Wartburg students ready to broadcast in Germany

Students at Wartburg College will do internships on “Wartburg Radio” next year, but the station isn’t in Iowa — it’s in Waverly’s sister city, Eisenach, Germany. Dr. Bill Withers, chair of Wartburg’s communication arts department, is coordinating the effort and says the students are psyched.Withers was recently in Eisenach looking for opportunities that could take Iowa college students to the German town, when the radio station was still in the planning stages.The one thousand watt German station is slated to go on the air this month with music and live deejays — all speaking in English — and under the name “Wartburg Radio 96-point-five F-M.” Withers says it’s rather ironic that the former East German city is so fascinated by our Western culture. He says station developers want Western music and voices.When this academic year is over in May, Withers will be escorting more than a dozen Wartburg students to Germany for about a month. The community or public broadcasting station will regularly feature music, information and other news from both Wartburg and Waverly.