WDSO
Encyclopedia
WDSO is a radio station
located at Chesterton High School, in Chesterton, Indiana
. The transmitter is located at Chesterton Middle School . WDSO is a non-profit high school station. All of the disc jockey
s are high school students, ranging from freshmen to seniors. To be a part of the radio station, students must take the semester long Introduction to Radio/Video class . To become a DJ, the student must complete a series of Learn/Test tasks.
to Led Zeppelin
to the Foo Fighters
. WDSO also broadcast most Chesterton High School Basketball, Football, and Baseball games.
1977-1978 Martha Scheimann
1978-1979 Jon Meyers
1979-1980 Lori Stipp
1980-1981 Rob Reynolds
1981-1982 Al Owens
1982-1983 Mike Bucy
1983-1984 Patty Byrnes
1984-1985 Terry Dougherty
1985-1986 Terry Dougherty
1986-1987 Brent Barber
1987-1988 Jason Howe
1988-1989 Jason Castaldi
1989-1990 Doug Richter
1990-1991 Daryl Anderson
1991-1992 Diana Eagen
1992-1993 Vacant (Jef Morris?)
1993-1994 Mike Williams
1994-1995 Eric Morris
1995-1996 Kat Cichocki
1996-1997 Aaron Kerstiens
1997-1998 Jerame Simpson
1998-1999 Miranda Luttell
1999-2000 Vacant
2000-2001 Matt Waters
2001-2002 Danny Nicoletto
2002-2003 Vacant
2003-2004 Mitch Brown
2004-2005 Vacant
2005-2006 Dan Watt
2006-2007 Justin Martinson
2007-2008 Mike Neath
2008-2009 Bob Johnson
2009-2010 Nate Waltz
2010-2011 Tyler Devitte
2011-2012 Austin Martinson
station includes the main broadcast studio, three production studios as well as an Engineering room and Music Library which also contains WDSO’s Archives. Included in the area is a TV production studio and control room. The WDSO transmitter remains at the old high school building (now Chesterton Middle School). WDSO became one of the first radio stations to utilize fiber optic cable to transport the radio signal over a mile-and-a-half (2.4km) from the studio to the transmitter.
WDSO celebrated its 25th year of broadcasting with a Reunion/Celebration on November 17, 2001. Over 100 former and current students attended. The evening included a short program in the CHS Auditorium, refreshments and tours of the new WDSO facilities.
On February 19, 2002, WDSO was honored at the Indiana General Assembly in Indianapolis. House Resolution 38 recognized WDSO for its 25 years of broadcasting. Author of the Resolution was State Representative Ralph Ayres from Chesterton also a Social Studies teacher at Chesterton High School. State Representatives Duane Cheney from Portage and Charlie Brown from Gary were also sponsors of the bill. All three legislators represent the Duneland School area. In the Senate, sponsors of the bill were Senators Rose Ann Antich from Merrillville and Bill Alexa from Valparaiso.
March 2004 marked the start of WDSO broadcasting on the internet. In 2005 WDSO obtained their new Station Manager/Instructor; former WDSO student Matthew Waters helps current students run the station along with Operations Manager Michele Stipanovich. In the fall of 2006 WDSO celebrated 30 years on the air.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
located at Chesterton High School, in Chesterton, Indiana
Chesterton, Indiana
Chesterton is a town in Westchester, Jackson and Liberty townships, Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 13,068 at the 2010 census. The three towns of Chesterton, Burns Harbor, and Porter are known as the tri-towns or the Duneland area....
. The transmitter is located at Chesterton Middle School . WDSO is a non-profit high school station. All of the disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s are high school students, ranging from freshmen to seniors. To be a part of the radio station, students must take the semester long Introduction to Radio/Video class . To become a DJ, the student must complete a series of Learn/Test tasks.
Format
WDSO's music format is variety. Ranging from The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
to Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
to the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
. WDSO also broadcast most Chesterton High School Basketball, Football, and Baseball games.
