Equipment in college radio station WIIT studio in 2017. Photo: J. Waits

College Radio Watch: Strike at WWVU over Alleged Sexual Harassment, Station Tours and More News

By Jennifer Waits on December 15, 2017 in College Radio, College Radio Survivor

On December 7, students at college radio station WWVU (aka U92) at West Virginia University held a three-hour strike, protesting alleged sexual harassment by the university employee who manages the radio station. On Monday, December 11, it was reported that while the investigation is ongoing, the station manager will not report to work at the station (although he may continue to work off-site). According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Jackson Montgomery, 23, a volunteer disc jockey designated by the group to talk with reporters, said student staff are upset with what he and others said were repeated inappropriate comments of a sexual nature, some delivered on the air.” In response, the accused station manager Matthew Fouty denied the allegations. The Post-Gazette reports, “Reached late Monday as he worked from home, Mr. Fouty reiterated that the accusations were baseless.” In the meantime, a former WWVU General Manager is serving in that role on an interim basis. In a statement on Monday, West Virginia University outlined the measures that it is taking. According to that announcement, “While the investigation is pending, the current general manager will not be reporting to work on campus and the University has reinforced interim measures to limit contact between the general manager and students during the investigation.” Additionally, the statement reads:

The University remains steadfast in addressing the WWVU students’ concerns, and will work with the students to bring it to resolution as quickly as possible. WVU encourages any member of the University family who believes they have relevant information related to the current WWVU matter, or any other, to contact James Goins, the University’s Title IX Officer.

WVU will not tolerate any form of discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, domestic misconduct, stalking or retaliation. The University will continue to follow its policies and procedures to address any actions which would be considered contrary to this commitment.

I am glad that the university is taking these complaints seriously and I was heartened that college radio participants are speaking up about sexual harassment. In October, I wrote Me Too: Sexual Harassment and College Radio, hoping to start a more in-depth dialogue within the college radio community about sexism and harassment. In response, I heard some harrowing accounts, yet also had my post about my piece flagged on Facebook as inappropriate. The combination of those two reactions (women privately telling me personal horror stories of being harassed in college radio and a man in a college radio Facebook group trying to get my post on sexual harassment taken down) makes it clear that college radio is not immune to sexual harassment and abuse. My hope is that with this renewed attention, we can all work to create real change and safer working environments for everyone.

College Radio Station Tours at WKCR and WIIT

In other news, I’m catching up on some of my college radio station field trip reports and have just posted recaps of my visits to WKCR at Columbia University in New York City and to WIIT at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. Both stations have fascinating histories and are on campuses with serious radio history cred. Thanks to Illinois Institute of Technology for the extra coverage of my article about WIIT!

Part 15 Broadcasting and Carrier Current on the Radio Survivor Podcast

The Radio Survivor Podcast this week digs into Part 15 and carrier current broadcasting, which has played a very important role in college radio since the late 1930s. It’s well worth a listen. I’d also love to hear from college radio stations that continue to operate under “part 15” rules, particularly those broadcasting using carrier current.