCOM-103.5, an all-volunteer station started five years ago. The station is currently at the corner of North Greensboro and Weaver streets.</Caption03>

<Body>By Gregory Childress

gchildress@heraldsun.com; 918-1046

CHAPEL HILL -- Carrboro High School could become the new home of WCOM-103.5, a low-power, all-volunteer radio station started five years ago.

Radio station volunteers and school officials have been talking about the possibility of moving the community station to a site at the high school when it moves out of the current facility it occupies at the corner of North Greensboro and Weaver streets in Carrboro.

The school board has been asked for feedback on the proposal when it meets at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Carrboro High School media center. If the board likes the idea, school administrators would develop a memorandum of understanding or lease agreement that would be approved at a later date.

The radio station's small, cramped, makeshift studio, which is literally the enclosed drive-through portion of a former bank, is owned by Weaver Street Market.

And while the volunteers stress that they aren't being kicked out, they believe the building is likely to be put on the market sooner rather than later. Before that happens, they would like to be firmly planted in a permanent location with a long-term lease in the station's back pocket.

"The hand writing is on the wall that we're going to lose that building," said Leo Rey-nolds, who serves on a station steering committee and volunteers as an engineer. "It's time for us to grow up and find our own space."

Volunteers see the possible partnership as a win-win for the school and the station. They say the age of students, availability of space and the fact that the school is in Carrboro makes it an appealing location.

The proposal calls for the station to allow school access to the station for educational purposes such as training in radio broadcasting, programming opportunities and the chance to broadcast school news and athletic events.

"It ties us into the community even tighter and we like that idea," Reynolds said.

Exactly where on the high school's campus the radio station would be located is still up in the air.

But conceptually, WCOM volunteers have proposed a green facility that would partially be constructed from recycled shipping containers. The facility would include a production studio and a full-sized classroom.

"This is an excellent opportunity to get involved in the school system," said Chris Frank, who helped set the station up five years ago and served as its first manager.

The proposal has received the support of the school's staff and members of its School Improvement Team. School staff members said there are many advantages to having a radio station on campus, including the ability to have global issues forums, National Public Radio-styled broadcasts, digital media production education, multi-lingual broadcasts and journalism opportunities.

"It has the potential to provide a variety of educational opportunities across a whole bunch of curriculum areas for our kids," said Todd LoFrese, assistant superintendent for support services for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.</Body>

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