WDGC
Encyclopedia
WDGC-FM is a high school radio
station located in Downers Grove, Illinois
.
The station runs commercial-free 24-hours a day and is shared between the Downers Grove North
and Downers Grove South
school studios, with the transmitter
residing at the North building. It primarily consists of regular scheduled student programming. The station also features newscasts, school news, live local band performances, live sporting events and community interest programming. When student DJs are not on the air, a computer program that plays songs on shuffle, station identifications, and public service announcements can be turned on until the next scheduled DJ takes over.
In 1966, it was on the airwaves, but just barely. It was then known as WDGN (most likely for its Downers Grove North roots) and ran on only one watt of power. The WDGN transmission used the PA system to broadcast. The signal was so weak it could only be heard on 600 AM and if a listener placed their radio by a PA speaker. After numerous phone calls to Washington, D.C.
and two rejected applications to contact the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC), WDGC was granted a construction permit which in turn allowed the station to be broadcast to Downers Grove and other surrounding communities.
In 1968, the station was finally approved and was broadcast with 10 watts of power on 88.3 FM.
In 1972, the station moved from its third floor "studio" to a self contained building north of the school. This building was an unused "portable classroom". It became the home of WDGC, as well as new operations WDGC-TV and Cable 99. The radio station also bought a used transmitter and re-tuned it, bringing the station to 250 watts of power. Four years later it made the final jump to stereo.
In 1981, the station was granted a room to be turned into a classroom/studio at Downers Grove North where it still presently remains.
During the mid80s, many notable musicians worked at the station, including Jim Cooley (Blue Meanies) and Bob DeMaa.
In 1997, the old transmitter was replaced with a new 250 watt transmitter.
In 1998, the station purchased digital Pacific Research and Engineering Airwave consoles for both studios. The cart machines at the North studio were replaced with Sony
minidisc
systems and a non-linear computer based audio editing
program. North teacher John Waite and DGN student Stuart Allard played a major part in building the station's minidisk library.
In 2007, the studio at Downers Grove South was renovated, creating a less cluttered environment in the main studio and adding on two sub-studios for the adjacent classroom to practice in.
In June of 2010, WDGC went online. Listeners can access the stream at WDGC OnLine. This move was made with the help of WDGC alumni Blane Webster and Dave Zarembka. The first DJs to appear on the live stream were the brothers Gustafson.
station equipment.
Although not required to become a student DJ, students may continue their education through Radio classes levels II and III. In Radio II, students learn advanced editing techniques and produce programming for on-air use while creating an audio portfolio. The Radio III course is an independent study class giving students hands-on experience running a station while they produce specialty programming. All three levels of Radio classes are one semester long.
Downers Grove South has started to open their policy to students who have not taken the Radio I course. Downers Grove North has also shown interest in a different policy. Through a possible series of after-school workshops, students could learn the basics of becoming a DJ for WDGC. This would increase the amount of participation of students to DJ for their school's station as well as hopefully increase interest in the actual Radio programs offered at the schools.
David Zarembka, a North High graduate, is also notable for having served as the station's engineer since 1993.
Three people have served as general manager/faculty adviser of the South studios. At the end of the 2009 school year Alison Helms took charge from Stacey William's departure.
High school radio
High school radio within the United States is almost as old as radio broadcasting itself. Simply defined as a radio station, with its studios located at a high school and usually operated by its students with faculty supervision, stations fitting this description existed in the mid-1920s...
station located in Downers Grove, Illinois
Downers Grove, Illinois
Downers Grove is a village in Downers Grove and Lisle Townships, DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 48,724 at the 2000 census, with an official estimated population of 49,250 in 2008.-History:...
.
The station runs commercial-free 24-hours a day and is shared between the Downers Grove North
Downers Grove North
Downers Grove North High School, or DGN, and locally referred to as "North," is a public four year high school located near the corner of Main Street and Ogden Avenue in Downers Grove, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Community High School...
and Downers Grove South
Downers Grove South
Downers Grove South High School, or DGS, is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Dunham Road and 63rd Street in Downers Grove, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Community High School District 99, which also includes Downers Grove...
school studios, with the transmitter
Transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
residing at the North building. It primarily consists of regular scheduled student programming. The station also features newscasts, school news, live local band performances, live sporting events and community interest programming. When student DJs are not on the air, a computer program that plays songs on shuffle, station identifications, and public service announcements can be turned on until the next scheduled DJ takes over.
History
WDGC was founded by Fred Moore in 1965, with its first station having been a janitor's closet and the first transmitter having been built in a shoebox. It was created from a drama club experiment and funded by parental donations.In 1966, it was on the airwaves, but just barely. It was then known as WDGN (most likely for its Downers Grove North roots) and ran on only one watt of power. The WDGN transmission used the PA system to broadcast. The signal was so weak it could only be heard on 600 AM and if a listener placed their radio by a PA speaker. After numerous phone calls to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and two rejected applications to contact the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC), WDGC was granted a construction permit which in turn allowed the station to be broadcast to Downers Grove and other surrounding communities.
In 1968, the station was finally approved and was broadcast with 10 watts of power on 88.3 FM.
In 1972, the station moved from its third floor "studio" to a self contained building north of the school. This building was an unused "portable classroom". It became the home of WDGC, as well as new operations WDGC-TV and Cable 99. The radio station also bought a used transmitter and re-tuned it, bringing the station to 250 watts of power. Four years later it made the final jump to stereo.
In 1981, the station was granted a room to be turned into a classroom/studio at Downers Grove North where it still presently remains.
