Contact:Carol Wassberg[email protected]
Lewis University Campus Radio Station Goes Digital
At the precise digital date of 10-01-00 at 00:00 hours, or Oct.1, 2000, at midnight, the Lewis University radio station WLRA-FM, became the first college station to go entirely digital from studio to transmitter, setting the standard for college radio across the country.
The change to digital was accomplished with the help of a grant from the Aileen S. Andrew Foundation. The $300,000 grant, used for technological improvements to both the Lewis radio and television stations, allowed Lewis University to purchase the highly sophisticated equipment needed for the station to move into the digital world.
According to John Carey, Lewis University Director of Electronic Media, the transition has literally been a "wall-to-wall change," consisting of new studio computer software, a digital audio transmitter and a digital audio console, and a new state-of-the-art digital ISDN phone system.
"We absolutely wiped everything clean," Carey said of the move to digital. " We wanted an entirely new slate. So we cut the old cables to our old facilities, and there was no turning back," he said.
A clean start meant the end of analog knowledge, and an embarkment on the digital frontier. The disc jockeys had to learn the new system from front to back, Carey explained.
Although the station has been operating intermittently over the last few weeks to test the new system, October 1 was the inaugural debut of the digital sound. Carey said the broadcast sounds as though a compact disc is being played on your home radio, and a broadcasted conversation is as crystal clear as a discussion in your living room.
"Digital radio manipulates even the most intricate detail," he said. "With this equipment we can amplify sounds in a song that you may have never noticed before. From the highest alto to the deepest bass, digital radio enhances every pitch and tone to the fullest extent.
"With the move to digital, students interested in broadcasting will take notice of our program here at Lewis," added Carey.
Lewis DJ Gina Ringer, a third-year broadcast journalism major from Morris, Ill., said the system is not as complicated as it looks. "It is going to take some time to get used to all of this (new equipment), but it will definitely be worth it in the long run," she said.
WLRA Program Director David Bowling, a third-year radio/television broadcasting major from Seneca, Ill., said that he is very grateful that Lewis University has given the students the tools they need to pursue a career in today's broadcasting industry.
Eventually all radio stations will be digital, Carey predicts, but it is Lewis University that has journeyed into the unknown. While the Andrew Foundation initiated possibilities for WLRA that it never could have imagined, the change has not been made without at least a small leap of faith.
"It was intimidating being the first ones to go completely digital," Carey said. "We were forced into becoming digital radio experts, because there is hardly anybody that can give us help with technical problems. There were also a lot of unknown variables. But now that it is done, I couldn't be happier."
A Catholic and Lasallian university sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis offers bachelor's degrees in more than 60 majors; accelerated degree completion options for working adults in business administration/management, aviation maintenance management, computer network administration and social & community studies; a variety of aviation programs; pre-professional programs; and master's degrees in seven fields.
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