LAKE WYLIE'S WYLI-LP

New technology puts oldies station on air

Don't look for any morning DJs at WYLI-LP, Lake Wylie's oldies radio station. You won't find any silly contests or giggling talk show hosts during rush hour. And you might be surprised at just how empty and deserted the station's office at the Lake Wylie Marina looks.

What you will find at WYLI is an untraditional approach to radio -- everything is done through computers and the Internet -- that just happens to be steeped in community and tradition.

"We're a low power station trying to take radio back to its roots," says news director Joe Bargar, who volunteered his services after John Dolive, president and general manager, applied for a license to operate the radio station in 2001. WYLI went on the air in April 2004.

The Federal Communications Commission established low power radio, intended for smaller audiences and communities, in 2000. WYLI, a nonprofit station, relies on donations to cover operating costs, says Bargar.

Although Bargar and Dolive didn't know each other when the FCC made its decision, both believed Lake Wylie would be a good place for a radio station. Dolive felt residents had something in common -- the lake. "The lake is a big backyard," Dolive says.

The untraditional part of this community radio station is how it operates. Dolive moved to Virginia in October to work as director of engineering at a television station there, but continues to feed Lake Wylie radio news and announcements via the Internet.

Bargar prerecords three to four minute newscasts from an office in his Mecklenburg County garage and e-mails them to Dolive, who schedules them to run eight times a day. And over at the Lake Wylie Marina, the only outward sign that a radio station exists is the antenna that thrusts 42 feet into the sky. Inside the WYLI office, a small and sparse room on the second floor of the marina is a transmitter more than 6 feet tall, a couple of chairs and a computer on a bare desk.

"This is the heart of the station," Bargar said recently on one of his rare visits to the office, gesturing toward the transmitter and computer. "We're getting the most out of a little bit of stuff. I don't know if anybody else does it."

Bargar, who has a broadcasting degree, but has worked primarily in the transit industry, keeps his eyes and ears open for Lake Wylie news. He spends about 20 hours a week gathering news, writing stories and recording them before e-mailing them to Dolive.

"Broadcasting has always been in my blood," says Bargar, who describes himself as semiretired. "It's just fun, a hobby. I love it. I'm just doing it because I'm back in radio."

Bargar worked as a morning DJ early in his career and most recently as a camera operator and studio technician at a television station in Charlotte. He covers a variety of stories, including elections, school news and traffic accidents. He also records the weekly sermons at Lake Wylie Baptist Church, which are broadcast the following Sunday on WYLI.

When there is breaking news, Bargar and Dolive interrupt regular programming, often reporting the story ahead of larger media. Once, on a trip to the grocery store in 2005, Bargar saw six or seven police cars, blue lights flashing, at a nearby bank. When he learned a bank robbery had taken place, he was able to get the news on WYLI before it was reported elsewhere.

Dolive is responsible for the weather and announcements about water levels and boating on Lake Wylie, and of course there is the music. Dolive chooses the songs, playing mostly oldies on the FM station that operates on 93.7 mhz.

But the station offers a wide variety of music. Carly Simon tunes and music like hers will most likely drift across the airways during daylight hours, but jazz is featured in the evening, followed by big band music at 10. Weekends are reserved for beach music, including inspirational music on Sunday. Dolive schedules it all from his home in Norfolk, Va.

But there are some disadvantages to a low power radio station with a power of 100 watts, especially since the Lake Wylie Marina is located on low ground.

"Whether the trees are wet or not makes a difference," says Dolive. He says the leaves get more matted and thicker when they're wet and sort of create a thicker barrier to reception. Seasons also interfere, making reception better in the fall and winter when the leaves are gone.

While the station can be heard in Lake Wylie, Tega Cay, Steele Creek and in some parts of Belmont, N.C., Dolive and Bargar are working to increase the listening distance and to reduce interference from larger stations.

At one point they'd hoped to move the station to higher ground in Lake Wylie, says Bargar. The move would have boosted the antenna 100 feet into the air, more than twice the current height. The FCC rejected the proposal because the new location would have been too close to a site for another radio station that already had a permit.

Another option to boost the listening range is to change the frequency from 93.7 to 93.9, which is under consideration by the FCC. "The FCC has been cooperating as best they can without breaking their own rules," says Dolive.

Sometimes managing the station is more time consuming than he thought it would be, says Dolive, but the rewards come from the listeners.

"Anytime I hear feedback from people, it is gratifying," says Dolive. "It's the only compensation or recognition we receive."

If you'd like to know more, log on to www.lakeradio.org