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October 15, 2009
Radio station WOVV is the voice of Ocracoke village By PAT GARBER  Reception from radio stations on the mainland or from up the beach at Nags Head was spotty at best, fading in or out or filled with static. Besides that, news and weather reports from off-island did not represent life on Ocracoke, and the function of radio as a source of reliable emergency information for ordinary folk was non-existent. He set out to change that. Now the island will have its own radio station – WOVV, Ocracoke Village’s Voice. Ocracoke has had a few, not exactly legal radio broadcasts in the past -- what Robert called “pirate” stations. He and some other Ocracokers became interested in something more sophisticated and permanent. Robert had worked at his college radio station, but otherwise he knew very little about producing a radio station. "It’s 100-year-old old technology," he said. "Not a great deal of mystery to it," so he felt confident that it could be done. He had learned something about low-power stations from a friend when living in Kansas City, and he thought that, were Ocracoke to have radio, this might be the best route to try. Low-power stations are not as competent as high-power stations and tend to get bullied around by them, he said, but getting a license for a high-power station was next to impossible. It was, that is, until October of 2007, when a full-power application window opened for non-commercial educational radio stations to apply for an FCC license -- the first such window in 10 years and, according to Robert, possibly the last. Robert, along with several other interested Ocracokers, jumped at the chance. In order to apply, it was necessary to have a not-for-profit organization as a sponsor. After speaking to several local non-profits, the group came to an agreement with the newly formed Ocracoke Foundation. Calling themselves the Ocracoke Community Radio Project (OCRP), they formed a board and developed a mission statement -- "to provide the village of Ocracoke Island with a means to educate and inform the community and its visitors about the use, value, and preservation of Ocracoke’s resources and history. A radio station will also provide up-to-date emergency management during weather related emergencies." The board, which consisted of members Charles Temple, Robert Raborn, Clayton Gaskill, Jen Price, and Debbie Wells (later joined by Jim Borland, Mandy Cochran, Jenny Scarborough, and Bill Cole), then submitted an application to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. From the 3,600 applications submitted, the requesters had, by March of 2008, been narrowed down to a group of 250. Ocracoke was among them. Enthusiastically, OCRP began working to raise money. There was a music concert at the Community Store Square and a silent auction and pig-picking at the Community Center. In December of 2008 the Outer Banks Community Foundation provided a huge boost by awarding the Ocracoke group $9,750 to construct and equip a radio studio. Jenny Scarborough organized a woman’s arm-wrestling contest in June of 2009, which was a big success. Greg Honeycutt has focused on reaching out to individuals to provide funding to help with the project. On Sept. 17, Ocracoke’s budding radio station was awarded $67,098 under the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program to construct a full-power broadcast station. The matching grant required by OCRP is $22,367. A grant-match committee -- consisting of Greg Honeycutt, Jenny Scarborough, and Robert Raborn -- has begun a fund-raising campaign with a goal of raising the money by year’s end. What Robert called a "money bomb" was held Sept. 30, during which requests for donations were sent out via the Internet and Facebook, raising $2,000 in one day. Future fund-raisers include a "Yes We Can-can" burlesque show, organized by Jenny Scarborough and scheduled for November. WOVV is already broadcasting via the Internet and can be heard and read about at www.WOVV.org. Ocracoke teacher Charles Temple brought his freshman communications class to the studio in the spring, and they recorded and produced underwriting spots, thus enjoying a great learning opportunity while also helping to set the station’s internet program up. The station, produced entirely by volunteers, will be a 650 ERP (Ejected Radiated Power) station located at 90.1 on the radio dial. The transmitter will be at the county tower behind the Firehouse. Robert said that the group hopes that the station will project not only to all areas of Ocracoke but also to the ferry terminals at Hatteras, Swan Quarter, and Cedar Island, to accommodate emergency weather conditions and evacuation plans. It will, according to a "memorandum of understanding” between the Ocracoke Foundation and OCRP, provide educational opportunities for students, promote island arts and music, educate visitors to the island about Ocracoke’s history and resources, facilitate civic engagement, promote tourism activities and events, provide a forum for local communication, and provide up-to-date emergency management information. Music selections will be made by the volunteer broadcasters. OCRP members project that the station will be on the air and available on radio by early spring, so get your listening ears ready. It will be, according to Clayton Gaskill, "a channel for Ocracokers by Ocracokers to have a forum that pulls the community together and reaches out to visitors." Jenny Scarborough adds that she "hopes people will start thinking of WOVV as a tool for them to connect with the community." She hopes everyone will participate. If you want to make a donation, contact Greg Honeycutt at (252) 207-1305, or greg@oceanatlanticrentals.com . If you want to get involved in the production part of the station, contact Robert at (252) 945-0310. |
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