WQHS to broadcast signal on the Web

Penn's only student-run radio station, WQHS, will be hitting the cyber- airwaves later this semester when it begins broadcasting through the Internet. Thanks to a $5,000 donation from Penn's professional station, WXPN-FM (88.5), WQHS staff said they hope to add audio capabilities to the station's Web site by May. WQHS General Manager Heath Mackley, who began the project early in his college career, said putting the station's signal on line is aimed to increase its audience. The station now only has limited access in certain on-campus dormitories and as the music behind the "Penn Video Billboard," ResNet Channel 2. The congestion on the city's airwaves forced WQHS to find alternate sources to increase its audience. "We've hit a brick wall in Philadelphia," said Mackley, a College senior. "The Federal Communication Commission isn't granting new AM licenses, and the FM signals are packed. The computer is our next best option." The project will allow up to 60 computers at a time to receive the WQHS stream of music originating from the station's central computer. Disc jockey and Engineering sophomore Ari Jaffess said the initiative will enable WQHS to join the likes of Phish and the Grateful Dead, whose Web sites already provide music "with the click of a button." "It's a fairly new technology, but it's relatively inexpensive," Jaffess said. "I can't think of any reason not to use the Internet to increase listeners. We are a great radio station, and the Penn community will be able to realize this." WXPN General Manager Vincent Curren said his station -- which will probably have its own Internet music link within the next six months -- is providing financing in order to help expand WQHS's coverage off campus and enable students to "get their foot in the door." WXPN provides a support system for students interested in broadcasting, including a two-hour student-run radio show every Sunday at midnight, 50 internship possibilities and other work-study opportunities. But Curren added that the financial contribution can be "squeezed" out of the station's budget in hopes of recouping it through future alumni support. WQHS participants agreed that WXPN had a two-fold purpose in offering assistance. "There is continually increasing interaction between the two stations," said Wharton senior Scott Aronow, WQHS's program manager. "They are helping us increase the student voice over the airwaves, and that is fantastic." But Mackley added that sympathy might have also been a motivation. "We've been trying to get money for the project for years," he said. "WXPN is supportive because they value what we're doing." WXPN employed a student staff until the late 1970s, when the University nearly lost its FCC license for the station over obscene language used on the air. Since then, most direct student access to the air has been limited to WQHS. WQHS may also offer advertisements through the plan, enabling the station to create revenue as well as create a popular web-site. The initiative, still in its final planning stages, is awaiting review by the University's General Counsel to be certain no additional licensing is required. The American Society of Composers and Producers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) give licenses to radio stations to play songs they have bought the rights to. But WQHS staffers are unsure whether an additional license is needed for Internet use. As students continue to pursue on-line music, they will also publish an online WQHS 'zine to increase publicity by informing potential listeners about its disc jockeys and program selection.

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