Sept. 11, 2014
For Immediate Release
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The ceremonial switch was pulled to turn on the new WLCU 88.7 The Tiger radio programming. From left: Paul Osbourne, former mayor of the city of Campbellsville and a Board of Trustee member; Jeanie Clark, general manager of WLCU; Ellie McKinley, mass communication student; Dr. Michael V. Carter, president of CU; and Bill Goodman, KET television host and adjunct professor. (Campbellsville University Photo by Jilly Benningfield)
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By Drew Tucker, communications assistant
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Campbellsville University’s WLCU broadcast service has relaunched its FM radio station as “88.7 The Tiger.” The special ceremony took place recently at CU’s Tigerville Grille.
“Welcome to the growling grand reopening for WLCU-FM and WLCU Television,” Dr. Keith Spears, vice president for graduate and professional studies, said.
He said WLCU was broadcasting live on the air and asked the crowd for a tiger roar in honor of the two broadcast stations. “As we prepare to put the stations back on the air, we’re giving the radio station a new identity,” he said.
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Dr. Keith Spears, vice president for Graduate and
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Dr. Michael V. Carter, president of CU, read from Titus 2:7-7: “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.”
“That’s what this mass communication program is all about,” he said, “and it makes me very proud that we’re able to stand on God’s word and see this lived out as we create graduates who go into the world as servant leaders for Christ.”
Jeannie Clark, general manager of WLCU, said that on May 22, a severe storm ran through the area.
“All of broadcast services, including the radio and television stations, were affected. There was severe catastrophic damage.” she said.
“Thankfully, we have a lot of people here at Campbellsville University who stepped in and stepped up and helped us get on the air very quickly.”
Dr. John Chowning, vice president of church and external relations, executive assistant to the president, who serves as host of Dialogue on Public Issues on WLCU, said it was due to the vision of Al Hardy, Virginia Flanagan and others who were involved in early broadcasting efforts that CU now has a very fine television and radio station.
“We are becoming leaders in news and public affairs programs,” Chowning said about CU having two Federal Communications Commission licensed stations.
Ellie McKinley, a senior from Campbellsville who has served as TV co-host of the Derby Rose Gala and mass communication student, said as a student getting ready to graduate, it can be intimidating speaking to employers and filling out job applications when you have no job experience.
“Unlike other universities, Campbellsville University gives you the opportunities you need to succeed in your future — especially in the Mass Communications Department, the radio station and the Derby Rose Gala — to be able to see the skills you learned in the classroom and apply them in real life situations,” she said.
WLCU not only serves as a positive and encouraging radio station throughout the area and CU’s campus, “but it also gives students the opportunity to use their talents [where they’ll be] able to go use them in the future,” she said.
Carter said during his first year at CU in 1999, Dr. Frank Cheatham, senior vice president for academic affairs, and Al Hardy said in a meeting, “Some day we have to see our broadcast services program take a jump. We’ve got so much more that can be done for the type of educational experience we want to provide for our students. I have never forgotten that meeting.”
Chowning said the key for WLCU is to not just provide quality programming, but to also, more importantly, to give the opportunity for students to have hands-on experience.
“I think that aspect of experience that students are gaining will [make them] be second-to-none in the state of Kentucky,” he said.
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| Covering the unveiling of 88.7 The Tiger is Cortni Cruse, mass communication student. (Campbellsville University Photo by Rachel DeCoursey) |
“I’m really appreciative of the faculty because they really do invest in students, and I feel like I’ve truly been invested here,” McKinley said. “Thank you for the opportunities you’ve blessed me with and for the rest of the students who will continue to study here.”
From finding an antenna in Georgia to broadcasting live to partnering Commonwealth Broadcasting and Shoreline Communications, Carter said it’s been a long and arduous process, and recognized Hardy for his contributions to CU’s broadcast services.
“There is no doubt that being able to actually be involved in live broadcasting makes a difference, and I am so pleased that we are able to provide this laboratory for our students. Not only is it a laboratory but it provides that opportunity for us to hear about Tiger and Lady Tiger sports; it’s that opportunity for us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to various church and congregations and chapel programs,” he said.
Dr. John Hurtgen, dean of the School of Theology and producer for CU Grow, a Sunday morning program, thanked God for “creating many things that cannot be seen.”
“Some of these things we recognize as radio waves,” he said, “and Father, for those things we cannot see, we give you thanks.”
Clark gave recognition to the following: Office of Physical Plant Services, Office of Information Technology, Office of University Communications, Office of Business Services, Office of Athletics, Mass Communication faculty, Office of Development, Rob Collins and Commonwealth Broadcasting, Mike Graham and WLCU summer interns and staff.
Clark recognized the student board of directors for WLCU: Hannah Sadler of Campbellsville, Ky.; David Buie of Somerset, Ky.; Lindsey Young of Mt. Washington, Ky.; Katelyn Chalk of Frankfort, Ky.; Cortni Cruse of Lexington, Ala.; and Aletheia Chesnut of Winchester, Ky.
Otto Tennant, vice president for finance and administration, Paul Osborne, a member of the CU Board of Trustees and former mayor of the city of Campbellsville, and the CU’s building and grounds teams were recognized for their contributions on creating the Tigerville Grille.
WLCU’s 88.7 The Tiger can be found on 88.7 FM in Campbellsville, and WLCU television can be found on channels 10 and 22 on local Comcast channels.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,600 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master’s degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.