WNUR To Broadcast From Louis Hall After 57 Years In Swift Hall

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By: Akhila Kolisetty

Posted: 3/28/07

By Akhila Kolisetty

The Daily Northwestern

After 57 years in Annie May Swift Hall, Northwestern's student-run radio station, WNUR, will begin airing from its new studios in John J. Louis Hall today at 2 p.m.

WNUR's relocation is the result of construction at Annie May Swift, which was built in 1895.

Although WNUR paid a small portion of the costs, most of the funding for the construction of the new studios and its high-tech equipment came from the university, said Medill senior Anthony Walters, general manager of WNUR.

"Louis Hall was the obvious choice because it also houses facilities for the School of Communication and the (Radio, Television, and Film) department," Walters said. "We are very happy we made this decision."

Communication junior Jennie Keohane, public affairs director for WNUR, said the new location would make for "an awesome opportunity for better broadcasting."

The new facilities offer many improvements over the radio station's old studios, Walters said.

"The production studios, where the (live) bands play, used to be about 15 by 12 feet in Annie May Swift," Walters said. "But the new studios are about eight or nine times the size of the old ones. ... This is all state-of-the-art equipment and it's very, very cool,"

The radio station also will be improving much of its equipment, said Peter Debelak, WNUR's rock music director.

"We're getting new computers and more microphones," said Debelak, a Music senior. "There's also a new digital board to improve digital transmitting."

There are a few minor drawbacks to the new facilities, Walters said.

In Annie May Swift Hall, WNUR had its own conference room, but in the new studios, the conference room is shared with other groups, Walters said.

"The one thing I don't like is that the new studios are not a separate part of Louis Hall, but (are) too integrated with the rest of the building," Debelak said. "But overall it is a much nicer building."

Reach Akhila Kolisetty at a-kolisetty@northwestern.edu. © Copyright 2007 The Daily Northwestern

[ghost of miles]

A friend of mine used to DJ at WNUR before moving down here & spinning discs for community radio station WFHB. WNUR has a good rep around these parts; glad to hear they've got new studio space.

[alocispepraluger102]

A friend of mine used to DJ at WNUR before moving down here & spinning discs for community radio station WFHB. WNUR has a good rep around these parts; glad to hear they've got new studio space.

i sincerely hope the considerable funds the wonderfully endowed university contributed will not lead to more university(corporate) involvement. it's fine the way it is, even the frequent roughness around the edges.