Change has come to 91.5 FM -- nearly $32,000 worth of change, to be exact. WMFO, Tufts freeform radio, reopened at noon on Sunday after closing during Spring Break in order to upgrade virtually all of the station's equipment. The new equipment will allow WMFO to broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and gives the station new recording and broadcasting capabilities.
WMFO's equipment upgrade was possible through a grant from Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate. The grant was part of the money distributed by the Senate to various on-campus groups after recovering the funds lost in last year's embezzlement scandal. The Senate awarded WMFO nearly $32,000 after senior Drew Frankel, the station's General Manager, brought forward a proposal detailing the decrepit state of the station's equipment, housed upstairs in Curtis Hall.
"The whole backbone of the station was on the verge of failing," Frankel said. "We had seen signs that the station was not going to last much longer without a major overhaul."
WMFO's old equipment was installed in the late ‘70s by two students and was designed to operate for 10 years. By the time the station received funds for the upgrade, their equipment was outdated by nearly three decades.
After receiving the grant, WMFO members did research on the type of equipment they wanted. On March 14, they closed the station down at noon to install everything they had purchased. This process was overseen by sophomore Andy Sayler, who is WMFO's general manager elect and an electrical engineering major. Three WMFO members, including Sayler and Frankel, were in the station every day of spring break installing equipment. They were assisted by WMFO DJs in the area. Sayler described the installation as "mildly insane."
"It was a lot of work," Sayler said, "I wish we had another week off."
Although they missed out on typical spring break activities, Frankel and Sayler agree that the experience was rewarding.
"The extent to which we did this is pretty amazing," Frankel said. "Basically, we were rebuilding the station."
The new equipment, which will last 10 to 15 years, includes a digitalized musical achieve and automation system that will allow the station to broadcast even when no one is there. For the first time, WMFO will always be on air, even during school holidays or when a DJ can't make it in to Curtis Hall.
"No matter what, we won't have to power down," Frankel said. "It's a huge reliability and dependability thing for our listeners. They don't have to guess whether we're going to be on the air."
The revamped system presents challenges for current WMFO volunteers, however, as every DJ who works there must learn to use the new equipment.
"There were some initial problems with the system," Frankel said. "All of the DJs have to be retrained over the course of this week. The system that we got can be as simple as you want it to be, so I don't think retraining is a big challenge. It's just [not] something we've ever had to do before."
WMFO celebrated its reopening on Sunday with a "Power Up Party" featuring Boston band The Honors playing live on air.
Frankel emphasized the station's connection to the community and pointed to its community interaction as one reason WMFO received the grant from Senate.
"We pride ourselves on serving the community," Frankel said. "This is something that will really benefit a lot of people, and that's kind of what they were looking for with this recovery fund. We are a legitimate station that can do a whole lot."
The upgrade also fits in with the station's educational goals. Sayler believes that the upgrade will benefit communication majors in particular, teaching them how to work with "21st century equipment instead of 20th century equipment."
