Hocking County LPFM looking to expand

[Dr. Whiplash]

Local radio station wants to cast a much wider net
By Lesley Gray For The Athens Messenger

LOGAN (Ohio) - The Net, or 106.7 WWTL, has been broadcasting since 2003, but continues to look for new ways to serve the communities of Hocking County and expand its services to new listeners.

"Our goal is to be a locally run recording station that meets local community needs," said Erik Anderson, station manager.

The Net is owned and operated by Christians who live in Hocking County, most of the contributions coming from the Cornerstone Baptist Church and its founder and pastor, Tom Walz. While The Net is a Christian station, it strives to provide community service for all in Hocking County and is not a religious battleground.

"We're for everything that strengthens the community," Walz said.

The station is operated by Branch Communications, a non-profit corporation. The Net station in Logan is on the property of the Cornerstone Baptist Church; in fact, the building was erected in 2000, before the church was even built.

In July, The Net acquired a tower in Sugar Grove, making the service area about 50,000 potential listeners compared to the 12,000 to 15,000 listeners who could pick up the station previously. People in Sugar Grove and parts of (Fairfield County) need to tune into 104.7, instead of 106.7, to pick up The Net.

Walz and Anderson have hopes of expanding Hocking County coverage even further by adding an additional tower in the Nelsonville area, and have already received FCC approval for a frequency at 99.3. A new tower could put The Net coverage area up to 100,000 potential listeners.

"We have to find other creative ways to fill in the coverage area," Anderson said. WMRN's coverage is overlapping that of The Net. Another tower in Nelsonville might help with some of the problems.

"We need to locate a site, property or tower where we could set up a broadcast operation. It could be anything from residential property to an existing tower site or tall structure," Anderson said. "More than anything else, it's going to clear up the problem we're having now."

In addition to news, The Net airs the weather and works with local funeral homes to broadcast obituaries. The station also broadcasts special events going on in the community - free of charge to anyone who calls or faxes the information.

"Being a local community radio station is our main goal and we change so we do different things different times of the day," Walz said.