Radio station's future up in the air

COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (WANE) - WJHS 91.5 The Eagle at Columbia City High School is a critically acclaimed all student adult alternative radio station in Northeast Indiana, and despite its success it could fall victim to the school district's budget cuts.

Whitley County Consolidated Schools is facing a $1 million budget shortfall thanks to a loss in property tax revenue and Governor Mitch Daniels' cuts to public education. Superintendent Pat O'Connor is trying to keep the cuts as far away from the classroom as possible. Part of the plan is to reduce the radio and television instructors hours to part-time because of low enrollment in those classes.

Kristi Walker-Zoltek is the general manager of "The Eagle," and she's also the radio and television instructor. Five years ago she took control of the radio station. At the time the all student radio station did not have any students on air. Today students voices can be heard across the airwaves day and night.

Zoltek said if her hours are reduced she will have to get another part-time job, which will cut into the time she spends managing the radio station. Zoltek is responsible for scheduling, underwriting, and programming. She works 20 extra hours per week to meet the needs of the station.

"I'm here at 6, 9, 10, 11 o'clock at night, I can't afford to do that on a part time basis," said Kristi Walker-Zoltek, Columbia City High School radio and television instructor.

CCHS Alum Laurie Walls is the station's part time operations manager. Students are paid minimum wage by the school district to work after hours.

As the head of the radio and television program at CCHS, Zoltek has gotten dozens of students involved with "The Eagle."

"It really scares me that those kids are going to lose that chance," said Zoltek.

Senior Taylor Richison is a play-by-play announcer for high school sporting events. He also hosts his own sports radio show on the station. Richison will use his experiences to pursue a career as a lawyer.

Sophomore Andrew Case hosts a show and helps with the station's scheduling.

"There's some serious stuff going on that you might not see in other radio stations that are running on 150 watts," said Andrew Case, Columbia City High School Sophomore.

A columnist from the Atlanta Journal Constitution called "The Eagle" one of the world's best radio stations you can hear on the internet. The station has a following that stretches from Chicago to Phoenix. It was Indiana's first high school station to broadcast live on the internet. Richison and Case said it's a rare opportunity to get to work for a station with such a strong reputation.

"We were actually ranked the second best station in Indiana, and there's no other high school station that does that," said Taylor Richison, Columbia City High School Senior.

"I love knowing that we've got a pretty big listener base, so there's always gonna be somebody that hears what's going on. I love the fact that it's very, very similar to a commercial station," added Case.

Zoltek and her students are doubtful the station can stay on the air if Zoltek is reduced to part-time hours. Zoltek, a mother of four, recalled a comment a former student made to her about the impact the program had on him.

"One of the kids said he's serving in the armed forces now and the videos he sends home to his mom and dad are priceless. It wasn't that he learned all this other technical stuff, but he learned to make videos that his mom and dad really appreciate," said Zoltek.

Superintendent Pat O'Connor believes the radio station can still exist with Zoltek on a part-time schedule. The Whitley County Consolidated Schools Board of Trustees will vote on the reduction Monday, May 17.

WJHS 91.5 The Eagle broadcasts adult alternative music 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "The Eagle" is broadcasting at 2,650 watts, and on a clear day it can be heard in Peru, Indiana. The station also broadcasts Columbia City High School sporting events.