After a promising return to the airwaves last year, WYUR failed to live up to billing this year. The reason for the collapse is simple - the equipment that the radio station currently owns is outdated and dilapidated.
Since November, WYUR station manager Alex Traiman has been trying to secure funding to purchase new equipment. Thus far, however, he has been unable to do so, and with little time left in the school year, it appears as if the radio station will not broadcast this year.
In order for the radio station to begin broadcasting, according to Traiman, they "need to buy a new board that will transmit the signal into the various dormitories. The current board's signal is so weak that we when broadcast only static is audible." Most of the radio station's current equipment dates back to the 1970's, when the radio station was first founded.
According to Traiman, WYUR has already placed an order with a radio supply company for a new board. However, the radio station lacks the necessary funds to purchase the equipment. WYUR had hoped to obtain funding from the President's Circle, an organization of alumni dedicated to supporting student activities on campus, but their request was rebuffed.
"WYUR always needs a tremendous amount of money, and in the past we have given them monetary funds," noted Louis Tuchman, co-chairman of the President's Circle. "However, it seems that every year, YUR is in the same position." Tuchman further recommended that the radio station solicit a technician to determine what changes need to be made with regard to the current equipment.
Mr. Tuchman also added that the "President's Circle is not a stipend, [rather] we are a supplement. We provide some money, but there is also a limit as to how much money can be devoted to a single cause - we like to spread [the money] around." Tuchman wondered why the respective student councils were not aiding the radio station.
Tuchman's query strikes at the heart of a crucial component of the WYUR saga. YCSC President Pinky Shapiro asserts that his student council had set aside money to help WYUR buy the board. Shapiro maintains, however, that "the amount set aside is half of what the board should cost." Yael Fischer, Stern College's station manager, confirmed Shapiro's claim, stating that "YCSC has the money for us, but they will not give us the money until we have received matching funds from SCWSC. The women have repeatedly promised us their financial support, but only to renege - that is why at the present time we have nothing." Stern's Student Council President, Chani Schubert, maintains she does pledge the necessary funding, provided she can be assured that the money will be put to immediate use and result in a functioning WYUR following the Pesach break. Insiders report that such hope seems overly-optimistic, pointing out the need to complete a lengthy interview process and ultimately assemble and train an entire staff of WYUR disc jockeys, hosts, and technicians.
According to SCW student Cherise Mizrahi, there is a strong desire for WYUR to resume broadcasting, but students are also "incensed that for an entire year nothing has been done." An irate YC sophomore echoed Mizrahi's thoughts and wondered "if WYUR will ever get back on the air. It seems that nothing has been done so far and who is to say that anything will change."
Dean of Students David Himber is an ardent supporter of WYUR and hopes that it will soon resume broadcasting because it is "a wonderful activity that brings students together from both campuses and enables them to experience something that they would not be able to experience otherwise." Nonetheless, he offered no immediate solution to its financial crisis, refusing to pledge funding assistance from his own office. The President's Circle might be the station's last hope, at least for the upcoming year, as they are reportedly shifting their practices in an effort to accommodate student lobbying for important causes, thereby possibly allowing WYUR to intrigue the donors and finally fix up their operation.