Today is the day for a great celebration. After countless years of painful silence, a student radio station here at UW-Madison will again spring forth with a bounty of sound and sweet music.
The birth of a fully broadcasting WSUM Madison Student Radio today at 2:22 p.m. is the culmination of years of hard work and has been nothing less than a roller-coaster ride of emotion. With all of the court proceedings, wins and losses, the dedicated staffers who will today see their dream come to fruition deserve the thanks and respect of the entire university community. It would be impossible to try to commend all the individuals who have contributed to WSUM'for the work that went into today's achievement began far earlier than most current students recall.
Offering an alternative source of music in a commercial-free setting, 91.7 FM will be a valuable asset to the radio waves. It will also be a positive asset to UW-Madison at large, giving students an entertaining and, hopefully, informative opportunity to communicate with each other.
Some members of WSUM have also said the station will reach out to the community and try to attract a broader audience than just students. We support that outlook and hope WSUM does indeed make an effort to publicize itself in the Madison community. As for issues of financing, they should be put aside'at least for this joyous day.
We acknowledge the hardships WSUM may face as it attempts to become an established station, and fully support the endeavor while hoping students will be open to sample the new student radio and give it feedback regarding its new structure.
The day has come. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of countless, selfless people, UW-Madison has an on-air radio station.
