COLUMN: Penn's unknown radio station

From Davina Figeroux's, "Say It Ain't So," Fall '97 From Davina Figeroux's, "Say It Ain't So," Fall '97Really? You're a DJ? Are you on Penn's station?"From Davina Figeroux's, "Say It Ain't So," Fall '97Really? You're a DJ? Are you on Penn's station?""Yeah, it's WQHS."From Davina Figeroux's, "Say It Ain't So," Fall '97Really? You're a DJ? Are you on Penn's station?""Yeah, it's WQHS.""WQHS. Oh what station is it on? I'll listen to you." "Really? So I get to see you?" "No, they just play the music while you watch announcements and a movie schedule and it's only on campus?" "That kinda sucks?" And I think, yes, it does. Please don't ask me to come by the station. Our equipment kinda sucks too. This scenario repeats itself each time I meet a professional DJ or try to get a job anywhere off campus. Penn is one of the few universities I could think of without a radio station for the students. WQHS is not a real station because it doesn't play on the radio. Most students don't even know what WQHS is. Some people think it just plays the radio all day, some people think its WXPN (Penn's real radio station.) And some think it's where you call to request movies on ResNet. Few people know where it is and outside of the friends of WQHS' DJs, I doubt that anybody really listens. WQHS, Penn's student-run radio station is far from well-known, far from listened-to and far from respected as a real radio station. Why not? It's not on the radio so if you want to check out any student DJs, your only opportunities are checking out ResNet channel 2 or between movies on 11 and 22. It is truly pathetic. And the station is located in a converted fraternity house stuck in between High Rise South and Van Pelt College House. The station only takes up two rooms -- the on-air studio and the demo room, which is not even fully equipped. Also, the speakers in the station only function at abnormally low decibels and can't seem to handle louder frequencies. Once upon a time, Penn had a real student-run radio station with an FM frequency. It was called WXPN. But the students lost control of the station when some DJs launched a raunchy talk show called The Vegetable Report, which was considered questionable by the Federal Communications Commission. In its FCC hearing, University Trustees were told to exercise more control over the student station or its radio license would be revoked. And the Trustees did by turning it into an adult alternative music station. Occasionally WXPN features a student DJ. But since WXPN, unlike WQHS, is a financial asset to the University, I don't see students ever regaining control or having a station to call their own. When I began a radio show at WQHS, I was told the station could be picked up on 730 AM, although I have yet to meet someone who has done so. And this fall, Penn has promised to wire residences with a chip which will allow students to pick up WQHS on AM at on-campus locations. But as of now, it hasn't been installed. WQHS has a lot of good DJs who may never be heard since it reaches such a miniscule portion of the community. And, consequently, few people take WQHS seriously, including professional DJs who may want to hear what Penn has to offer. Working with what little we have, the DJs at WQHS have tried to increase popularity of the station. During Spring Fling, students spin in the Quad and also in Superblock. Over the summer, I accepted a challenge to hold a 24-hour WQHS marathon with another DJ. We thought we'd get a lot of listeners. Our friends did call up and stop by, but we still failed to expand the audience of WQHS. Although I will look back at my time spent at WQHS as one of my best college experiences, I realize that WQHS DJs have a long way to go before gaining any real recognition from the community. It's a shame, though, since we should be be able to compete with other college stations --like Temple's WRTI -- or any radio station in Philadelphia for that matter, which I am sure we are capable of doing.