The operation of UNCW student radio is suspended and the future of the station is uncertain.

The Student Media Board (SMB) voted unanimously to suspend operations of WLOZ indefinitely during their meeting last Thursday evening.

“I think it’s a good decision by the media board,” said Dean of Students Terry Curran. “The board is looking for better information of what is exactly going on at the station.”

The decision came after a lengthy discussion by the board about the current status of the WLOZ. They expressed concern about a lack of supervision and leadership since the station has been without a general manager since January 11, when General Manager John Bundy resigned.

During the meeting, the board expressed that students had not displayed willingness to step up and take over running the radio station. Bundy echoed those sentiments.

“Since I’m graduating in May, I’ve told my staff that we needed someone to step up to general manager position this year, that it was important, and someone needed to step up,” Bundy said. “No one would step up. That kind of gave me some indication of where things might be going.”

Two people applied for the interim general manager position. The board will interview both candidates for the position at its next meeting on Thursday, February 8.

“I think it was a little unclear as to how long the shutdown is going to be,” said Bill DiNome, student media coordinator. “I think it’s been discussed that if we could get somebody in there to lead them, [The Student Media Board] would entertain the notion of opening them again.”

The SMB has formed a WLOZ Viability Committee to provide a written report and presentation of the current status of WLOZ and make recommendations about the station’s viability as an official medium under the board’s supervision and funding structure.

The seven-member committee will report its findings at the March 15 SMB meeting. The findings and recommendations of the committee will be a key to the future of WLOZ.

“The goal of the media board is to make WLOZ self-sufficient, and we can’t do that,” Bundy said. “We don’t have wattage, and people aren’t going to support what they can’t hear.”

The station currently has a low-power signal which can be picked up only on campus. WLOZ does not operate with an FCC license, which would expand the station’s broadcast signal, but would also require more resources.

“Becoming a fully licensed FM radio station is a huge step that places great burdens on the station and on the university, monetary, legal and otherwise,” said William Bolduc, associate professor of communication studies. “The legal requirements for becoming a FCC licensed station are substantial and the whole process would be quite expensive.”

Low-power FM would be one option to boost the signal to a three to four mile radius of campus.

“The total package for equipment, consulting, permits and a transmitter would run over $73,000,” DiNome said. “Even then, there’s no guarantee you would get it because there are only about six of those frequencies in this market, and there are about 15 groups that are vying for it.”

According to DiNome, another possibility would be to let WLOZ go back to cable FM. The station used the form of broadcast from about 1982 until the spring of 1997. Under this setup, anyone in the area with Time Warner would be able to access the station by splitting the cable signal and running a line into a stereo. He indicated that it would probably be the most realistic option if WLOZ goes back on the air.

Prior to 1982, WLOZ broadcast on the frequency now occupied by WHQR, Wilmington’s Public Radio station. WLOZ was forced off the frequency in the wake of an on-air drug sales investigation.

According to Bundy and Terrence “Greyson” Davis, head DJ, WLOZ was promised a new studio in a new location in the Warwick Center by Christmas, a move that never took place. Both added that not moving increased frustration of those at the station.

“We were scheduled [to move] sometime in December, during the break, to move from where we are now to where the outdoor activity center used to be, but I guess other things took priority,” Davis said.

Another of WLOZ’s problems is that they do not have a faculty advisor or staff member with radio expertise.

“There needs to be some formal training,” Bundy said. “If we had the support of faculty, through course teachings, we could definitely get the support of the radio station.”

According to DiNome, establishing a connection between WLOZ and academics would be difficult because the station grew out of student affairs and not academic affairs, which could bring up problems with funding.

“We are far behind the curve when it comes to contemporary radio technology,” DiNome said. “Most commercial radio stations these days have fully digitalized libraries, touch screens and computer boards. We don’t have that. If we were to establish WLOZ as a primary up-to-date educational media, we would have to invest huge amounts of money.”

WLOZ has seen some of their DJ’s such as Corey Willis, Christopher Fredrick and Cameron Post earn jobs with radio stations in Wilmington.

“We’ve had a lot of success from our station,” Bundy said. “A lot of talent has been scouted from WLOZ.”