Before becoming the general manager of 88.9 WDBM 18 years ago, Gary Reid was a professional musician. As a classically trained percussionist, he did studio recordings for independent artists and commercials.
"It just made sense to be involved in radio, music and recording," Reid said.
But his involvement and love for radio didn't begin in 1989 — Reid's been a fan all his life. Growing up in Dearborn, he enjoyed listening to a renowned local rock station, WABX.
Now he is helping to bring high definition radio to the Impact, and campus.
As an MSU student, Reid was a disc jockey in the 1970s. When he attended, there were seven stations on campus, all broadcasting as MSN — the Michigan State Network. They each broadcast on 640 AM, from different buildings.
Each station played different types of music, such as top 40, progressive and country. Reid worked at the progressive station, based out of Wonders Hall and played songs such as the 18-minute-long "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly.
In the music business, Reid can be described as a jack of all trades. He's been a musician, a record producer and now a general manager of a radio station. But amid all that, he discovered something else he loves — teaching.
"It's been an interesting transition for me," he said. "I just found that I really enjoy teaching and being able to teach and have it connected to radio, music and media."
Reid especially loves the students he works with — they keep him young, he said.
"Young people, students … have a great sense the times in which they live. The ability to adopt new technology, the ability to say 'Why not?' is great," he said.
His goals right now are to expand the Impact's digital realm, by purchasing the equipment needed to add more channels. The biggest challenge is to stay relevant, he said. The station plans to do this by adding new programs and content.
"It never feels like work to me. I mean, I think everyone has had a job where they look at their watch and say 'OK I just made another dollar,'" he said. "It's never felt like that to me around here, and I'm thankful of that feeling."
MEET … GARY REID
Department: Telecommunication, information studies and media
Type of Research: High-definition radio
Basics of Research: For years, radio stations have been assigned 200 kilohertz of bandwidth — which is why FM radio stations start at 88.1 then go to 88.3, and so on.
Reid said there is extra bandwidth in the signals. Digital technology allows stations to broadcast not only their analog signals, but a digital signal as well.
"What that meant is that there is room in (the) frequency band and on the same channel that is already assigned," Reid said.
High-definition radio has multiple benefits, he said. The digital signals make the music clearer, and also offer additional services to listeners. For example, a song's title, artist and a small version of album artwork is stored in the extra bandwidth.
However, Reid said this only works on high-definition receivers, which cost between $200 and $300.
Social Impact of Research: Reid is the general manager of 88.9 WDBM, the Impact, MSU's student radio station. In October 2004, the Impact became the 132nd radio station in North America out of 14,000 to go digital — and the first college station to do so.
The station bought a new digital transmitter for $85,000, which was the first step in the station going high definition. Overall, the upgrade costs about $100,000 which Reid had been saving for from the operating budget. Students pay a $3 tax for the Impact, which makes up the station's budget.
This summer, the Impact is expanding their digital services and adding another channel. The station would then have WDBM 1 and WDBM 2. The different stations would play different types of music.
