Editor's note: The following opinion was posted by a student listener, John Wilmot, on a Georgia Tech newsgroup, in response to a request for comments about WREK programming.
I have to add my two cents here. I listen to WREK very regulary, daily in fact. I can't say that I'm 100% happy with the programming, but then that's true for every station on the dial. I switch back and forth between WREK and other more popular stations.

Why? So that I can hear something different! If every station had the same or similar programming, what would be the point of having more than one station? Why should WREK even exist in that case? A large comercial station could do an infinitely better job of playing ANY format. Why should WREK bother to offer something that is readily available and done well elsewhere?

I am sometimes perplexed by what comes out of my speakers when I tune in to the school station, but that's part of the reason I listen. Another is that I am guaranteed of hearing something that is simply not available anywhere else on the radio in Atlanta. And a lot of what WREK plays is incredibly good, not just challenging. How else would I be exposed to those options if WREK didn't offer them?

The question of making people happy is a sticky one. You just can't please everyone, but does that mean that you should try to please the most possible? Personally, I don't think it's such a great idea to start trying to be popular. After all, Melrose Place, 90210, and Full House are all popular; so neither quality nor educational value is necessary to attract the average person. Why pander to the undiscriminating masses when the station already has a loyal following of sophisticated listeners?

Then there is the argument that a little popular programming won't hurt. Again, it's a thorny issue. True, no lives would be lost in the event that Metalica or Pearl Jam is broadcast, but will that be all that gets played? When you let somebody have their Top 40 show, what do you say to the next person who wants a "classic" rock or "alternative" show? How do you stop somebody from playing Bush every time he has a shift when the guy before him just had on Soul Asylum? It's better to just have a clear vision of the station's programming and an unwavering stance against mainstream offerings so that confusion won't occur and standards remain high.

I guess the real issue for me is that if WREK didn't play the odd mix that it does that there would be not just one, but many fewer options. There is such diversity on the station, and most of it is completely absent in the Atlata radio spectrum. What would I do if I wanted to hear something new or unusual? I could try another station (and I often do), but then I would likely only get to hear the one kind of music that that station plays. At WREK, there's no telling what it'll be. Thank god!

I know that I am not alone in my apreciation for the diversity programming. Even though I am a Tech student, I was turned on to the station by a friend who isn't. There is an audience out there for the station just the way it is. If WREK tries to please all those whiners who aren't satisfied with hearing the same homogenous, mainstream muzak on ALMOST every station in town, there will be many loyal listeners who will suffer a great loss.

I hope this helps.

John Wilmot, Feb. 1997

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Edited by Chris Campbell, Feb. 1997