Newspapers / Elizabeth City State University … / April 29, 1988, edition 1 / Page 8
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Page 8 April 29, 198)i The Compass ■; David Linton (left) talks with Reggie Carson(center) and Aerek Stephens during the CIAA Tournament held at Norfolk State. Carson was responsible for play-by-play accounts, and Stephens provided colorful commentary over V-91 fm, ECSU’s radio station, during the bas ketball season. Linton is the former General Managerof WRVS. • Students cite benefits gained By Beverly Johnson WRVS-FM radio station, lo cated in Williams Hall, gives ESCU students and the public ex actly what it stands for, “Won derful Radio Viking Style,” with much more to offer. “Most people know that EC SU’s 10,000-watt public radio sta tion serves Northeastern North Carolina and Tidewater Virginia with a variety of fine music, in cluding jazz, urban contempo rary, and gospel. But how many know that the station also serves a smaller, more special group? That group consists of the ap proximately 30 ECSU students who work at WRVS, as program mers, news and sports an nouncers, writers and producers. Students cite numerous bene fits gained from their work at WRVS. “Working at WRVS has help^ me gain hands-on experience in my chosen career field,” said ECSU students news director, Traci Latrelle Godbold. Traci also works at K-94. “Working at WRVS has given me a jump on a lot of other people in the communications field,” said Richard Mclntire, a sopho more news media major who has worked at WRVS for almost a year. “I consider it a skillful and challenging hobby, which I love, but I also know Aere is a great responsibility to keep the station on the air when I’m working, too. Freshman Leamon Pearce, who also works at WRVS, agrees that the radio station provides an enjoyable hobby. “WRVS was a major factor in my decision to come to ECSU,” Pearce said. Students who work at WRVS say that the station is a valuable campus asset to anyone inter ested in broadcasting and similar fields. “One should know how to speak clearly and to have a good voice control *'hile reading as fluently as possible,” Mclntire said.” “Sharpening the basic commu nication skills of reading and writing, and taking public speak ing classes will enable one to de velop into a professional,” said David Linton, WRVS’s former from WR VS experience manager. Linton recently left WRVS to work for Warner Broth ers Records in Dallas, Texas. Linton’s urban contemporary format at WRVS has been quite successful with the station’s hs- teners. “I chose to program urban con temporary simply because I’m black, and ECSU is a historically black university,’" Linton said. “But most of all, it is a format that can win the marketplace. The format also has also allowed us to market the University to its primary recruiting population, without alienating new groups we want to attract. “WRVS isn’t just an urban con temporary station, “ Linton con tinued. “We also play jazz and gospel and we give major em phasis to public affairs and edu cational programs.” Linton said that he, too, en joyed his time working at WRVS. “Starting a radio station from nothing, and making it number one has been one of my greatest challenges.” A recent survey by Northeast ern High School’s communica tion class revealed that WRVS is the most listened to radio station in Elizabeth City. WRVS signed on the air on March 18, 1986. The University hired Linton Feb. 1,1985, to over see the construction and opera tion of the station. Linton was the one who gave the station the name, WRVS-“Wonderful Ra dio, Viking Style.” (Right) Freshman Den nis Blount receives some pointers from seniors Darius Morris and Aerek. (Above) Blount runs his airshift alone. Linton resigns for Warner Bros, job; WRVS loses first General Manager By Richard Mclntire David C. Linton has re signed his position as General Manager and Program Direc tor of WRVS-FM to take a job with Warner Brothers records in Texas. Paula Sutton has been named acting General Man ager/Program Director. “A unique opportunity pre sented itself,” said Linton, who will go to work as Promo tional Manager for Warner Brother’s R & B Music, in Dal las. Linton described his new po sition as an “entry level exec utive job. But it’s in the top market areas, which makes it challenging. The Dallas-Ft. Worth area is ranked fifth in the nation for commercial marketing.” Linton said he would be ex- ‘7f’s the biggest gamble of my career, ” David C. Linton periencing “a new side of the music industry,” in his new job, which will require “a greater pressure to perform. “It’s the biggest gamble of my career,” Linton said, “but the pay off can be excellent.” Linton said he would be working with many top Warner Brothers stars, includ ing Prince, Morris Day, A1 Jarreau, Donna Summer, and the Winans, at the retail and radio levels. He said he hopes to one day be a vice-president at Warner Brothers Records. Linton, 30, is a graduate of Shaw University and of North Carolina Central in Durham. He came to ECSU from WSHA in Raleigh, where he was also (Jeneral Manager and Pro gram Director. When Linton arrived