save wrvu

in case you haven't heard, vsc (the nonprofit corporation that owns vanderbilt's wrvu) announced plans last week to sell off the station's broadcast license and move it to an online-only format. although vsc made this announcement late last week, it's clear their decision to stifle dissent was well on its way before then. on september 7 they cynically purchased the domain names "savewrvu.org" and "savewrvu.com" as detailed in wrvu staff's draft letter to the editor of the hustler - a student newspaper also run under the watchful eye of vsc. *update: those supporting saving wrvu have now been given control of the domain names listed above*

although i'm a casualty of the community volunteer dj purge that occurred earlier this year, i still encourage anyone who cares about good radio to sign a petition at the sarratt student center and show his/her support for the station. vsc has made it abundantly clear that our community's opinion on this matter is worthless to them, but we can still try to make our voices heard. you can also let your friends know about this by liking the save wrvu facebook page and follow the discussion online by joining the save wrvu google group.

having said that, i think it's fair to assume that the decision may have already been made and that protests from the student body and the community may fall on deaf ears. earlier this year when vsc announced plans to cut community dj participation at the station, they feigned interest in reaching a compromise only to eventually enact their initial plan. it's clear to me that vsc is more than willing to sell off its most valuable asset to pay for other media projects that aren't pulling their own weight with regards to vanderbilt student media funding.

throughout this entire debate nobody has been able to explain why moving to an online-only format is a better proposition for the station. it took decades of hard work and dedication to make wrvu the high-wattage fm radio station we love today. hopefully with a lot of support from everybody all that hard work will not have been in vain.