Yalies seeking news now have an alternative to the traditional print media on campus.
WYBC radio has added a weekly news show, “The Blueline Report,” in an effort to expand its news department. Started at the beginning of this year, the show airs on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
WYBC News Director Caroline Nathan ’04 said “The Blueline Report” was modeled after National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” The show’s format allows it to approach a topic from a variety of angles, such as traditional news reports, interviews and debates.
Nathan is a former staff reporter for the Yale Daily News.
During the first three shows “The Blueline Report” discussed topics including labor issues, the conflict between the Yale Law School and United States military recruiters, and the singing group rush process.
This week’s show will focus on the possibility of war in Iraq and will feature diplomat-in-residence Charles Hill.
Nathan said the program’s mission is to cover international, national and Yale issues in a way that is relevant to the Yale community.
WYBC news reporter Adam Domby ’06 said the radio show will offer a unique news perspective to the Yale community.
“It’s a totally different type of news,” Domby said.
In the past couple of weeks, Domby covered the union protest and the speech by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
“I actually had a chance to do stuff rather than being ignored,” Domby said.
In the past, WYBC has focused more on music than on news, said WYBC General Manager Matthew Louchheim ’04.
“There was not a show dedicated to news at Yale,” Louchheim added. “‘The Blueline Report’ offers another dimension of reality to Yale news.”
Previously, WYBC’s news coverage consisted of reading headlines for two minutes twice a day and airing occasional talk shows.
Nathan said the radio station is not concerned by the fact that Yale students already have several news sources, including the Yale Daily News and the Yale Herald. The New York Times is also scheduled to return to dining halls in the near future.
“[Print and radio] are two incredibly different media that in the real world only complement each other,” Nathan said. “We see ourselves as simply a different way to convey information.”
Louchheim said that the power of their news lies in the fact that it is heard and not read.
“You can’t get that experience in print,” Louchheim said.
Yale Daily News Editor in Chief Rebecca Dana ’04 agreed that the two media types would complement each other.
“I can see it fitting in really nicely with the print media on campus,” Dana said. “I’m sure there’s a niche for it.”
Nathan said that she is optimistic about the new show.
“I think once it gains credibility as a forum of discussion, people will start listening,” Nathan said.