Thanks to a joint effort by Clear Channel, Cumulus and the SBE, Virginia Tech station WUVT(FM) in Blacksburg is back up to full power at 3 kW.
Senior VP of Engineering & Capital Management for Clear Channel Radio Steve Davis tells me his company helped obtain a part that Broadcast Electronics then overnighted; Clear Channel Roanoke engineer Jeff Parker worked with WUVT for four hours last Friday evening to help the station out. BE RF Field Service Manager Stuart Peters worked with the station by phone that night and followed up over the weekend.
The station had been operating at a reduced power of 1,500 watts since January due to problems with its transmission equipment, which is temporarily housed atop a dorm in an elevator penthouse, exposed to motor heat without the benefit of air conditioning.
The eventual goal, however, is to assist WUVT move its transmitter and antenna to a nearby mountain. That has been a project of Chief Engineer Kevin Sterne, the young man who is now recovering from wounds suffered during the massacre at the school.
Virginia Tech owns the land and leases tower space there to Cumulus, which will let WUVT locate an antenna on the tower. Cumulus’ Gary Kline has been involved on this portion of the project, Davis said.
Student business manager Kim Foley tells the group that Sterne is still recovering; he’s out of the hospital, walking, and recently visited WUVT.
