USI’s radio station, The Edge, goes digital

USI’s radio station, The Edge, will be showcasing a crisper and cleaner sound from now on as new technology has allowed the station to go digital.

It was announced during a news conference Monday that 820 The Edge would become a digital station and 90.7 FM HD2 is the new signal.

“This is truly an exciting day. For the station, for me, for the students coming through the station,” said John Morris, general manager and advisor to The Edge.

USI President Linda Bennett pressed the button to switch the radio to HD and announced the digital advancement on air.

The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation’s (EVSC) station WPSR and The Edge wanted to strengthen their relationship, and WPSR  made the HD2 signal available to USI.

High school students in EVSC’s  radio broadcasting program can also earn college credit for their work.

While Morris said the sound quality  has improved, Mike Reininga of the Tri-State Career and Technical Center representing EVSC said The Edge’s signal will only get better.

“To go from AM radio to CD quality is an amazing difference,” Morris said.

A live sample of music on AM versus HD2 at the news conference displayed an obvious difference with HD2 having a clearer, more defined sound.

With the Radiolicious cell phone application, students can listen to the new digital Edge outside of  the Tri-State area on their cells.

As far as costs go, Morris said that initial costs, like converters, would be about $3,000.

There will also be a continuing cost with WPSR at $1,500 total, with $1,000 going toward the license and the other $500 going towards music licensing and maintenance.

Program Director Andrew Bolin, the person Morris said is responsible for the sound of the radio station, spoke.

“It is a great honor to be a part of the expansion of our signal,” Bolin said.

Bennett and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts David Glassman both received HD radios during the news conference.

The Edge will also be giving a few HD radios away on the air.

Morris and Reininga said they had bounced the idea of a digital station off the walls from the beginning, but there were technical limitations and they wanted to do it right.

“HD has added a lot. It’s the future of radio,” Reininga said.

The Edge, also known as WSWI, was given a frequency by South Central Communications in 1981 and has been on air for 29 years. WSWI began as a classic and jazz station, but has since transitioned to alternative rock.

It took to the air as 820 The Edge, Southern Indiana’s Alternative, in 2006. The station now plays alternative rock music along with news, sports and a play-by-play of USI athletic events.

It is student run with the guidance of an advisor.

Unlike many other college stations, Morris said The Edge is funded by the College of Liberal Arts. The university has always helped the radio station out, Morris said, by allowing The Edge to “stay on the cutting edge.”

According to Morris, the management staff is paid and everything is run like a professional studio. They’ve won awards to prove it, like Radio School of the Year by the Indiana Association of School Broadcasters (IASB) at its 2009 College Radio Competition.