RADIO TRANSMITTER FOR WBRS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This proposal is for the installation of a new transmitter at a site that has already been designated most appropriate by independent studies conducted by outside contractors on behalf of WBRS. The above-mentioned cost is a one-time charge reflecting estimated legal, construction, and installation fees. There would be an additional $1,000-$1,500 monthly fee for renting tower space and keeping live a direct link-up between our station and the transmitter (instead of relying on a "microwave hop"). This monthly fee is very rough and could easily be lower as non-commercial/educational stations, such as WBRS, often receive discounts where commercial stations would not.

Attached is a formal scope, which explains in much more detail every step that would need to be taken in order to successfully petition the FCC for permission to install a new transmitter, begin construction of said transmitter, obtain the requisite permits from the City of Waltham, and make the necessary business deals with the owner(s) of whatever tower our transmitter ends up mounting on to at the new site (Prospect Hill). Also attached is a spectrum study conducted by the same organization that generated our scope. The spectrum study considers the benefits of four new locations (besides Prospect Hill there was also the water tower near Rabb Quad, Bear Hill, and a location farther out on I-95). The Bear Hill and I-95 locations were rejected because of unfeasibility, and the water tower was rejected because, upon inquiries from Mark Collins, the City repeatedly turned down requests for permission to construct an antenna on top of the tower. We were therefore left with the Prospect Hill site, which would still offer immense improvements in our signal strength and reach over the current location (on top of Rabb Quad). The appendix to the spectrum study contains contour maps that elucidate these signal improvements.

1. Why do you thin your proposal will benefit the student body at large?
WBRS requires a new location for its transmitter. At its current location, our signal bounces off the water tower and interferes with itself, rendering it static on many locations around campus and around Waltham. Additionally, while the roof of Rabb is currently the highest point on campus, it is by no means the highest point in this geographical region, and therefore our signal does not have the ability to be picked up in many areas of Waltham and Greater Boston. Moving our transmitter to the Prospect Hill site would improve our signal reach and our broadcast strength immeasurably.

Besides offering all-genre music programming, WBRS offers news and sports programs. Our listenership on our off-campus webstream consistently maxes out during sports broadcasts. Our news department is currently switching over to a more professional format as well; we no longer rely on a wire service for our stories, instead writing our own stories. Many of our alumni go on to pursue careers in news and sports broadcast journalism. WBRS is fast becoming an alternate source of campus news as well. A show new to WBRS this year -- My Brandeis World -- offers all-campus news, including on-air interviews with student clubs and interest groups.

All in all, WBRS is a forum for the entire Brandeis community. When Australia's BBC network wanted to interview Franz Wright, the famous poet who teaches here at Brandeis, when Dean Jamele Adams wants to talk about diversity, and, with our Studio 2 upgrades next year, when a cappella groups need a recording space, WBRS is there to take care of all needs, to give voice to all students, staff, faculty, and administrators, and to provide services to all members of the Brandeis community. The station is nothing if not a resource for everyone here, and allowing us to improve our infrastracture is an investment in the future that can only lead to more good for students, staff, faculty, etc.

2. Why and how do you think your proposal will benefit in short and long term?
There is no denying that this is a multi-year project. The entire estimated funds would not be spent all at once; instead, they would be spent over the course of 2-3 years. However, there is no solid future investment that does not take time to implement. Even a new eatery takes time to be built, and a new Constitutional amendment takes time to be implemented before it can truly be evaluated for its improvements over ways of old. We have already invested several thousand dollars in this project, and we think it would be a shame to have it shelved because of insufficient funds.

Long-term, the benefits are clear. I summarized them above. WBRS would be more accessible to all, in more locations, and would simultaneously improve as a valuable resource to students who want their voices heard.

3. Whom have you consulted for the proposal?
Our main independent contractor is Broadcast Signal Laboratories (BSL). Stephanie Grimes, Director of Student Activities, has been a valuable point of contact in the administration. We have also conversed heavily with Dean Rick Sawyer and Assistant General Counsel Steven Locke over the past few years. Lastly, we have met with Mark Collins, Vice President for Campus Operations under EVP/COO Peter French. I am confident in my assertion that this project has been better researched and more widely discussed than anything else I have been a part of at this University.

4. Please list any peoplep we can contact as references in regards to your proposal.
You may contact myself, current General Manager of WBRS, or Ravi Kotecha, next year's General Manager, by e-mailing gm@wbrs.org. That e-mail address now forwards to both of us but will forward only to him after Commencement, when he officially takes over. You may contact David Maxson, our point of contact at BSL, for any legal or technical questions.

5. Any further explanations if necessary.
Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions regarding this project. I also hope you will take time to read the attached spectrum study and its appendix, as well as the scope, which is a step-by-step plan for attaining this very realistic goal.

ADDITIONAL ATTACHMENTS
- Transmitter Spectrum Study Summary
- Transmitter Spectrum Study Appendix

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