“The problems today are not the evil actions of the bad people, but the appalling silence and inaction of the good people. ” —Martin Luther King, Jr.
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: APPALLING INACTION
Vanderbilt University recently sent out the Fall 2012 edition of Tunnel Vision, a ‘publication for alumni of student media at Vanderbilt University’. Half of the publication is dedicated to the where-are-they-now updates of alumni of Vanderbilt student media, such as WRVU. Going back to graduating classes from the early ’50s, proud WRVU alumni give short personal updates. The numerous contributing alumni with WRVU ties are varied and uniformly impressive – medical professionals, engineers, researchers, business leaders, media professionals, etc. It is clear that the WRVU experience either attracted the best of Vanderbilt and/or was a formative influence to future professional success. For instance, this Tunnel Vision edition featured an WRVU alumnus who went on the be a leader in treatment of Parkinsons and another who is a leader of a pediatric specialty hospital, but one such alumnus wrote the following:
“I’m quite saddened by the regrettably poor decision to move WRVU off the air. ” —class of 1992
This alumnus suspects what we here at SaveWRVU know – but many alumni probably do not – the important formative experience of WRVU is all but decimated due to the recent actions of oddly unaccountable Vanderbilt Student Communications (VSC). Referring to the Tunnel Vision publication, as the alumni updates progress into the 2000s, the WRVU contributions drop off noticeably. This is around the time when the recently configured, Chris Carroll led, VSC, ramped up its campaign to hobble WRVU. Coincidence?
If you haven’t been following, WRVU Friends and Family have been fighting VSC’s proposed sale of WRVU’s on-air license. The strategy appears to be working. The VSC, who are expecting a $3.5 million payday from poaching WRVU’s assets, are understandably loading their diapers in rage. The VSC and Media Advisor Chris Carroll, probably the person most responsible for this nonsense, together continue to lash-out at WRVU in infantile ways.
VSC: VANDERBILT STUDENT COMMUNICATIONS CONTROL
Even though Chris Carroll and the VSC have all but broke the back of WRVU by gutting WRVU of autonomy, they continue to turn the screws. Last fall, The VSC, with no explanation, eliminated all non-active students from WRVU participation. Vanderbilt students put together a petition signed by nearly all student DJs, along with personal written statements, and presented it to the VSC in protest. The VSC, after months of feet-dragging, finally considered the petition and finally came up with a decision of provisional restating non-student DJs IF they pay for, AND, pass a back-ground check. !?! Whatever the student’s wishes, The VSC’s message is loud and clear – non-active students are not welcome. Why? These DJs have institutional knowledge of how WRVU used to be. Place a wedge between active students and alumni/staff with long running WRVU involvement, and in time, with student attrition, the current status quo, however intolerable, will be accepted as normal. Keep your victims ignorant and compliant.
STEALING FROM PETER TO PAY PAUL THE VSC
The very students who are getting browbeat and marginalized by the petty bullying of the VSC are the ones paying the VSC ‘adult’ staff salaries. Vanderbilt University claims that they have no say in the actions of the VSC, but Vanderbilt students fund the VSC via mandatory student activity fees. So a cabal of unaccountable ‘adults’ get to push around …
Continue to read HERE:
WRVU FRIENDS + FAMILY ISSUE PETITION TO DENY ASSIGNMENT OF WFCL (FORMALLY WRVU) LICENSE TO NASHVILLE PUBLIC RADIO.
Nashville, TN September 18 – With the PETITION TO DENY ASSIGNMENT OF WFCL (FORMALLY WRVU) LICENSE TO NASHVILLE PUBLIC RADIO
WRVU Friends and Family continue to extend the reach of a legal appeal to theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) – the organization that administers the allotment of airwaves for public use. This move is the latest in a series maneuvers to stop the on-air license sale of WRVU. Why is this important?
First, here is a quick recap of recent events involving the proposed sale of the on-air license of WRVU to NPR Nashville.
June 7th 2011,Vanderbilt Student Communications (VSC) in a surprise move, stopped on-air broadcasting of the student-run WRVU because they had secretly reached an agreement to sell the on-air license to Nashville Public Radio. The VSC changed the associated call letters from WRVU to WFCL. (As we all know at this point, this agreement between the VSC and NPR Nashville was clearly against all sense of common decency and against any regard for the public good.)
NPR couldn’t pay for the license outright and needed to raise the money. (While NPR raises the money, VSC is leasing the on-air license to allow broadcasting of Nashville Public Radio classical programming on WFCL (ex-WRVU)).
April 12, 2011 WRVU Friends & Family founded as a not-for-profit (501c3) organization dedicated to the continued legacy of radio broadcasting at Vanderbilt University. Because numerous large-scale campaigns of letters and outreach to the VSC and the Vanderbilt Administration on behalf of the WRVU students went largely ignored, it became clear that a legal strategy would be needed to stop this Music City travesty.
June, 2012 A year passes and the now leased on-air license comes up for renewal as mandated by the FCC. (Renewal periods allow for petitions to deny renewal to license holders that are derelict in their handling public on-air licenses.)
July 5, 2012 WRVU Friends and Family represented by Attorneys Michael Couzens and Alan Korn, file a petition to the FCC to deny the renewal of the license to the VSC. See HERE.
August 8, 2012 The VSC responded to the petition to deny with an opposition response. See HERE.
