WRFH 101.7 FM Radio Free Hillsdale will move to a new location in the Stanton Building later this year.

“It’s roughly triple what we have for space now,” General Manager at WRFH 101.7 FM Scot Bertram said. “It’s significant, which is great because we have always been a little tight on space here. Having a larger footprint can work much better for us logistically.”

The new studio will be located in the basement of the Stanton Foundation Building for Classical Education. The space previously functioned as the cafeteria and kitchen when the building housed Mauck Elementary School. 

For more than seven years, the radio station has been squished into two small studios in the Fred A. Knorr Memorial Student Center next to the Old Snack Bar.

Because of its connection with the marketing and public relations departments, Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé said the radio and podcast programs would fit well with the growing complex.

After they move in, the Stanton building will be full.

“It’s going to be a hot corner down there,” Péwé said.

The current station is located in a space that existed before the radio station came about.

“The rooms were what they were here, so we sort of retrofitted them to get functional,” Bertram said. “But now, everything will be easier to do.”

The new space will feature a main studio and two smaller studios, a control room, an office for Bertram, and a green room where radio students can hang out. The two smaller studios can be used by students to edit and record without having to work around scheduling with the limited studio space they have now.

“It’s difficult to schedule things out to make sure everyone has the proper amount of time,” Bertram said.

The large main studio, on the other hand, can be used for shows and interviews with four or five people, he said.

“It will be easier to do more live shows,” Bertram said. “Right now, three people in that room is crunched, but with a larger studio and better studio furniture, it will be much easier to talk to each other.”

Most of the existing equipment will be reused in the new studios, along with radio equipment the college bought from Fox News Host Laura Ingraham after she decided to stop doing her radio show in 2018, Bertram said. Having a separate control room will also have the benefit of minimizing background noise.

“There’s some background noise that sometimes pops into things as we’re on the air or recording,” he said.

“We will need more microprocessors, but a lot of equipment that will be needed is either already in use or will be transferred from storage into the new space in the next few years,” he said.

He said the green room will add a community space that the radio station has been lacking.

“The space in Stanton is going to have an area where they can prepare for their shows and newscasts,” Bertram said. “Since it’s a little removed from the center of campus now, they can come early and study or talk to friends before they record. I think it will help foster a sense of community for students who are taking part in the radio program.”

The project is about four to six weeks out from completion, according to Pewe. Bertram said they have been recently putting in structural equipment, such as drywall sound absorption. Furnishings like carpeting are still left to be done. The station could be up and running before the semester ends, Pewe said.

“I’d love to be able to be doing podcasts in there by early April,” he said.

Digital Director of WRFH Abigail Snyder said she is glad the radio station is gaining more space.

“The move to Stanton will help us all be more productive and ultimately create content that reflects well on Hillsdale College,” Snyder said.

“Going from the old closet in Knorr to this massive space will be an amazing upgrade,” Radio Program Director Josh Barker said. “In addition to being able to put all of our equipment to use and avoid bottlenecks that currently exist, I’m really excited that we’ll finally have our own space for meetings and just to hang out.”

Barker said he is sad to be graduating and won’t be able to enjoy the new studio. 

“While I’d be lying to say I’m not very jealous that the other seniors and I will not get to experience it, I am very excited that the next generation of radio students and our current underclassmen will have such a great setup,” Barker said. 

Barker said the new location, while a farther walk from the center of campus than before, has benefits not only in space but also in being situated in a quieter part of campus.

“Not being adjacent to the Old Snack Bar means that the sound from outside —a problem when clubs currently host events in OSB — won’t be a problem for our students making content, unless marketing or PR start throwing parties,” he said.