Letter: Save WQUN AM Radio In Hamden

Written by Holly Masi

To the Editor:

For 20 years, Quinnipiac University has owned AM1220 WQUN. This station has provided an invaluable resource for our surrounding communities while educating students and training future broadcast professionals. WQUN serves the community as a reliable source of local news, real time traffic and weather, emergency information, and great music from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. It publicizes Quinnipiac University events and sports, provides a voice for non-profit organizations, local Chambers of Commerce, and their associated business partners. WQUN is a powerful professional public relations bridge between Quinnipiac University and the communities it supports.

On January 14, 2019, Quinnipiac University delivered the shocking news that it plans to close WQUN on May 31, 2019. This is both heart breaking and devastating for all of us who have come to depend on this radio station. Silencing “The Voice of the Community “will cause significant damage to the University’s image. WQUN actually helps to unify and appease a difficult relationship that the university has had with the neighboring towns for these past 20 years. This damage will take considerably more time and financial cost to repair than the comparably minimal investment of WQUN’s current operating budget.

In response to this devastating news, I started a petition and community effort to “Save WQUN.” Presently, over 1,000 signatures have been collected, and an entire community outreach effort continues to grow. At the same time, the University, unwaveringly, dismisses pleas from all who have reached out. It is unfortunate, that the growth and reach of the University adds an ever-increasing burden on the local taxpayers in the towns that house the campus and the students. Our tax dollars pay for municipal police and fire services to protect Quinnipiac University. With that in mind, it is difficult to fathom why they refuse to reconsider their decision to silence WQUN, this priceless public relations resource that helps to bridge Town Gown Relationships.

Less than 30 days remain until “the day the music dies” in our community. For more information go to “SAVE WQUN AM1220 Radio” at Care 2.com and visit the Save WQUN Facebook Page.

Sincerely,

Holly Masi

Hamden