August 25, 2012 WRVU Friends and Family followed with a response to VSC’s opposition. See HERE.
But wait! Here is where things get a bit more interesting…
Rather than allow for the FCC to weigh the arguments and allow or deny the WFCL (still called WRVU as far as the FCC is concerned) license to be renewed, the VSC attempts an end-run around the due process of the FCC and did the highly irregular action of an out-of-the-blue transfer of the license to NPR during their own renewal process! Weird, no? The FCC should think so.
September 18, 2012 This document was submitted as the latest move by WRVU Friends and Family as a petition to deny assignment of license to NPR. This makes a petition to deny to both the VSC (owner) and NPR (purchaser).
Confused? Don’t feel bad, we just figured it out too, but this strategy appears to be working!
Continue to read HERE:
READ ALL ABOUT IT!
WRVU in the News:
8/15/2012: Radio Survivor – “Paperwork Filed with FCC to Transfer Former WRVU to Nashville Public Radio”
7/5/2012: The Nashville Scene – “WRVU Friends and Family Files Petition to Deny with FCC”
7/5/2012: Radio Survivor – “WRVU Supporters File Petition to Deny College Radio Station’s License Renewal”
7/5/2012: WSMV-TV Nashville – “Group Renews Fight to Save Vandy Student Radio”
7/6/2012: VU Today – “Vanderbilt in the News”
YOU CAN HELP!
DONATE AND GET A POSTER!
Help Support this Campaign. Right Now all Donations are Being Matched! So Now is the Time to Have Your Support Doubled! Go HERE.
VivaWRVU POSTERS! GET YOURS!
As you probably know, VivaWRVU has launched a legal campaign to halt Vanderbilt Student Communications (VSC) sale of WRVU 91.1’s on-air license. Early reports suggest that the initial salvo in this legal strategy is working too! Help support the campaign at this with a donation and get a killer hand-printed poster!!
For more info, click HERE:
TAKE ACTION TODAY!
TELL VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY AND NASHVILLE PUBLIC RADIO (WPLN) WHY YOU HAVE SUSPENDED YOUR GIFTS TO THEIR ORGANIZATIONS & WHY THEY SHOULD RETURN 91.1 FM TO THE STUDENTS WHO BUILT IT NEARLY 60 YEARS AGO.
Keep up the letter writing. VANDERBILT CHANCELLOR ZEPPOS and VANDERBILT BOARD OF TRUST are RESPONSIBLE for EVERYTHING that happens at VU.
Email: nicholas.s.zeppos@Vanderbilt.Edu
* Nicholas Zeppos, Chancellor
* Vanderbilt University
* 211 Kirkland Hall
* Nashville, TN 37240
* (615) 322-1813
Vanderbilt University Board of Trust
* Office of the Board of Trust
* Vanderbilt University
* 305 Kirkland Hall
* Nashville, TN 37240
The same tactic might be used at WPLN and WPLN President Rob Gordon…
Email: rgordon@wpln.org
* Rob Gordon, President
* Nashville Public Radio/WPLN
* 630 Mainstream Drive
* Nashville, TN 37228
* (615) 322-1813
Continue to read HERE:
LISTEN TO THIS!
The musicians and artists of Nashville, and beyond, know the value of WRVU as an independent student/community run radio station. Listen to Chuck D of Public Enemy help lend voice to WRVU to “Fight the Power”. [Ed. Note: We are not ones to ignore Chuck D’s advice.]
Chuck D (Public Enemy) Promo 01
To listen to more support from artists from Nashville and from all around this great country, go HERE.
STAY WITH US, IT AIN’T OVER!
Vanderbilt Student Communications (VSC) and WPLN/WFCL are in a lease agreement only. That is to say, in order for WRVU’s on-air license transfer to occur, several hurdles have to be overcome by the VSC and WPLN/WFCL.
1) WPLN/WFCL has to pay the VSC $3.5 million
2) Any license transfer requires an open FCC mandated 30 Day Public Comment period where Vanderbilt students and Nashville Community can comment on the travesty that is the sale of WRVU.
Regardless of what you have been led to believe, no WRVU license transfer can occur without the above being successfully completed.
It has been 9 months since the announced agreement and none of these hurdles have been met. This could mean that WPLN is having a tough time meeting the terms of the agreement, or it could mean that the VSC and WPLN are waiting for the outcry to dissipate.
One thing is certain:
The listening public and Vanderbilt students are taking the hit on this one.
-Vanderbilt student DJ involvement is down and ‘Dead Air’ is up.
-Much of WFCL, the classical music format station that is occupying WRVU’s 91.1 signal, is canned programming and not generated locally. How is this serving the public?
-The empty promises of the VSC remain largely unfulfilled.
Unless you are one of the vultures set to skim cash from this transaction, The VSC proposed sale of WRVU’s license to WPLN is good for NO ONE, least of all Vanderbilt students and the Nashville Community.
Continue to read HERE:
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Join us in this campaign for the recovery of 91.1 Nashville and for the protection of college radio everywhere.
Time or money, both are valuable. Anonymously or publicly, the choice is yours. If you love WRVU and long to hear it once again on your FM, we urge you to PARTICIPATE in its Revival!
Please give in whatever way you can and ask your own friends & family to do the same!!!
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