Thursday, October 27, 2016
The Summit is solid for now.
The commercial-free alternative rock radio station out of Akron that broadcasts to the Mahoning Valley via a lease agreement with WKTL-90.7 FM survived a scare but will remain on the air.
WKTL is owned by the Struthers school board, which — as part of its duty to its taxpayers — has been trying to determine the cash value of the station and its federal license. The station had recently been appraised at $800,000. The board had set the minimum bid at $900,000 but heard nothing but crickets. It did not receive a single bid.
That was two weeks ago.
At last week’s meeting, the board took no further action on the station.
So the status quo will remain in effect for the foreseeable future.
It’s a happy arrangement. The board loves working with The Summit and knows the station is a unique cultural asset to not only Struthers but the whole Valley.
And The Summit continued to prove its merit. Representatives of the station attended last week’s school board meeting and gave a presentation on academic programs it proposes to implement that would give Struthers students a leg up in the media industry.
Tommy Bruno and Brad Savage, The Summit’s executive director and programming manager, respectively, got told the school board about their plan to create the 21st Century Broadcasting Club, which would be based at Struthers High School. Students in the club would attend seminars and do hands-on work with Summit professionals.
The Summit also hopes to conduct a focus group with SHS students in order to define precise ways that it could serve their needs and help them reach their goals.
Bruno also pointed out that The Summit has invested about $75,000 in physical improvements to the WKTL broadcast facility.
Film commission raffle
The Youngstown Regional Film Commission’s current fundraiser offers a shot at winning food and other gifts from local restaurants. Roaming Raffle tickets (26 tickets for $3) are available at Suzie’s Dogs and Drafts, the Royal Oaks, O’Donold’s (both locations), Avalon Pizza, V2, Coaches Burger Bar (both locations), Patsy’s Bar and Grille, Downtown Draught House, Donavito’s, Ryes and Imbibe.
There are baskets at each location. Ticketholders can drop a few tickets at each eatery or put them all in one if they desire, depending on the prize. The drawing will be Nov. 1. Go to filmyoungstown.com for information.