Cover Story: WRAS GM talks GPB takeover

As 88.5 (WRAS-FM)’s General Manager for two years, and host to such long-running weekly programs as “Dot Dash,” “Velvet Morning,” and “Cosmic Inferno,” Anastasia Zimitravich has been particularly distressed since learning of GPB’s daytime takeover. With her characteristically deadpan delivery, Zimitravich ruminates on how WRAS lured her to Georgia State University in the fist place, the potentially devastating partnership, and her hope to keep the pressure on GPB.

How did you discover WRAS?

I’m from Garden Grove, Calif., but lived in Cartersville for 10 years. That’s where I first heard WRAS — it reached Cartersville on some days. At first I thought it was UGA’s station, but when I learned it was from GSU in Atlanta I said, “Sign me up.” If it weren’t for WRAS I would’ve gone to UGA.

What happens to your shows if the GPB partnership goes through?

New management will have to gauge the popularity of the shows and place them accordingly. The school has made it clear that ratings matter now. Administration suggested putting popular shows like “Adventures in Paradise” or “Charm Academy” on after GPB programming for an hour each day to keep people listening. Statistically, listenership drops after 7 p.m.

Has the station been in this kind of jeopardy before?

GPB wanting our programming is nothing new. In the past, they couldn’t do it because there were enough decision-making people on our side who knew that WRAS is a great asset, and what a huge mistake it would be. This time they found a loophole into getting our programming hours without getting our license.

How did GPB go after Georgia Tech’s student-run station WREK in a different way?

WREK’s management was included in the decision, and they said no. They need to be offered something of value and GPB offers nothing of value. Our staff learns so much from running the station independently, without the guidance of any other network. They can get jobs at GPB if they want to, without a GPB internship. The experience gained at WRAS is enough.

Why haven’t you used WRAS as an outlet to protest the partnership?

We can’t. It’s not our station, and if we were to voice our opinions it’s likely we’d get locked out of the station. It has happened at other colleges, and it’s a road we don’t want to go down. We’re remaining as neutral as possible on the air to prevent something like that from happening.

How do you feel after meeting with GSU President Mark Becker about the situation?

Disappointed. He didn’t accept our proposal and didn’t consider terminating the contract at all. But there are other routes to go down. President Becker seems open to our ideas, and seems to care about how we feel about the partnership now. I don’t know if it’s because we educated him on what a bad idea the partnership is or because he felt pressure because of the public backlash. We’re waiting to hear back from him to schedule another meeting. Until then, pressure from the media needs to focus on GPB.

What sort of leverage do you have?

There are people asking, “What’s the big deal? It’s already done, why fight it?” But I’ve learned that persistence pays off, and I know that I’m doing the best that I can and it’s the right thing for the station. WRAS is a rare gem. It’s one of only two college stations in the world that possess 100,000 watts. The other one is WREK. If this deal goes through WREK may surpass us in popularity. They’ll be the trusted name in college radio because they’re unadulterated.

The only leverage we have is that people care about WRAS and don’t want this partnership to happen. Their voices matter, and it’s important to use those voices to do more than write #SaveWRAS and sign a petition. They need to tell GPB how they feel and how they’re going to react.