WYBC board members defend format change

Since the WYBC Executive Board's Mon., Dec. 15, announcement of sweeping program changes, many of the 45 student DJs affected by the changes have made their opposition heard across campus. But in the face of widespread criticism, WYBC executive board members contend that opponents of the changes made to the station have misinterpreted the station's decisions.

"The Frequency music of the past five years, an alternative and new rock format, had little structure, no consistency, no play list, and really did not cater to Yale listeners," program director Emad Abdelnaby, DC '99, said. "We had to come up with a way to make our format more professional, and after several months we came up with [contemporary hits radio or CHR]."

For a few days in December, the station tested out CHR, which is urban, dance, and popular music, and then decided to adopt the format for the 9 p.m. to midnight timeslot. WYBC executive board members claim that the change in format will be in better accordance with the station's mission statement, which assures that the station maintain a link between Yale and the outlying city and training members in a professional manner. "[The switch was] not for financial reasons or because of ratings, but to broaden our listening audience," program manager Ephram Lustgarten, PC '00, said.

Station managers believe that the changes make the station more appealing to Yale students. "Before people outside the station jump to conclusions, I wish that they would listen to what we are now playing because I think that this is what they will want to listen to at night," WYBC General Manager Mike Corwin, SM '99, said. "Previously, we never had a solid Yale listenership, but we think that now we may attract a steady audience." According to Abdelnaby, the station will "be heavier on the phones" and have more contests, ticket giveaways, skits, and entertainment news.

While the station's 45 Frequency DJs are not allowed on the air until they retrain, Abdelnaby said that they are encouraged to do so, and two new students will begin training this coming week. "No one's membership has been cut," he said. "We couldn't just eliminate 40 people for no reason."

What remains to be seen is whether many of the station's disgruntled DJs will go along with the new format. Former Frequency DJ Rajeev Muttreja, SM '00, said that he would not return to the station. "The way that we would be retrained would mean that we would lose all musical freedom, because we would have to play from preselected pieces," he said. "One reason I even joined WYBC to begin with was because I love music and I have always loved introducing my listeners to new music. Cutting the DJs deprives students of the opportunity to go on the air and learn about radio directly. It defeats the entire purpose of the station's existence."

According to DJ Justin Milner, SM '99, "Whether or not the Frequency programming attracted a large audience, because it is a college station, they deserved a chance to be on the air." Milner, who has been training as a DJ for approximately a year and a half, holds a hip-hop show on WYBC that was not cancelled, though it was moved to what Milner called a "more inconvenient" time. "A college station is about rookies getting on the air because of their interest in broadcasting," he said.

In the meantime disgruntled DJs have organized a petition urging students to boycott WYBC, which will be given to Dean of Student Affairs Betty Trachtenberg. Muttreja predicted that if the petition garners enough support, the program changes could be reversed. Frequency DJs have also put up posters around campus, notified alumni, and contacted press outlets such as The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and the New Haven Advocate.

In addition, many of the displaced DJs are attempting to impeach Abdelnaby, contending that he unlawfully made the changes without consulting the DJs at a general board meeting. Lucas Oppenheim, BK '00, a former Frequency member who has been displaced by the station's reorganization, said that the DJs will also charge Abdelnaby with lying at a board meeting, during which he had claimed that he would not be making any format changes.

"The behavior of WYBC violates the undergraduate regulations, particularly by alienating student listeners. Undermining student involvement and taking the station out of the hands of the student body is the worse offense a collegiate organization can make," Oppenheim argued. "Instead of trying to compete with other urban stations, WYBC needs to understand its role as a college station."

Sites related to this article
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• WYBC's website, no longer on Yale's server
• The New York Times
• Rolling Stone

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