Vermont Governor Howard Dean declared the month of October "Rocktober" for the second consecutive year in recognition of College radio station WFRD 99 Rock's commitment to better broadcasting.
In an Executive Department proclamation, the Governor recognized the importance of student broadcast journalism and praised Dartmouth Broadcasting on three main points:
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providing students interested in broadcast journalism with access to hands-on experience
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keeping "citizens of the Upper Valley informed, entertained and aware of day-to-day events" of the community
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offering "diverse and entertaining promotional programming"
WFRD Radio is centered in Hanover and transmits signals strongly throughout a 30-mile radius, which extends into both Vermont and New Hampshire.
Dean signed the proclamation Aug. 26 in Montpelier, Vt., in front of WFRD General Manager Phil Augur '95, disc jockey Joey Hood '96 and Tim Hoehn, the station's Sales Manager.
"It was a lot of fun -- Governor Dean's a great guy, friendly and down-to-earth," Augur said.
Augur yesterday described the cordial meeting between the representatives and Dean, which took place in the stately Governor's office across from the Vermont Capitol building. They talked casually about the weather and Dean posed for a picture wearing a WFRD shirt.
Rocktober is a month-long promotion on WFRD. Daily give-aways this month will include compact discs, t-shirts, Halloween Bash tickets and tickets to see The Pretenders, who will perform at Leede Arena on "Rocktober" 28.
The Halloween Bash will take place at the Scruples Lounge at the Radisson North Country Inn on "Rocktober" 29. Daily winners on the radio will have a chance at the grand prize drawing for a trip for two to Germany to celebrate Oktoberfest Old World-Style in 1995.
The station began its Rocktober campaign three to four years ago and this is the second year Dean has recognized the campaign.
"It's good P.R.- it allows us to legitimize the things we've done ... It's nice that we got recognition from a government official," Augur said.
Dean, a democrat, faces re-election this year, but is widely believed to win handily due to his strong popularity.
"This is the same proclamation we made last year and it's just a continuation. [We did it last year] so it's not just a campaign ploy," Dean's press secretary Stephanie Carter said.
WFRD's Board of Overseers considered contacting Republican New Hampshire Governor Stephen Merrill to gauge his interest in the same program, but they decided it was not worth Merrill's time during a more contentious re-election year.
