FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- Fort Belvoir has changed on many fronts, including the world of bandwidth.
Within the last month, the installation has launched its all-new 1610 AM radio station. According to Carl Purvis, acting chief of information strategies and editor of the Belvoir Eagle, the station is geared toward providing as much news and information to the community as possible.
Whether it's an upcoming event at the Community Center, or information on various classes at Barden Education Center, the new station will have it - just like its counterparts in the online and print world. Broadcasting within a six-mile radius, Purvis notes one other advantage, as well.
"It's one more source for emergencies or when inclement weather hits the post. Only in a dire emergency would we go live, but we do have that capability," he said. "The overall intent is to provide current news and information that people can use throughout the week. There is no music, commercials or anything related to advertising. It's strictly Fort Belvoir."
Purvis said the concept for a radio station first began nearly five years ago when the Army-wide Commanders' Channel went off the air and was no longer available for television subscribers. In 2008, Belvoir's Public Affairs Office joined with the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security to re-examine the possibility of having another means of informing the public, at the request of Installation Commander Col. Jerry Blixt.
Since nearly 90 percent of Belvoir commutes to work, Blixt said it was important to have another way of providing information on traffic, road closures and other key events. At a fairly low cost to operate, he believes the radio station is just the tool for the job.
"We're a commuter post. We have people coming from places like Stafford and Silver Spring," Blixt said. "This is another way of communicating with our installation population. I'm quite pleased to see the station up and running. Our next step is to extend it online and possibly include dynamic message boards for people to use."
Spencer Hardney, chief of operations for DPTMS, has been involved with bringing Belvoir to the airwaves since September. He played a pivotal role in securing equipment, in addition to obtaining the proper licensing for a radio broadcast to be conducted.
"During our research, we had to determine the best site to have a station. We worked with our Directorate of Public Works to select the highest point on post and went from there," Hardney said. "The whole process has been involved, but will certainly benefit the community. We're about 85 percent of the way toward having a streaming link of information that people can access online. Things are certainly progressing."
Purvis said that link will provide the same information as the installation's 805-3030 emergency hotline. The link will also provide information similar to Belvoir's weekly podcast at belvoir.army.mil. Purvis said the Public Affairs Office will be responsible for station content and that it will continue to work with DPTMS and the installation's Network Enterprise Center on getting information out to the community.
For Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation activities, contact Debra Taylor, 805-4137. Anything else should be directed to editor@belvoireagle.com.
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