WMHW HD2 station launching on 101.1 FM

WMHW is in the process of transmitting its HD2 station to a regular local broadband station for Mount Pleasant.

Once the station is up and running, WMHW will broadcast from two different stations, each with their own sound and song selections, said Dom Fracassa, station manager of WMHW.

The Carsonville junior said the station will be on 101.1 FM.

“This station will be a little more mellow compared to our other station,” he said. “It will appeal to an older, more mature crowd.”

The station will broadcast in a six-mile radius localized in the Mount Pleasant area only, Fracassa said.

School of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts Chairman Peter Orlik said the station will not be very big when it is started.

“The signal is a hyper-local service, meaning it’s a very small signal,” he said. “It will not interfere with any other station available in this area.”

Orlik said the license for the translator did not cost anything and became available from a leaving broadcast station. WMHW bought some of the equipment from the departing station to make it easier to begin broadcasting.

The used equipment package cost about $5,000, Orlik said.

“Several commercial HD stations are getting translators to move to regular broadband until more people have HD radios,” he said. “We’re just following what most progressive programs are doing today.”

Broad, diverse play

WMHW broadcasts on broadband radio on 91.5 FM, a modern rock channel, along with two HD channels. HD1 plays the same music from 91.5 FM and the new station, 101.1 FM, will play music from the HD2 channel.

“It’s not a new station, but it’s an existing service that we found a way to get into the regular broadband area,” Orlik said. “Not many people have HD radio in order to hear it.”

Fracassa said 101.1 FM will play music from a Triple-A format known as adult album alternative.

The station will have a broader, diverse play list that appeals to more adults than teenagers.

“We looked at all Mount Pleasant stations and decided which hole needed to be filled and what form hadn’t yet been utilized,” Fracassa said.

Orlik said he does not know when the station will be ready to broadcast. The time it takes will depend upon the schedule of the engineers provided by the Division of Public Broadcasting, he said, though they are planning on getting an antenna sometime next week.

The process and application of transmitting an HD station to a translator for a local broadband station will give broadcasting students a chance to learn a skill that will help them with their future career, Orlik said.

“We are training our students in cutting-edge operations,” he said.