THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 6, 1994 TAG: 9411040303
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 26 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
On election night, WFOS-FM 88.7, the radio station of Chesapeake public schools, will stand alone.
Years ago, scores of other radio stations used to offer live, up-to-the-minute results of Chesapeake elections. Now only WFOS does.
``We will stay on the air until there is a winner and in this close senate race that may not happen until 1 in the morning,'' said Dennis McCurdy, WFOS broadcast instructor and program director.
McCurdy said this type of live, on-the-air election coverage is now a thing of the past when it comes to area radio.
``I think we are about the only station that does this anymore,'' he said. ``It's gotten too expensive for commercial stations. We're even going to feed our election results to WNIS.''
The station will begin its election coverage during the day, when McCurdy takes the WFOS mobile unit to various polling places throughout Chesapeake.
He'll offer live on-the-spot reports from Great Bridge to Deep Creek, from South Norfolk to Western Branch and any other polling place in the city.
The live polling place spots will include reports on how many people have voted at any particular precinct and comments from volunteer campaign workers.
``I want to get comments from the campaign workers. They deserve it. They're all volunteers, and they all work hard,'' McCurdy said. ``I never know what I'm going to get when I get to those precincts. But I won't talk to the voters. That just intimidates too many people.''
Then at 7 p.m., the official closing time for all of Virginia's polling places, WFOS will go live on the air anchored by Richie Babb, a Great Bridge English teacher who has been doing election returns for the station ever since he was 14 years old, and Margaret Barnes, a senior at Norfolk Collegiate.
Babb and Barnes will be in charge of up-to-the-minute results and numbers while McCurdy and an army of students and adult supervisors cover all election results at as many area city halls and campaign headquarters as possible.
``Richie and Margaret will have the hardest job all night,'' McCurdy said. ``It will be their responsibility to determine what goes on the air and when to cut away to live reports or national Mutual News.''
McCurdy will be at the municipal center with several student workers to read local congressional and Senate race numbers as they're chalked on the big vote board. Others in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg and even Richmond will do likewise using cellular phones and live on-the-spot remote broadcasts.
``This year, we have a lot of students who will be green behind the ears,'' McCurdy said. ``But that's what this is all about, not just to deliver fast and accurate election results, but to teach these kids. And they'll learn, all right, on the air. I'm at the point with these kids that they have their assignments, they're organized and now it's their problem.''
McCurdy said covering the election now is a little easier than it used to be.
``When we started we used the old chomp-chomp United Press International wire machine and some phone hook-ups,'' McCurdy said. ``Now we have satellite technology, cellular phones and lap-top computers. And we're just a little high school station.''
Here is a list of all the student election workers and their adult supervisors:
Anchors: (at WFOS studios) Richie Babb and Margaret Barnes (Norfolk Collegiate). Adult assistants are Polly Hoag and Daryl Haggart.
Engineers: (at WFOS) chief engineer David L. Desler with Jason Campen (Indian River), Bryan Oliver (Great Bridge) and Melody Siff (Deep Creek Middle).
Chesapeake: McCurdy with Doug Heimburger (Great Bridge), Jennifer Northern (Greenbrier Christian Academy) and Edward Johnson (Indian River).
Norfolk: Adult supervisor Annalisa Murden with Kara McGehee (Great Bridge) and Shan-Estelle Brown (Norfolk Academy).
Virginia Beach: Adult supervisor Aimee Shaffer with Ladan Hamidi-Toosi (Norfolk Academy).
Portsmouth: Adult supervisor Vince Brown with Danielle Boone (Western Branch) and Evangeline Su (Western Branch).
Hampton: Adult supervisor Chris Astle with Joel Almquist (Hampton High), James Kahley (Hampton) and Luray Spencer Jr. (Hampton).
Newport News: Adult supervisor Molly Brooks Cochran with Chris DiFazio (Menchville).
Williamsburg: Jenny O'Shea (William & Mary) and Alexis Cox (William & Mary).
Richmond: Adult supervisors Kirby Broyles and Rob Crump with Kelly Cramer (Maury). by CNB