Dialed In

ALUMS WANTING TO CONNECT TO the campus on a daily basis will soon have an alternative to The D. Campus radio station WFRD, a.k.a. 99 Rock, plans to offer worldwide streaming within the next few months.

The commercial station, which along with the student-geared WDRC (1340 AM) constitutes Dartmouth Broadcasting, reaches about 40,000 listenersand is tops in the Upper Valley, in its category, among listeners 18 to 34. The station, which draws predominantly male listeners, plays music and sells commercials according to the tastes of this demographic.

About seven years ago WFRD switched from playing "heritage rock"every rock genre from classical to modern—to "modern rock," which is the most popular format of rock music among college-aged people, according to Deborah Wassel '07, program manager for the last two years and general manager last summer.

"Right nowwe're in a period of rapid growth," says Wassel. 'Alums will be able to listen, people who used to work here and Dartmouth students away on an offterm," she says. Even before streaming begins, WFRD will double the power of its FM transmitter, she adds.

To cultivate its existing audience WFRD has several daily promotions. Additionally, DJs play nine songs in a row without commercials at the beginning of every hour and provide ample opportunities for listeners to win prizes, ranging from free lunches to trips to Las Vegas.

Typical of the many students who have gained valuable business experience at the station—and only rarely in preparation for professional radio careersWassel is also an on-air personality. As "Susie McMuffin" she has honed a popular persona.

Wassel doesn't plan on pursuing a career in radio once she graduates but hopes to be involved in DJing to some extent during law school and beyond. "I have stronger interests that lie elsewhere," she says, "but it's definitely something I'd like to continue with on a recreational level.

Decoding the Facebook Like more than 7.5 million other users, the average Dartmouth student spends about 20 minutes a day perusing the massively popular facebook.com. Here's a composite of typical Dartmouth profiles and entries. —Carolyn Kylstra '09