Bates College in Maine has a long history of broadcasting, but that could all change since its radio station’s tower is corroded and beyond repair. The Bates Student reported that WRBC-FM has been on the air (on 91.5 MHz) since 1958, and is a beloved institution with both students and the community. According to the FCC, the original calls were WRJR. The Class A station is licensed as a Non-Commercial Educational FM.
“Basically, we’ve been broadcasting with the same tower for decades now,” WRBC General Manager Owen Schmidt said. “Over the years, you know, Maine weather, it’s become pretty corroded.”
WRBC is advocating for the college to replace the tower, an estimated investment of $100,000. The station recently posted this statement on its Instagram account: “The college has recently expressed an unwillingness to renew our FM broadcasting capabilities and switch WRBC to an online-only streaming station. The tower is old and corroded, and the college has deemed this technology to be too ‘out of date’ to replace.”
The Bates Student reported that much of the WRBC board is “on board” with restoring and maintaining the tower. Still, other college officials believe that funds would be better allocated elsewhere. Nick Dressler, Assistant Dean of Students for Campus Life, said his department met with the WRBC executive board to discuss a plan forward, “including making a case for why Bates should or should not invest in the radio tower, and also to share information on other ways we can support the WRBC student experience.”
According to Schmidt, broadcasting via FM rather than exclusively streaming, offers unique professional opportunities for students hoping to pursue careers in broadcasting or music. “Running a ‘real’ radio station provided a lot of professional development opportunities for people trying to go into broadcasting,” he added. “You get the experience of being able to chart your music, and record labels send us new CDs and music. And as an internet station, we just don’t have that kind of presence.”
Another challenge is that if the tower is not replaced, WRBC will no longer have a legal claim to the call letters or its frequency, reported The Bates Student.
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