Full-time staff
WDSO has two full-time staff members:- Station Manager and Teacher- Matthew Waters
- Operations Manager- Michele Stipanovich
Student staff
Every year the student staff changes at the end of the third nine weeks of the school year. The current WDSO staff includes:- Program Director - Austin Martinson (Sr.)
- Music Directors - Jackie Santos(Jr.) & Jake Deiotte (Sr.)
- News Director - Billy Atherton (Jr.)
- Training Director - David Ortiz (Sr.)
- PSA Director - Hunter Huddleston (Sr.)
- Promotions Directors - Patrick Menn (Jr.) & Brandon Kovakas (Jr.)
- Sports Director - Nick Borcyzh (Sr.)
Previous Program Directors
1976-1977 Rick Valpatic1977-1978 Martha Scheimann
1978-1979 Jon Meyers
1979-1980 Lori Stipp
1980-1981 Rob Reynolds
1981-1982 Al Owens
1982-1983 Mike Bucy
1983-1984 Patty Byrnes
1984-1985 Terry Dougherty
1985-1986 Terry Dougherty
1986-1987 Brent Barber
1987-1988 Jason Howe
1988-1989 Jason Castaldi
1989-1990 Doug Richter
1990-1991 Daryl Anderson
1991-1992 Diana Eagen
1992-1993 Vacant (Jef Morris?)
1993-1994 Mike Williams
1994-1995 Eric Morris
1995-1996 Kat Cichocki
1996-1997 Aaron Kerstiens
1997-1998 Jerame Simpson
1998-1999 Miranda Luttell
1999-2000 Vacant
2000-2001 Matt Waters
2001-2002 Danny Nicoletto
2002-2003 Vacant
2003-2004 Mitch Brown
2004-2005 Vacant
2005-2006 Dan Watt
2006-2007 Justin Martinson
2007-2008 Mike Neath
2008-2009 Bob Johnson
2009-2010 Nate Waltz
2010-2011 Tyler Devitte
2011-2012 Austin Martinson
After School Show Schedule
The 2010 School Year after school schedule:| Time | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3:00 - 4:00 | David Ortiz | Jake Deiotte | Austin Martinson | Patrick Menn | Brandon Kavakous |
| 4:00 - 5:00 | Vacant | Jake Deiotte | Jackie Santos | Porter County Perspective | Billy Atherton |
Station managers
- Jim Cavallo : 1976 - 1984
- Stephen Walker : 1985 - 1986
- Lenny Dessauer : 1986 - 1989
- Brent Barber : 1989 - 2005
- Matthew Waters : 2005 - Present
History
During the summer of 2000, WDSO moved to new facilities at the new Chesterton High School. The new 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 includes the main broadcast studio, three production studios as well as an Engineering room and Music Library which also contains WDSO’s Archives. Included in the area is a TV production studio and control room. The WDSO transmitter remains at the old high school building (now Chesterton Middle School). WDSO became one of the first radio stations to utilize fiber optic cable to transport the radio signal over a mile-and-a-half (2.4km) from the studio to the transmitter.
WDSO celebrated its 25th year of broadcasting with a Reunion/Celebration on November 17, 2001. Over 100 former and current students attended. The evening included a short program in the CHS Auditorium, refreshments and tours of the new WDSO facilities.
On February 19, 2002, WDSO was honored at the Indiana General Assembly in Indianapolis. House Resolution 38 recognized WDSO for its 25 years of broadcasting. Author of the Resolution was State Representative Ralph Ayres from Chesterton also a Social Studies teacher at Chesterton High School. State Representatives Duane Cheney from Portage and Charlie Brown from Gary were also sponsors of the bill. All three legislators represent the Duneland School area. In the Senate, sponsors of the bill were Senators Rose Ann Antich from Merrillville and Bill Alexa from Valparaiso.
March 2004 marked the start of WDSO broadcasting on the internet. In 2005 WDSO obtained their new Station Manager/Instructor; former WDSO student Matthew Waters helps current students run the station along with Operations Manager Michele Stipanovich. In the fall of 2006 WDSO celebrated 30 years on the air.