BILSA Dean Wayne Weber has agreed to a new faculty adviser to oversee the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s student radio station, WSUP. The position had been vacant since the end of the spring semester due to a reduction in the media studies teaching ranks.

“We need a champion on campus who is going to take leadership with the executive [staff],” said Weber. “We decided the first step was identifying that person. To his credit, Bill Yazbec stepped up to the plate and I think he is going to be great.”

Yazbec, an English instructor, was appointed the position following an Oct. 12 meeting, which representatives of WSUP attended. A QueenB radio group also attended as well as Yazbec and representatives from the Department of Media Studies, who traditionally fill the adviser role.

Weber said there were a couple of overlying questions discussed—the direction of the radio station, the objectives of that direction, and identifying the person who can take responsibility.

Yazbec, who has previous experience working with radio stations, will work closely with Herb Cody, the marketing manager at QueenB Radio. Cody will assist Yazbec and serve as a consultant from a chief operator standpoint. Yazbec and Cody are eager to start working with the staff at WSUP.

“All those involved have a passion for helping the station grow and become successful. We are looking to work together to do our best and make it a positive experience,” Cody said. “The idea is basically coming up with a plan to program a station and decide with help from the students how to plan accordingly. Right now the first piece of the puzzle, having Bill [Yazbec] on board, will help that out.”

Yazbec and Cody will develop a working partnership between WSUP, a non-commercial broadcast entity, and the QueenB group of commercial stations.

“How do you partner in a way that’s productive when we have a for-profit and a non-profit radio station?” Weber said. “There are models of that working together. I think UW-Oshkosh is an excellent example, but you need someone that is going to lead that and help work through all those intricate details.”

The main priorities at WSUP are to serve the students, the university and the community.

“The direction that we are looking at is that it’s going to start off as a service where we are serving the listener base, and that listener base includes our students and the surrounding community,” Weber said. “Then we want to expand that and maybe later on there will be further curriculum associations with it [WSUP].”

Weber said he would be touching base with WSUP alumni to see if they are interested in being involved with the station in some fashion, including philanthropically.

WSUP Station Manager Billy Williams and Assistant Manager Betsy Heidt are planning to show Yazbec the ropes in regard to the student organization aspect of WSUP, especially the financial aspects. Primarily student fees support WSUP.

Heidt, who has been a part of WSUP Radio for four years, said that she is excited to have a fresh face advising the radio station.

“I’m looking forward to new ideas and looking at things at a new angle. [Yazbec] is not an outsider, but he has an outsider’s perspective because he hasn’t been a part of us before,” Heidt said. “I think with Bill Yazbec being our new adviser, it’s going to help us be more engaged and come up with fun ideas.”

“If we have someone there who is willing to take ownership, who is passionate about it, that’s half the battle,” Weber said. “I think everybody realizes that with the great things that WSUP has done, it can go to the next level.”

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