The Michigan Daily I michigandaily.com I Thursday, April 4, 2013
A pirate radio
"Before we had FM, we broadcasted out of
the electrical wires in the dorms. You could
listen by plugging your telephone in, and you
could get an AM signal from across the streets
from the dorms but nothing like FM," said
Cameron Bothner, an LSA sophomore and
WCBN development director.
A cohesive suite of offices and studios gave
WCBN much needed organization to expand
its services, but the station still struggled to
In the red
Three years ago, the radio station received
a memorandum of understanding from Uni-
versity Housing letting them know that they
would gradually receive less funding over a
period of three years. This is the first fiscal year
the station hasn't received any money from the
University to cover operational costs. The only
paid contract at the station, that of the chief
engineer, is set to expire without renewal in
October.
In order to get by without administrative
funding, WCBN has considered various fund-
raising options other than just the annual on-
air fundraiser the station holds to get donations
from listeners.
"(The on-air fundraiser) is a very personal
experience, and we're just basically reminding
everyone why services like ours are necessary.
In a world dominated by Pandora and iTunes,
we're real human beings choosing real music
that we like and sharing it with people," Both-
ner said. "It's the sort of thing you never get
with commercial radio." See WCBN, Page 3B