WVEW operates with the maximum 100 Watts on 107.7 MHz in Brattleboro VT – well, perhaps the operative word is operated. It’s been off air since a fire took out key assets in April 2011. It is now trying to come up with the funds it needs to return to the air before its license is canceled on the one year of silence rule.
According to a Boston Globe report, work on restoring the station was delayed due to infighting among those involved with the station. It required a mediator, but issues were resolved in December 2011 and the station is now seeking the cash it needs to get back up and running before the station is lost.
The station relies on its own people for content. Its website states, “BCR radio hosts produce and engineer their own programs, and are solely responsible for their shows’ content. Opinions expressed during WVEW’s shows are those of the programs’ hosts and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WVEW.”
One of the avenues it is pursuing in search of funding is giving Brattleboro citizens the opportunity to be a DJ for a day. “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to DJ on WVEW??? For a contribution of $107.70, you can host your very own one-hour show some day soon! You don’t have to worry about how to use the sound equipment because a current WVEW DJ will assist you in the studio. All you have to do is pick the music you want to play or figure out what you want to talk about over the air. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is a wonderful way to support and get involved with WVEW. And, who knows, you may like it so much that you want to become a permanent WVEW DJ.”
WVEW manages to get its prime signal over all but the westernmost portion of Brattleboro and hits that part of town with its secondary signal.
RBR-TVBR observation: A commercial station cannot operate like a noncommercial station, but perhaps there is something to learn from those operating in the LPFM world. By definition, the people involved in an LPFM such as WVEW are in it not for the money but for the love of the medium. Great commercial broadcasters should also exude that same love.
