Radio alumni back for panel talk with faculty at Brown Bag Sept. 29

In a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Fredonia Radio Systems, the Arts & Humanities Brown Bag Series at SUNY Fredonia will hold a talk entitled "Fredonia Radio Systems: A Living Laboratory" on Wednesday, Sept. 29, noon, in room S-104 of the Williams Center. All are welcome and the event is free. The event is being held in coordination with a Homecoming reunion planned by Fredonia Radio Systems. Homecoming Weekend is Oct. 2 and 3. 

Completely operated and managed by students, Fredonia Radio Systems runs two separate stations: WCVF FM and WDVL. The oldest is WCVF FM, which is an independent, FCC regulated station.  The other, WDVL 89.5, aka "The Inferno," is a purely web-casted station that caters to the Top 40 charts and campus sports.

In this talk, radio station personnel from the 1980s to the present will discuss how the campus radio station structure provided an innovative, experiential learning space.  According to its expressed mission, Fredonia Radio Systems is first and foremost a tool for higher education, and secondly a service for the campus and community to enjoy and utilize.

The moderator for the discussion is Laura Deen Johnson, assistant professor of communication and Fredonia Radio Systems Co-Advisor. She will be joined by Professor Emeritus Dan Berggren; former General Manager of Fredonia Radio Systems Katie Fuchs, '10; Jim Ranney, '80, station manager and director of news and public affairs at WNED AM; and Greg Snow, Fredonia Radio Systems advisor and campus audio technician.

Fredonia Radio Systems is a Student Association group that provides a living laboratory for students who are interested in radio and the world of electronic media. It is a community in which students both manage and create programming for terrestrial and internet radio, podcasting, converged media events, and live performances. The structure provided by the station creates a professional environment in which students generate programming that is both traditional and edgy, while learning how to manage and maintain a professional broadcast facility.

The Arts and Humanities Brown Bag Lectures, which are sponsored by the Fredonia College Foundation's Carnahan-Jackson Humanities Fund and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, feature new, creative and scholarly work by SUNY Fredonia faculty and are typically held on the first Wednesday of the month, October through May. Each program is free, and all campus and community members are welcome.

For more information regarding this program or the Arts and Humanities Brown Bag Lecture Series, contact Series co-director Natalie Gerber by email or by phone at 716-673-3855.

More on the speakers:

Dan Berggren is professor emeritus of audio and radio studies at the State University of New York College at Fredonia, where he received the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1992. An award-winning musician and educator, he has entertained international audiences, and his original music has been featured nationally on public radio and television, earning praise from near and far.
Following a 27-year tenure at SUNY Fredonia, Professor Dan Berggren left the faculty in 2004 to pursue his music career full time. He now resides in Ballston Spa, N.Y.

Katie Fuchs was a member of Fredonia Radio Systems and led FRS to a very successful year as the General Manager during the 2009-2010 year. She graduated from SUNY Fredonia's Department of Communication with a double major in Public Relations and Audio/Radio with a minor in Film Studies in May of 2010. Katie is living in New York City, actively pursuing a career in Public Relations.

Laura Deen Johnson is a program host at WNED FM. Her research interests as a scholar and teacher include the history and regulation of noncommercial and religious broadcasting, the regulation of electronic media, media history, and the intersection of religion and culture in American History. She us a veteran broadcaster with more than 30 years' experience, and has produced and/or hosted programming that featured a number of prominent individuals including former U.S. President Bill and current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, among many others.

Jim Ranney is a 20-year veteran of radio news who has received several Associated Press Broadcasting awards and a Public Radio News Directors award for local news coverage. In addition to his radio duties, Jim assists WNED TV with special news projects and assignments, including political debates and long-format interviews. Jim is also an adjunct professor in the Communications Department at Buffalo State College and a member of the New York State Associated Press Board.

Greg Snow maintains the audio systems and equipment on campus while serving as a mentor, teacher, guide, and engineer to students in the Communication Department and the Sound Recording Technology Program in the School of Music.