Springfield News-Sun from Springfield, Ohio • 15

SECTION SPRINGFIELD NEWS-SUN, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2004 TRAGEDY Girl dies from binge drinking See Page 4B To reach the Springfield News-Sun City Desk, call 328-0376 DEAR By KELLY BAKER News-Sun Staff Writer If you live within 15 miles of downtown Springfield, WUSO radio says to The Wittenberg University radio station, WUSO, 89.1 FM, has a new radio tower and can now beam its signal over all of Springfield and most of the county. Before November, the student-run radio station had a 10-watt signal and could only reach the main campus area. very excited about said Mike Scott, program director. gives us an opportunity to expand our programming. A year from now I see us being involved in more than just the Witt Tiger fans can be excited too.

The new signal will allow Wittenberg fans to hear Tiger sports anywhere in the city. The station will be able to do live remotes and pre-sports shows, Scott said. WUSO began broadcasting Tiger sports in December after WULM (AM 1600) ended its relationship with the university in November 2003. happy to have a radio station with such a powerful signal on campus that allows us to bring Wittenberg sporting events to the local said Garnett Purnell, director of athletics and recreation. also great to be able to work with Wittenberg students to make these broadcasts Sports are a big draw, but WUSO has always meant music, Scott said.

Like most college radio stations The Berg features progressive underground music, but the station also plays a variety of hip hop and classic rock, Scott said. About 70 volunteer disc jockeys run the show. going to hear a lot of different personalities on the Scott said. DJs are not limited to one genre or a specific way of being on the The station is hoping local businesses will offer to underwrite some of the programs. The revenue would help the station with future upgrades, Scott said.

The station is preparing to install a new computer that will allow for more customized music programming. Now, the station is funded by the student activities fund. Scott, a political science major, said the new signal offers more than just expanded programming. will give students an idea of what like to work at a real radio said Scott, who is expected to become the general manager of the station next year when he begins his senior year. like to see maybe a (broadcasting) major at the university.

We have a newspaper, a campus TV station and the radio The upgrade was sparked by an 1997 Federal Communications Commission ruling that required small stations to upgrade from class to class A licenses. The station was given a construction permit for the new transmitter in April of last year, but a dispute with another local station over broadcast area rights delayed the installation. The new tower was finally installed this month on Tower Hall. Reach Kelly Baker at EACHING UT McClam MICHAEL SCOTT, program director at WUSO, says the Wittenberg University radio station now can be heard anywhere within a 15-mile radius of downtown Springfield. Radio tower allows Witt station to broadcast to most of the county McClam STUDENT VOLUNTEERS are the disc jockeys for WOSU, which plays hip-hop, progressive underground music and classic rock, as well as airing Wittenberg sports.

Station officials hope to expand their programming. At right, a row of compact discs sit on a shelf in the office. MICHAEL COOPER News-Sun Staff Writer Most people spend the day after Thanksgiving by beginning the Christmas shopping season. Some people, however, have other ideas. Choosing and cutting your own Christmas tree is a tradition in some families, allowing them to begin the holidays with a tree fresh from the farm.

Local Christmas tree vendors include Liberty Pines and Christmas tree farms. Tim Meenach of Centerville and his daughter, Kelsey Meenach, 6, traveled to on Friday to cut their own Christmas tree. Meenach carried his daughter around the tree farm by sled. Meenach started coming to to purchase a Christmas tree last year and is hoping to continue the tradition every year. He also takes his daughter to the Jersey Dairy for ice cream.

been buying real Christmas Meenach said. thought it would be fun to bring her Meenach likes buying his tree the day after Thanksgiving, rather than braving the chaos that is early-morning Christmas shopping. mess with that, not to Meenach said. Dorothy and Carl Young, who founded Jersey Dairy, began their Christmas tree farm in 1982 after handing over the dairy to their son. a farmer at Young See TREE on Page 2B said.

we decided to do a Shop till you chop a tree Lackey TIM MEENACH pulls his daughter, Kelsey, 6, in front, and her friend Brittany Garries, 9, in a sled as they look for a tree at ChristmasTree Farm on Friday. CHRISTMAS TREE FARMS Christmas Tree Farm, 520 Whaley Road, New Carlisle, 845-2343. They cut or you cut. Scotch pine, white pine, Fraser fir, Canaan fir, blue spruce, $35 each. Fresh wreaths starting at $9.

Balled and burlapped trees available. Shaker and packager available. Hours: Daily 10 a.m. to dusk. Liberty Pines Christmas Tree Farm, 2665 Liberty Road, New Carlisle.

Open 10 a.m. until dark Saturday and Sunday and 2 p.m. until dark Thursday and Friday. Specializes in Canaan Fir trees. For information, call 845-7302.

Christmas Tree Farm, 6880 Springfield-Xenia Road, is open daily 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Christmas Eve. Wide variety of trees, beginning at $35, and wreaths..