During the mid80s, many notable musicians worked at the station, including Jim Cooley (Blue Meanies) and Bob DeMaa.
In 1997, the old transmitter was replaced with a new 250 watt transmitter.
In 1998, the station purchased digital Pacific Research and Engineering Airwave consoles for both studios. The cart machines at the North studio were replaced with Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
minidisc
MiniDisc
The disc is permanently housed in a cartridge with a sliding door, similar to the casing of a 3.5" floppy disk. This shutter is opened automatically by a mechanism upon insertion. The audio discs can either be recordable or premastered. Recordable MiniDiscs use a magneto-optical system to record...
systems and a non-linear computer based audio editing
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
program. North teacher John Waite and DGN student Stuart Allard played a major part in building the station's minidisk library.
In 2007, the studio at Downers Grove South was renovated, creating a less cluttered environment in the main studio and adding on two sub-studios for the adjacent classroom to practice in.
In June of 2010, WDGC went online. Listeners can access the stream at WDGC OnLine. This move was made with the help of WDGC alumni Blane Webster and Dave Zarembka. The first DJs to appear on the live stream were the brothers Gustafson.
Radio Classes and student DJ requirements
Radio Classes are open to all North and South students grades 9-12 who have passed Radio I with the grade of a B or higher. In Radio I, students learn the basics of radio programming, history, and performance as well as how to run on-air shows. Students work with a volunteer student DJ who shows them how to master the high school radioHigh school radio
High school radio within the United States is almost as old as radio broadcasting itself. Simply defined as a radio station, with its studios located at a high school and usually operated by its students with faculty supervision, stations fitting this description existed in the mid-1920s...
station equipment.
Although not required to become a student DJ, students may continue their education through Radio classes levels II and III. In Radio II, students learn advanced editing techniques and produce programming for on-air use while creating an audio portfolio. The Radio III course is an independent study class giving students hands-on experience running a station while they produce specialty programming. All three levels of Radio classes are one semester long.
Downers Grove South has started to open their policy to students who have not taken the Radio I course. Downers Grove North has also shown interest in a different policy. Through a possible series of after-school workshops, students could learn the basics of becoming a DJ for WDGC. This would increase the amount of participation of students to DJ for their school's station as well as hopefully increase interest in the actual Radio programs offered at the schools.
List of general managers/faculty advisers
Six people have been general manager/faculty adviser of the Downers Grove North studios, all of whom were at one time or another English teachers at the school.- Fred Moore (1965–1993)
- Laura Frasier (1993–1995)
- Roger Badesch (1995–1996)
- Pam Carter (1996–1998)
- Jennifer Tylk (1998–1999)
- John Waite (1999–present)
David Zarembka, a North High graduate, is also notable for having served as the station's engineer since 1993.
Three people have served as general manager/faculty adviser of the South studios. At the end of the 2009 school year Alison Helms took charge from Stacey William's departure.
- Rick Brickwell (1971–2000)
- Stacey Williams (2000–2009)
- Alison Helms (2009-present)
Communities served
Besides primarily reaching the community of Downers Grove, WDGC has been picked up in the Illinois towns of:- WoodridgeWoodridge, IllinoisWoodridge is a suburb of Chicago, located primarily in DuPage County, Illinois with portions in Will County and Cook County. It uses the 630 and 331 area codes. The population was 30,934 at the 2000 census. A special census commissioned in 2003 put the population at 33,253...
- WestmontWestmont, IllinoisWestmont is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. Westmont is a community of six square miles in area, with a 2007 population of 26,211...
- Oak BrookOak Brook, IllinoisOak Brook is a village in DuPage and Cook Counties, in Illinois. The population was 8,702 at the 2000 census. A suburb of Chicago, it is the headquarters of McDonald's and Lions Clubs International.-History:...
- DarienDarien, IllinoisDarien is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, USA. The population was 22,086 at the 2010 census.A suburb of Chicago, Darien was named after a town in Connecticut.-Popular culture:...
- LisleLisle, IllinoisLisle is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,930 at the 2011 census, and estimated to be 23,135 as of 2008. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Illinois Technology and Research Corridor...
- NapervilleNaperville, IllinoisNaperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
- LombardLombard, IllinoisLombard, "The Lilac Village", is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County, Illinois. The population was 42,322 at the 2000 census. The United States Census Bureau estimated the population in 2004 to be 42,975.-History:...
- HinsdaleHinsdale, IllinoisHinsdale is a suburb of Chicago, Illinois; it is located partly in Cook County and mainly in DuPage County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 17,349 at the 2000 census. The town's ZIP code is 60521. The town has a rolling, wooded topography, with a quaint downtown and is a 30-minute...
- Villa ParkVilla Park, IllinoisVilla Park is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County, Illinois. The population was 22,075 at the 2000 census. A special census in 2003 set the population at 22,517...
- Oakbrook TerraceOakbrook Terrace, IllinoisOakbrook Terrace is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The population was 2,300 at the 2000 census. A 2003 recount gave the city a population of 2,293. Its current mayor is Tony "Red Panda" Ragucci.-Points of interest:...
- Glen EllynGlen Ellyn, IllinoisGlen Ellyn is an affluent village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the village population was 26,999.-Geography:...
- WheatonWheaton, IllinoisWheaton is an affluent community located in DuPage County, Illinois, approximately west of Chicago and Lake Michigan. Wheaton is the county seat of DuPage County...
- BolingbrookBolingbrook, IllinoisBolingbrook is a large village in Will and DuPage Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 US Census, the population is 73,366...