This week, a news article, the Derby column, and a letter to the editor all discuss membership and programming changes taking place at WRPI. As the leaders of another student media organization, however, the Editorial Board also felt that the topic was important enough to be discussed here as well.
In recent years, syndicated content and programs by community members have increased. Many of these programs have been viewed as a benefit by both listeners and membership. More recently, however, many of these programs have been cut as the current leaders of WRPI want to try and increase student participation and audience. Not surprisingly, these changes met opposition from those community members whose content saw cuts as well as those who felt that WRPI was one way to get their syndicate program carried on the airwaves in this area. Some even went so far as to accuse WRPI leaders of becoming censors, referring to them as “Brownshirts” (a reference to the Third Reich). As a student newspaper, we fully support getting out different viewpoints and are against censorship; having said that, we also fully support the WRPI student leaders’ rights to make these decisions.
The FCC license allowing WRPI to use the airwaves is granted to the Institute and WRPI is a student-led club of the Rensselaer Student Union. As such, the programming decisions and station policy lie squarely within the realm of its leadership, the Executive Committee. While the E-Comm can more than easily allow community members to have programs, if they so choose, it is important that everyone realize these community members are guests. More succinctly, WRPI is a station for RPI students and not public access radio for the Capital Region.
We also recognize that not everyone in WRPI necessarily supports the changes that are being made and perhaps some compromises will eventually be found. In the meantime, it is crucial that the ensuing discussions be reasonable on both sides and that at the end the students be allowed to make the final decisions at RPI’s student radio station.
