Blue Wave radio station resurrected at high school
Station founder's son mirrors his dad's 1978 efforts
1 comments below
Riverhead High School's new radio station took to the airwaves this year, staffed by (from left) maintenance guy Steven Backel, general manager Kyle Kratoville, chief engineer Sean Roche and general manager Dave Talmage.
Four Riverhead High School students and tech teacher Bob Mills have converted a small finishing room from Mr. Mills' wood-shop class into a radio station, and are now broadcasting over the air and on the Internet.
The station is called WRHS and is located at 94.9 FM. Right now, the signal only travels about a mile, but the station also can be found on the Internet at http://www.riverhead.net/students/wrhs. The station was live between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. most days and is archived and streamed 24 hours a day on the Internet, although with school ending, there will be fewer live broadcasts.
Sophomore Kyle Kratoville is the station's general manager and was one of the people who helped make it all happen.
"In March of last year, I asked Mr. Mills what were the chances of starting a high school radio station and he sent an e-mail to the principal," Kyle said. "Nothing happened for a while and then over the summer last year, I met with [Principal David] Zimbler a couple of times. He sent an e-mail to the district office and they gave us the OK about five months ago."
Although he's only 16, Kyle is no stranger to radio. He's been a disc jockey at WRIV in Riverhead for almost two years, and his father, Jack Kratoville, is a longtime jockey who currently works at 106.7 Lite FM in New York City, and has worked at a number of local stations over the years.
Once the current high school station proposal got the OK from the district office, Mike Erickson, a friend of Kyle's dad and also the chief engineer at CBS radio in New York, loaned the students some equipment that enabled them to have a temporary studio until the permanent equipment arrived, Kyle said.
Mr. Mills, along with guidance counselor Christine Angermaier, had previously applied for, and eventually received a state Tech Prep Initiative Grant of $8,000 to pay for the equipment.
Kyle said that once the grant was secured, he made an inventory of what equipment would be needed and sent it to Ms. Angermaier.
Kyle also was able to convince Josh Emert, a friend of his who is music director at WBLI in West Babylon, to donate a hard drive with about 350 pop songs on it to the high school station.
"Right now, we have four students at the station, but we already have 26 signed up for next year," Kyle said.
Dave Talmage, Steve Backel and Sean Roche are the other three students currently on the air.
And while the broadcast consists mostly of music now, Mr. Mills said they plan to have discussion shows and possibly sports broadcasts next year.
"We didn't think everything was going to happen so quick," Mr. Mills said. "We had intentions of being on in September, and all of a sudden, everything fell into place and we were able to get started."
He credited the quick receipt of the grant money and the fact that Kyle's dad was able to borrow equipment to allow them to start sooner.
"That gave us a good month-and-a-half jump," Mr. Mills said.
The over-the-air station is not likely to go much farther than two miles, Kyle said, but his father has an application with the Federal Communications Commission for a new full-power station on the East End. If it's approved, he plans to give some time on that station to the Riverhead High School station.
tgannon@timesreview.com
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1 comments found
Way to go guys!!! : 6/18/2009
Who says that today's generation isn't interested in radio? Best of luck to my bud Kyle.
