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Volunteer-Headed Radio Station Gives a Voice to Penns Valley

MILLHEIM — Many of us can remember the music as Julia Andrews stands in the midst of an alpine meadow. She looks up with a smile and sings, “The hills are alive with the sound of music.”

Penns Valley, alas, has no high snow-capped mountains. So here, the locals listen to WSOV, “The Voice of the Valley.” This low-powered FM radio station broadcasts to Brush Valley and Penns Valley on the government assigned frequency of 101.7 FM. Listeners can also stream it live over the internet through its website, wsov.org.

WSOV entertains the residents of the valleys 24 hours a day, seven days a week with many different genres of music, advertising, children’s bedtime stories, a nightly radio mystery show and public announcements. This programming has been broadcasting to the people of Penns Valley for five years.

The station grew out of the Penns Valley Conservation Association, which was formed to empower citizens to work for the good of Penns Valley and Brush Valley. PVCA has raised money and developed programs that reach students in local schools and other citizens and educates them on ways to keep the good things the valley has to offer and improve where it’s needed.

A subcommittee of the larger group, the Slow Money Committee, came up with the idea of setting up and running a radio station. The idea was in line with the “slow money movement” of the time. That movement was promoting the idea that local groups could organize investors and donors and steer new sources of capital to small food enterprises, organic farms and local food systems. A low-powered radio station could promote local consumption of locally grown food and promote support for local services and suppliers. The committee eventually evolved into the WSOV committee.

The first location for the station was a decommissioned church in Millheim. The building provided lots of room and seemed ideal in terms of space. However, complications came up and the station had to be moved. A local business owner, Troy Smith, heard of the problems and offered an alternative site in a building next to his business that was not being used. He also provided a generous donation to get the station’s initial budget finalized. So, after several years of research and fundraising, the first budget of about $30,000 was finalized. The first official live broadcast was presented to listeners on Dec. 1, 2017.

WSOV has no paid staff and is operated by volunteers. The music, programming and announcements are pre-recorded. then played over the air. Local businesses and organizations do pay for airing advertising and announcements, but the cost of producing content is kept as low as possible, and revenue is used toward rent and utilities.

Larry Wolken and his wife, Lisa Marshall, who were on the original committee, recalled that it took four years to complete the work just to get on the air. In the beginning, the programming was loaded to the station’s computer using flash drives. Volunteers would come up with a program at home using their own music library and then they would put the program on a flash drive, which in turn was plugged into the station’s computer. Now the programs and other materials are downloaded via the internet.

Several people have established shows that are a mainstay of the schedule. One of these on-air talents is Bill Smedley, who has always had a love of old-time music. He created a show and it was broadcast over WSOV and since has become a fixture on the schedule.

That airtime led to more chances to do shows for other low-powered stations. He now creates a show that plays on three other stations, including one in California, as well as in Williamsport and a station in the United Kingdom.

Bryan Grove, who is a Ph.D. candidate at Penn State, is another producer of original broadcasting. He produces a show on the roots of rock and roll called “From Roots to Rock.” Another broadcaster, California resident Jeff Zolitor, provides a show from the other side of the country.