at ECSU in March 1985, the Uni versity had filed an applica tion with the FCC and ordered broadcast equipment. “I learned no challenge was too big,” said Linton, in recal ling how he helped get the ra dio station launched. WRVS went on the air in March of 1986. Linton thanked the Eliza beth City community and Vi king family for their support. He said he also appreciated those who said WRVS would fail. “They were the main cat alyst for extra drive and moti vational force.” Linton said he envisions WRVS growing to encompass an even larger share of the market. He has presented a 3- year plan to the Chancellor, which will ensure continuous growth for the popular radio station. “The University has made the best investment in ’RVS,” Linton said, “an investment that gives power and influence that will work for the benefit of the university, its students and the community.” onderful adio R iking Style Station launching students' careers WRVS provides training for students of broadcast By Lisa Gregory E CSU is especially proud of its latest rising star — WRVS. The FM station serves as a major communica tion link between the University and northeast ern North Carolina. “We’re one of the few urban contemporary col lege radio stations in North Carolina, said Aerek Stephens, Student Program Director at WRVS. “I basically keep up with the music we play, and make sure that we’re in tune with what’s hot and what’s not,” Stephens said. The 10,000-watt public service station is funded primarily through federal grants. “‘Public service’ means that the radio station is there to do just that,” said Stephens. “Unlike us, commercial radio stations have to compete for that advertising dollar.” People who work at a commercial radio sta tion face “a lot more pressure to conform,” according to ECSU sophomore Tracy Latrell Godbold-air name, Tracy Latrell. “You have to be sure to g«t the commercials on. In a sense, the commercials are more important than the mu sic.” Latrell, who also works at K-94, has high hopes for a career'in broadcasting. “My goal is to earn up to six digits in radio,” she said. WRVS has launched many students to the air ways. The station has also given three ECSU stu- dents-Latrell, Stephens and Darius Morris- the necessary training to get jobs in area broadcast ing jobs. “Someone at K-94 heard me on the air at WRVS,” said Latrell. “Then they asked me to send them an air check (a taped on-the-air- broadcast). The program director liked me, and asked me to work there.” Morris, a senior business administration ma jor, also landed a broadcasting job through his association with WRVS. “David Linton told me that they were looking for help at 96-KIX and asked me if I was inter ested in working there. I said, ‘What--at a coun try station?’ Anyway, I decided to give it a try. So I did an air check there. The manager said I sounded good and gave me the job. “I wouldn’t have been able to get the job at KIX if we didn’t have the station here.” Stephens, who worked at the local “oldies” sta tion, WCNC, until it went off the air earlier this year, said he got into radio because his friends convinced him to take the broadcast training classes. When WRVS was first launched at ECSU, the station advisors had to make sure that interested students got the proper training, and that they were licensed to be disc jockeys by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The students attended a workshop class for six weeks and took a final examination upon comple tion of the class. “We attended seminars on creative problem solving, and formation of a college radio sta tion,” Stephens said. “We got a lot of helpful in formation about fund raising ideas, student moti vation, student programs and making the radio sound better.” Stephens said that he, too, plans a career in broadcasting. “I would like to get into record and artist promotions.” Morris also has his sights set on a broadcasting career. “I don’t care what I do, as long as it’s in radio. I just want to get my feet on the ground floor and work my way up.” WRVS operates under a special rotation sys- as far as its programming is concerned, ^e music rotation relates to the specific order m which the different types of music are played. Every disc jockey must follow the music rota tion list. The disc jockey doesn’t just pick out songs as he goes along,” said Morris. “At the top of the hoiff we have a station ID and then the DJ plays an A song. Then a ‘B’ and so on.” identifies songs as A, B, C, or D. An A song IS very popular and high on the lists, Mid Mo^. “The ‘B’ song may be something f ^ popular, or is just on the way to the top. The C s are in between, and ‘D’s’ are the new songs. The rotation is very important because you ave 0 make sure that the music flows in order, to keep your listeners.” WRVS played a vital role in devdoping his mterest in broadcasting. frnm Hiusic background comes inf mn fu niusic business. It’s a lot more than just turning records.”
Elizabeth City State University Student Newspaper
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April 29, 1988, edition 1
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