SGA approved Hawkstream Radio’s budget this March, so the station will return to full functionality for the 2011 fall semester, according to Station President Jordan Dubreuil.

Student Media Coordinator Bill DiNome advised the station to stop broadcasting copyrighted music March 2010, after discovering that they appeared to be operating without a broadcasting license. The station managers have been working to obtain a license since then, and this March SGA approved the station to receive $500 toward the $625 total cost of purchasing an educational broadcasting license. Despite the budget approval this semester, due to “bureaucracy,” Dubreuil says the money will not be available for the station’s use until next semester, fall 2011.

This money comes from the $53 mandatory student fee UNCW students pay each year, according to Michael Gallimore, SGA treasurer. “The funding which SGA allocated to Hawkstream was [granted] through a process called ‘operational budgets.'” He said that this process assures funding for the next fiscal year in advance (in this case, FY 2011/2012). In addition, organizations are assured this money before the SGA receives student fees. “Long story short: the money is not in SGA’s account yet,” Gallimore said.

Gallimore and Dubreuil worked together to see if Hawkstream Radio might be able to access the funds this spring, but “unfortunately, it was not possible…” Gallimore said. In the meantime, Dubreuil has been working on a way for the station to raise more money via the website: www.kickstarter.com. Hawkstream Radio’s page is not available yet but is coming soon.

Kickstarter.com is a website that takes pledges through Amazon, and as long as the station raises its goal of $1,000, they will receive all money pledged. The downside is that if the station does not reach its goal by a specified date, it will receive none of the pledged funding. Dubreuil says she plans to advertise the station’s kickstarter site through Facebook. This money would go toward the remaining $125 necessary to purchase the license, as well as other operational costs. Pledgers would receive awards for donations, such as stickers or digital mixes at the higher levels.

Once the station has a license to broadcast, Dubreuil says the station will be able to function as an online streaming radio show again, with a full radio schedule, advertisers and promotions.

Chris Vickery, who is no longer at the station, was worried about the SGA refusing to fund Hawkstream Radio, but the funding is here. UNCW students only need wait one more semester to have a fully functional radio station again.