DATE: Sunday, November 2, 1997              TAG: 9710310276

SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 12   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   45 lines

WFOS WILL BROADCAST ELECTION COVERAGE

On Tuesday, WFOS will continue a tradition that has become rare in radio - election coverage.

``Like we do every election, we'll bring live reports from the various precincts during the day, beginning at 7 a.m.,'' said Dennis McCurdy, broadcast instructor and program manager. ``And then at 7 p.m., after the polls are closed, we'll go live to the studio and broadcast the results as soon as we get them.

``. . . I don't think there's another radio station in the area that does this kind of thing every election,'' he continued. ``We are unusual. Radio is changing and it's no longer live, and as an information center, it's dying. We're keeping this tradition alive, and live, every election day.''

WFOS-FM 88.7 is the radio station of the Chesapeake public school system with studios at the Chesapeake Center for Science and Technology on Cedar Road.

The station will broadcast up-to-the-minute results on the statewide races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general along with results from the various state Senate and House of Delegates races. The station also will break away from time to time to present Mutual Broadcasting System results of other state races or elections of local interest.

During the day, McCurdy said he will strap on the mobile microphone and visit voter precincts.

``I'll be able to give out exact voting numbers at the precincts,'' he said. ``And then I'll talk to voters, the politicos and to the precinct volunteers and candidate volunteers.''

At 7 p.m., he will head for Chesapeake Circuit Court while student volunteers fan out to report on election results from other area cities. Election veteran Richie Babb and Indian River High School junior Alice Whitener will man the WFOS election anchor desk.

``It's a good thing it's an off-year election because this year the majority of students helping me are new to all this,'' he said. ``Most of my veteran election-night student volunteers have graduated. So on this Tuesday night, these new students can learn the ropes so they'll be ready for the next high profile election.'' MEMO: For more information about WFOS' election day and night coverage,

call the station at 547-1036.

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