September 27th, 1999
People Are Listening
For the first time in several years, St. Andrews has a radio station. WSAP is
currently playing on cable channel 63 and should be available on a FM band before
fall break.
The station has been up since the beginning of September, few students are
aware of it.
"I heard they were going to start one," said Meg Donahue, "last year."
"I didn't know that they did," commented Kira Peter.
Student run shows began on the 7th, but were halted a week later. That
Friday night, an unknown group got on the air and offended viewers with harsh
language.
"Some students came on and did their show," explained Christine Farina,
General Manager of WSAP. "They were cursing and playing music with cursing."
The station, which is on basic cable, can be seen in Laurinburg and the incident
was reported by local viewers. With no students to be held responsible. Farina
banned everyone fi’om participating on WSAP for 30 days.
"We want people to understand the magnitude of what happened," said
Radio Club president Jon Slifka. "This isn't a toy. This is something we can have
fun with if we do it correctly."
Slifka, who started to campaign for a station four years ago, was devastated
that it was threatened so soon after being brought into existence. He did note,
"Now it's obvious that people are listening." He thinks this will encourage future
DJs to appreciate that they do have an audience.
Over a dozen students are involved in the club and new members are always
welcome. DJs will return to the air before fall break. The cable station will also air
city council, board of education and county meetings. The Highland players
production of The Rocky Horror Picture show will also be played on WSAP.
Editor's Note: At publication time, students in the radio club were allowed
on the air.
-Grfip Chatham
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